Interested in becoming a reenactor.

[Rusk County Avengers]

If you're coming to the Lady Farm 160th event there will be plenty of outfits that don't remotely look like an ANV Confederate On another thread a guy from Germany wants to come but only has a Columbus Depot jacket, certainly nothing to worry about. Seriously though I should be there and could bring a jacket for you if you're worried about it, you're welcome to fall in with us if you need a home.

I've no idea where or what the Lady Farm event is. If its Gettysburg I don't know which or what yet, still plenty of research to do on that front.

Right now, I got a pair of trousers of Tart's "Yeller Dog on Brown" I'm almost finished with, I had planned for generic CS, but if the previously mentioned pretty woman continues making me work out, eat less fried food, and all around lose weight they'll be too big for me by the time I finished in one of the next three weekends! Aside from a Little Rock frock that I made that was at the time too small due to idiotic sizing with a pattern, I may have to make whole new kit for every impression. But thankfully I got plenty of cloth, just not enough time for my handsewing hobby. Bright side, I got new excuses for new uniforms, and I'll have plenty of handsewn XX loaner stuff if I don't sell or give it all away.

Between now and Gettysburg, I've already been planning on getting a blank from Ben Tart for a Richmond Depot and making a Type 1 jacket and I got a set of accoutrements that are close enough for 1863 ANV. A Type 1 Richmond jacket is really pushing it historically and just off but given the numbers of previously slightly wounded and so on returning to the ranks I think it barely, halfway, somewhat, okay historically. I have an ancestor who was in the Stonewall Brigade I grew up listening to stories about, even stories of him wounded at Gettysburg, and plan to one day before I die to do a 62 Valley Campaign event if they have any, so for me going with a Type 1 Richmond while arguably farby for Gettysburg, is half budgetary, half sentimental and all excuse for a jacket I like the looks of.

All that being said, I appreciate the offer, but might not even get to go as I work with railroads and the food industry, with people around and over me that highly depend on me coming in and am always on call so I often miss out on events more than ever before nowadays.

 

[captaindrew]

I've no idea where or what the Lady Farm event is. If its Gettysburg I don't know which or what yet, still plenty of research to do on that front.

Right now, I got a pair of trousers of Tart's "Yeller Dog on Brown" I'm almost finished with, I had planned for generic CS, but if the previously mentioned pretty woman continues making me work out, eat less fried food, and all around lose weight they'll be too big for me by the time I finished in one of the next three weekends! Aside from a Little Rock frock that I made that was at the time too small due to idiotic sizing with a pattern, I may have to make whole new kit for every impression. But thankfully I got plenty of cloth, just not enough time for my handsewing hobby. Bright side, I got new excuses for new uniforms, and I'll have plenty of handsewn XX loaner stuff if I don't sell or give it all away.

Between now and Gettysburg, I've already been planning on getting a blank from Ben Tart for a Richmond Depot and making a Type 1 jacket and I got a set of accoutrements that are close enough for 1863 ANV. A Type 1 Richmond jacket is really pushing it historically and just off but given the numbers of previously slightly wounded and so on returning to the ranks I think it barely, halfway, somewhat, okay historically. I have an ancestor who was in the Stonewall Brigade I grew up listening to stories about, even stories of him wounded at Gettysburg, and plan to one day before I die to do a 62 Valley Campaign event if they have any, so for me going with a Type 1 Richmond while arguably farby for Gettysburg, is half budgetary, half sentimental and all excuse for a jacket I like the looks of.

All that being said, I appreciate the offer, but might not even get to go as I work with railroads and the food industry, with people around and over me that highly depend on me coming in and am always on call so I often miss out on events more than ever before nowadays.

I don't know of any big 62 Valley events but there's one great 64 Valley event every year. Cedar Creek is a great event, I prefer it to anything happening in Gettysburg recently. You can visit the 62 action while you're there.

 

[jepridgen]

I've been shot in the face at 4 or 5 ft. with a sawn off shotgun and dual revolvers by them when the scenario called for them to retreat when we charged. I experienced literal blindness for several hours and almost lost my sight, and after I got done clutching my face screaming bloody murder they said "Hey you a little close there huh-ha!"

A mix of dips**t officer politics and desire for reenactor numbers at any cost got them there in the first place, they even used the spectators for human shields and got away with it....

Wow, that makes some of the ones in the southeast look downright progressive . I'm no stitch counter…but yikes. Our special people (fortunately not in our organization) usually overdo the shotgun, yellow trim, and revolvers considering the usual battle locations and timeframes we have around here make all that highly suspect.

 

[jepridgen]

If you're coming to the Lady Farm 160th event there will be plenty of outfits that don't remotely look like an ANV Confederate On another thread a guy from Germany wants to come but only has a Columbus Depot jacket, certainly nothing to worry about. Seriously though I should be there and could bring a jacket for you if you're worried about it, you're welcome to fall in with us if you need a home.

Well, at least there is documentation that SOME jackets were sent to VA from Columbus. No idea who got 'em.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

I don't know of any big 62 Valley events but there's one great 64 Valley event every year. Cedar Creek is a great event, I prefer it to anything happening in Gettysburg recently. You can visit the 62 action while you're there.

Oh, I got a Virginian Afghan War vet buddy down here who's diehard on that we have to hit Cedar Creek. Funny thing is, his ancestor, knew and served with the one I mentioned I had!

If there ever are any 1862 Valley events, no matter how farbtastic, I'd be interested in driving up attending it. Just one of those "Say I done it" type things.

 

[granth]

Thank you all for the advice. I'll look around and research like crazy!

 

[granth]

Thanks for putting me on the spot with a potential new recruit.

