Impression Killers on the Battlefield

BTW - that word is "flour" not "flower." The former is used in baking. The hippies put the latter in gun barrels back in the 60s. The 1960s, that is.
Not taking casualties is a downer, but I can understand more and more that someone might not want to take themselves out of action after 3 rounds after a long drive...
I saw it all recently: ear rings... modern glasses ... modern rough out combat boots ... wrong gun for the impression ... We've gone waaaaaay beyond "Civil War themed camping" to something that looks like old timey day at the county fair. I saw comparable stuff in the 70s. Haven't we learned anything? Authenticity starts with units teaching and policing their members. My early mentors had no problem gently telling me "don't buy that" and "don't wear that" without making me feel stupid or controlled.
Unfortunately with dwindling numbers units are letting all kind of things slide, we are fine with letting our numbers decline and keep to the standards that were set when the unit was founded 25 years ago. Mainstream events have more canvas than the HMS Victory...….
 
I would agree that we need to make the hobby more authentic, but then the tent, chair, cot, air-mattress, girlfriend/wife and ironware are in jeopardy.

This is exactly why I'm sticking to a more mainstream group...as a single lady, I couldn't be much more authentic (clothing and story aside). I wouldn't have been let out of the house overnight!

It works at local events...sometimes...*sigh.
 
I would heartedly disagree, if you want to see what a Civil War battle was not like, come to Cedar Creek, more farbs per acre than you will see anywhere in the East.

The event sponsors are great individuals, who reenact themselves and have incredible kits. Unfortunately they need to attract large numbers to pay down the debt incurred by taking over the battlefield. We go to support that purpose, but camp down by the creek away from the circus up on the hill.

I would agree that we need to make the hobby more authentic, but then the tent, chair, cot, air-mattress, girlfriend/wife and ironware are in jeopardy. I think it is fun for all, we met with a campaigner Union group and had our own scenario with our battalion against theirs, almost a tactical, within the re-enactment.

I do encourage reenactors to support Cedar Creek as it is an actual battlefield supporting re-enactors and their events, one of the only fields left to allow such large scale events. The US Park Service is chomping at the bit to get a hold of it and if that happens, bye, bye reenacting on the field.
I mentioned in another thread that I volunteer a Cedar Creek, and agree we have money problems and need help in every form.
 
Another item for me is artillery officers that show up but are too cheap to keep up the rate of fire. If you want to shut down your gun to save power, that's ok, but don't shut down all of the guns in the section you command. Yes, I know powder is expensive - in our battery we take up a collection of $10 per gun crew member for the gun owner to help offset the cost of the powder, primers, and transport of the gun. Our goal is to not take back powder - we want to burn everything we bring. Part of that (as far as our battery's viewpoint) is also a safety issue - the more a round is transported and handled, the more risk of damage. If a round goes unfired after a couple of events, it is taken apart, and the powder recovered. While road travel is not as much of an issue, bouncing around in the limber box is. We also do not transport rounds to the field in the limber. They are carried in the transport truck and moved to the limber once the limber is in position. we also keep each round in it's own cardboard box ( we purchase small boxes in bulk that are just the right size to hold a round). the box is inspected when the round is removed, and if so much as one grain of powder is in the box, that round is set aside and not used ( to be broken up later and recover the powder).

anyway, back to the topic, we have had events where we were under command of a section officer from another battery - he continually would shut the section down to conserve powder. - so instead of use burning powder we just stand around and start complaining (to use a nicer term...)

One advantage of my son being the Captain - Frequently he is either a section commander or battery commander. As a section commander, he will frequently let the gunners take command of the guns - that way if a individual gun wants to stand down, they can but it won't affect the other guns in the section. If he is a battery commander, he has no problem telling a section commander to resume firing, and let the gunners take control if some of the guns want to reduce their rate of fire to conserve powder. We don't go through the process of obtaining bulk powder, primers, rolling rounds, transporting the guns to just stand around and watch the battle - we want to burn powder, make noise, and go home empty handed ( of course, this is done withing the parameters of the battle scenario - if a battery is to only fire at certain points in the script, that always takes precedence).

and the other issue is Battery command that constantly want to do the various full battery firings. All of the gun crews have slightly different drills. I respect that and gun crews should only be doing their drills - changes to their drill at an event is a safety issue in my opinion - the crew has to pay too much attention to the changes and it can increase the chance of a problem. However, when you have one or two crews that use a drill that takes more time to load, constantly doing full battery firings tends to get too slow, with many guns waiting for the crews using a drill that takes longer. I have absolutely no problem with those crews and their drills, just with battery commanders that insist on doing mass battery firings when you do have some crews that are slower to load.
 
