Stuck in Limbo

[Hawkeye Brehm]

You will find them here to start. If you do a search for his name or in the impressions sub forum.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Tailor Pete]

I applaud your efforts, and believe you will go far beyond being a LBG... one place to try honing a first-person impression (not directly related to the Civil War, but certainly related to Living History in general) in the National Association for Interpretation. I'm sure you're already familiar with them, and their resources can be very helpful.

As for building a kit, @johan_steele is dead on! Try to be as authentic as you can from the outset... believe it or not, you will save money in the long run. Another great resource is @ApeUnit, a Maryland Confederate campaigner. He's on the forum pretty regularly, and while he wears the gray, much of what he and his pards do applies to both sides of the fence. They may also know a Federal unit in the Penn-Maryland area looking for a campaigner to join the ranks.

I'd think you would be an asset to any group. Somebody who wants to 'get it right' and is willing to take the time to accomplish it with the ability to step right in once you are settled in the area. Good luck, and Godspeed!

 

[Hawkeye Brehm]

I applaud your efforts, and believe you will go far beyond being a LBG... one place to try honing a first-person impression (not directly related to the Civil War, but certainly related to Living History in general) in the National Association for Interpretation. I'm sure you're already familiar with them, and their resources can be very helpful.

As for building a kit, @johan_steele is dead on! Try to be as authentic as you can from the outset... believe it or not, you will save money in the long run. Another great resource is @ApeUnit, a Maryland Confederate campaigner. He's on the forum pretty regularly, and while he wears the gray, much of what he and his parts do applies to both sides of the fence. They may also know a Federal unit in the Penn-Maryland area looking for a campaigner to join the ranks.

I'd think you would be an asset to any group. Somebody who wants to 'get it right' and is willing to take the time to accomplish it with the ability to step right in once you are settled in the area. Good luck, and Godspeed!

Thank you! I'll definitely keep those things in mind. It'll take a lot of time and research, but it's more than worth it if I can put together a solid, accurate impression.

 

[Cpl. Smith]

Thank you! I'll definitely keep those things in mind. It'll take a lot of time and research, but it's more than worth it if I can put together a solid, accurate impression.

Remember any unit worth anything will not make you have to have all your gear at your first event. They will loan you stuff!

 

[Package4]

Quality is key.

I'm not going to be "playing war" with this. That's fine for some, but not for me. My goal is to be as historically accurate as possible, so I can give a quality impression of a Federal soldier. At some point down the road I may extend to the Confederate side in order to get a well-rounded experience, but right now the focus is on a historically accurate Federal impression.

I'm also not going to be closed-minded or look down upon mainstream or progressive reenactors. Doesn't serve any positive purpose, and I would benefit greatly from those who have been doing this longer than I.

S&S right there in Gettysburg, Tim Sheads used to re-enact with the 5th NY Brian Pohanka's group. Tim knows all of the northern campaigner groups and can supply you with a quality kit. He also know most of the guides.

http://www.ss-sutler.com/

 

[Hawkeye Brehm]

S&S right there in Gettysburg, Tim Sheads used to re-enact with the 5th NY Brian Pohanka's group. Tim knows all of the northern campaigner groups and can supply you with a quality kit. He also know most of the guides.

http://www.ss-sutler.com/

Thank you!

 

[Old Breck]

Look up the Southeast Coalition of Authentic Reenactors. They're in your neck of the woods and have membership all over the east coast.

I have not fallen in with them, but I know a few of those b'hoys and they are a top notch outfit that portrays both sides. They really focus on the lives to the soldier, rather than the subculture of mainstream reenacting. From what I've read, you don't want the Lost Cause nonsense, or really even the burning powder and Virginia reels that most events entail. With an authentic minded group, you'll experience marching, fatigue, foraging, and just being miserable. But it will be worth it if you want an accurate and authentic experience.

From what it sounds like, they will be much more what you are looking for than a mainstream reenacting group. It sounds like you definitely want to do things right, so I would advise linking up with a group that gets "it" first.

http://cwscar.com/

https://www.facebook.com/oldkingcrow/

 

[Craig L Barry]

In case it comes up while you are portraying a farmer and a real farmer asks you about period crop production, as Johan Steele recalled. The average yield during the US Civil War-era was 26 bushels of corn compared to 14 bushels of wheat per acre, a figure unchanged from Colonial times until well into the 20th century when it increased dramatically. There was some minor variation based on type of corn, but be sure you indicate we are talking about Southern white or "horse tooth." There were also yellow corn varieties, as well as red/blue corn. The red/blue corn variety was mostly used for animal feed.

This is from one of the chapters in The Unfinished Fight: Essays on Confederate Material Culture Volume I (p. 112). It doesn't hurt to know what you are talking about on a variety of topics relevant to the mid-19th century.

 

[mofederal]

I used to do a strictly Federal as a reenactor, I did Confederate mostly for actually movies, a few times for living history. if you can find good people either side is good, and I would go authentic as possible. Either way I enjoyed my time in the field. Being in the right group sure helps. I was in two different groups and they were the best. I felt at home with them.

 

[Hawkeye Brehm]

I used to do a strictly Federal as a reenactor, I did Confederate mostly for actually movies, a few times for living history. if you can find good people either side is good, and I would go authentic as possible. Either way I enjoyed my time in the field. Being in the right group sure helps. I was in two different groups and they were the best. I felt at home with them.

That's the kicker, though. My experiences with reenactors as groups have hardly been positive, and even those who seem amicable have been mired in unit politics and stuff that ends up making the whole thing more of a hassle than it's worth.

Admittedly, similar things can be said of others in the Civil War "community" in Gettysburg, which is in part why I moved away to focus on my LBG studies. It's hard to be 27 and tackle a thing like that with a bunch of cynical men and women twice your age dismissing you out of hand because you're "too young to really know anything" of substance.

 

[Cpl Isaac Metcalf CSA]

I can truly sympathise with you as i,too,suffer with social anguish,and i agree that too many groups have problems with political infighting and similar issues,that's why i decided to "go solo" and formed my own,for want of a better term,one man group,it gave me the opportunity to present my particular interest...yes,Gettysburg,from the point of view of one man out of thousands present there...so far,it appears to have gone down very well with the public as i tend to concentrate on the man and then the three days,they seem to prefer the personal aspect as opposed to the conflict involved and given that i don't involve myself in any fighting,it gives me more time to interact with them...and they do like to talk...