Texas is a big place, and I would point out me in the "Ark-La-Tex" I'm closer to Shiloh than to Georgetown, TX, which is down by Leningrad-on-the-Colorado, er, I mean Austin. (That first name is a common name for Austin in reenactment circles out here...)

Out here mainstream events are kind of falling apart in my estimation from politics more than anything. One big conglomerate of reenacting units, probably the biggest out here, the "Trans-Mississippi Volunteer Infantry" or "TMVI" for short, has had the same officer corps which is very SCV centered from a certain point-of-view, having progressive units and stubbornly farby ones from h*ll mixed throughout. The officer corps uses the same wore out scenario at every event with a long list of excuses and short on solutions. Lots of good folks, and tons of folks that make me think its good there's no such thing as a Star Wars Force Choke. They control just about all the main events around in Texas, NW Louisiana, and S Arkansas, and because of the aging ranks and short-sightedness is why I'm in the process of trying to start a new horse-drawn artillery unit. Gotta go get lumber to carve the barrel pattern here after while actually.

As far as campaigners the best, probably the only one is "The Invincibles" that can be found on Facebook. There's a LOT of absolutely great guys that I think outshine campaigners nationwide in my opinion that'll set a new guy on the right path and help get someone started, and to me I think them fantastic. That being said, they do have good number of the imbeciles that give campaigners a terrible name. Some of whom showed at the most farby event in the country just to talk smack. That being said, if thems the ones I'd recommend if it were their cup of tea.

Thanks. What exactly does "progressive" mean in a reenacting sense? I know what farby is (I had my Armisport 1861 defarbed) but I am unaware of the term progressive.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

Thanks. What exactly does "progressive" mean in a reenacting sense? I know what farby is (I had my Armisport 1861 defarbed) but I am unaware of the term progressive.

Think of it as, halfway between mainstream and stitch counter. Here below would be my own personal scale of reenactor, roughly similar to the widely accepted one, I would call myself progressive personally.

Ridiculous Farb/Cancer/Plague-----Farb----Mainstream----Progressive-----Campaigner/Stitchcounter-----"Glampaigner"-----Nutjob

 

[7thWisconsin]

I like to think of ¨progressive¨ meaning that I change or improve my impression as new evidence comes to light. Easy example: you start off with the white fabric strap that everybody gets when you buy a canteen. You look at a bunch of images of the unit you portray and come to the conclusion that most of their canteens had a leather strap. So you replace the fabric strap with a leather one.

 

[PrivateBrooke]

I've no idea where or what the Lady Farm event is. If its Gettysburg I don't know which or what yet, still plenty of research to do on that front.

Right now, I got a pair of trousers of Tart's "Yeller Dog on Brown" I'm almost finished with, I had planned for generic CS, but if the previously mentioned pretty woman continues making me work out, eat less fried food, and all around lose weight they'll be too big for me by the time I finished in one of the next three weekends! Aside from a Little Rock frock that I made that was at the time too small due to idiotic sizing with a pattern, I may have to make whole new kit for every impression. But thankfully I got plenty of cloth, just not enough time for my handsewing hobby. Bright side, I got new excuses for new uniforms, and I'll have plenty of handsewn XX loaner stuff if I don't sell or give it all away.

Between now and Gettysburg, I've already been planning on getting a blank from Ben Tart for a Richmond Depot and making a Type 1 jacket and I got a set of accoutrements that are close enough for 1863 ANV. A Type 1 Richmond jacket is really pushing it historically and just off but given the numbers of previously slightly wounded and so on returning to the ranks I think it barely, halfway, somewhat, okay historically. I have an ancestor who was in the Stonewall Brigade I grew up listening to stories about, even stories of him wounded at Gettysburg, and plan to one day before I die to do a 62 Valley Campaign event if they have any, so for me going with a Type 1 Richmond while arguably farby for Gettysburg, is half budgetary, half sentimental and all excuse for a jacket I like the looks of.

All that being said, I appreciate the offer, but might not even get to go as I work with railroads and the food industry, with people around and over me that highly depend on me coming in and am always on call so I often miss out on events more than ever before nowadays.

Honestly I can fix that for you easily....just don't put the trim on it until after Gettysburg. That's really the only difference between a type 1 and type 2, and a jeans wool type 2 is what you'd want for Gettysburg anyway. Add trim and you get a good type 1.

Also let me know if you find a 62 Valley event, because I want to do it too.

 

[mphineas]

Hello!
Just as the title implies, I am thinking about becoming a reenactor. Now, it's just a lingering thought in my head, but wouldn't it be so fun to live out the history I am so interested in? I'm not sure where to start lol, there's so much info it's hard to take in! Can some of you guys point me in a general direction that I need to go in, or a unit that I may join? (BTW I live in Central Texas, Georgetown area.) I don't care whether it's CSA or USA, I just want to reenact! Also, should I worry about these so called "stitch-counters"? They seem to be a real pain in the neck.

I'm a stitch-counter and I'm probably the coolest dude you'd ever meet. I came to this forum looking for 15mm miniatures and bumped across your post. If you're still serious google

Red River Battalion

Those guys are exactly what you want. Trust me.

My advice, if you're serious about re-enacting, decide what you want to do. It is expensive, and having to sell off gear and re-purchase better gear because what you originally bought was **** can get expensive. Here's the thing about stitch counters- their gear is expensive because it's better quality. It fits better it lasts longer and it looks real.

As a new re-enactor you can probably find units that will loan you gear. But the hardest loaner gear to find is brogans and trousers. And drawers (yes, you need them). So IF you buy anything start there.

These guys in the Red River Battalion are good dudes. I'd recruit you into my unit, I'm up in Arlington, but we're strictly federal. Those guys have great impressions in blue and gray and it is not too late to still hit a quality event this year.

Good luck. I also answer questions for free.

Mike Phineas