Units that go rouge, break the battle scenario, and get in our safety zone, shutting us down. This happened to use at one of the antetam events ( I think it may have been the 135th, not totally sure right now). We had brought the Ohio State House guns. Not a trivial matter for us. We submit our list of events that we want to take the guns off of the State House ground to attend to the State House in February for their approval - only one or two events, so we choose them carefully ( they have never turned us down, but it's part of the process). Then we must get a enclosed rental truck with hydraulic lift for the duration of the event for transport ( paid for by our battery, which is a 501c educational organization, typically costing a few thousand dollars from our treasury). one of our battery members must personally sign the guns out from the State House and take responsibility for them. We also never leave those guns unattended, posting a 24 hour guard if we can't keep them in camp. A unit went rouge and stayed in our safety zone, shutting us down for the rest of the battle after firing just 2 rounds... no need to explain our attitudes after that...
 
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Had an awesome little moment of “performance “ today at a small event in Illinois. Got me thinking, please indulge or ignore this long post as you see fit.

We were Confederate infantry, marching in company front, trying to take a Federal artillery piece and it’s squad of dismounted cavalry support on their left flank. A squad of infantry rushed out to block and we began what could’ve been your typical stand up, bang away powder burn with no casualties. However, both sides were playing it well, with the blue fellows taking the worst of it as we had the higher ground.

I saw a taller yank fire a round and recover. I swear we had a brief moment of eye contact, but as he reached for his cartridge box, I took aim (a good foot above his head!) and fired at him. Perfectly timed, he took an awesome hit and crumpled. No idea if the crowd even noticed, but I did and it was a cool moment.

Wanting to return the favor, as we advanced on the Battery support, I kept an eye out. Saw a younger looking Fed take aim on my wing of the company and when he fired I did my best trademark headsnap/bag of potatoes casualty. Hope that guy got that same awesome feeling I had earlier!

The hometown crowd was not amused when my surviving pards overran the gun and took the crew prisoner. There were quite a few boos from the Illinois faithful as we marched the vanquished Yankees off.

Great time, great crowd. Was it a history lesson? Probably not, though I am working, researching and saving to get my impression up to snuff for some immersive events next year. But you know, the men on the field had a great time, and so did the crowd. I saw quite a few kids in the crowd who were my age when I became obsessed with history and the ACW in particular. Hopefully something was sparked today for them at this “powder burning” “sham battle” put on by guys “playing war.”

I guess what I’m saying is this: I personally strive for authenticity to the best of knowledge and ability. I hope we all do. That’s the juice for me, trying to get as close as I can to the real deal: how I act, dress, and live for the event. My focus is increasingly going to be on the campaigner side of the hobby, but with some mainstream “farb tests,” too. I see the appeal of a weekend spent drilling, marching, doing fatigue detail and never firing a shot in anger. I also see the appeal in forming up, putting on a show for a crowd of families that may spark a lifelong passion in a few. To each his own, and everything in this world exists on a spectrum.

But I find myself shaking my head a bit at some of the derisive type of comments quoted above I see here and elsewhere on the internet. Frankly, I get it if you’re not interested in or enjoy “playing war.” By all means, build your impression, go to the events you enjoy, and do your thing. But, and I mean this with gentle respect, if you are making these judgments with an air of superiority, or a feeling that your flavor of the hobby is the only “right” way to honor the boys of ‘61-‘65, I suggest some self-reflection. We all like to believe, and some like to publicly declare repeatedly, that we’re doing this to honor those fallen men.

Nonsense. Oh, sure that’s part of it. But I submit we do this for the fun, occasional excitement, and that elusive moment of immersion. The benefits and entertainment for the public is also nice. But frankly, if you’re a reenactor, and you feel superior to others in the hobby because you don’t “mock” the sacrifice by participating in “sham battles,” or you feel you’re the only one truly honoring the originals because your ideal weekend is performing fatigue detail and posting pickets, you’re a bit deluded.

How many men died in camp due to illness or unsanitary conditions? How many were sickened or killed by spoiled food and tainted water? Are you not mocking their pain and suffering in your authentic tentless camp (with non-fecally-contaminated water and adequately preserved foods) just as much as the farby powder burners in their “themed camping” A-frames and non-period campfire chairs?

The ultimate impression killers? That truck you transported you and your gear with. That air-conditioned home you’ll return to on Sunday night. The reasonably safe working conditions you’ll encounter when you clock in Monday morning.

So, I guess if you’re a member of this hobby, on either end of the mainstream/authentic spectrum, try to remember you’re not really that far away from those farbs burning powder or those stitch nazis sitting out the battle. And when you get to feeling superior, because you’re properly honoring the fallen, maybe sell your defarbed musket and kit, and donate the money to the Civil War Trust, since that would accomplish that goal. Because your superiority might just be misplaced.
 
My recent experiences lead me to believe that the authenticity standards in the mainstream of the hobby are slipping backward as older reenactors either leave the hobby altogether, or migrate to other impressions. I see uniform wear and appearance, and camp authenticity really tanking. I don't see this in other time periods I reenact in. If there are unit leaders reading here, I beg you to maintain good standards: don't field underage kids, don't allow extreme impressions, police the headgear and footwear your members wear - and be firm that anyone who falls in with you hews to your standard. It has only taken a few seasons for me to notice this trend; it can be corrected now.
 
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