Ten Things I'd Rather Not See

Craig L Barry

Sergeant Major
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
Murfreesboro, TN
1. Kilts with or without the rest of the 69th San Francisco Zouaves outfit
2. Dismounted "states rights" cavalry armed to the teeth
3. Henry rifle toting US dismounted cavalry.
4. Speckled enamelware coffee pots and cups
5. Stainless steel ****
6. Muskets that are dirty and/or unsafe
7. Hillbilly hats and/or cheap poorly made headware
8. Ridiculously long hair along w/ # 7
9. Females doing male military roles poorly
10. Unscripted hand to hand combat
 
The one thing I would like to see would be a set of basic standards adhered to and enforced.

One of these days a charismatic and brilliant Living Historian will write them up and they will be universally accepted... Craig let me know when you do up the rough draft.
 
1. Kilts with or without the rest of the 69th San Francisco Zouaves outfit
2. Dismounted "states rights" cavalry armed to the teeth
3. Henry rifle toting US dismounted cavalry.
4. Speckled enamelware coffee pots and cups
5. Stainless steel ****
6. Muskets that are dirty and/or unsafe
7. Hillbilly hats and/or cheap poorly made headware
8. Ridiculously long hair along w/ # 7
9. Females doing male military roles poorly
10. Unscripted hand to hand combat

Most of those I can agree with. But it's hard for me to diss anybody with a Henry Rifle. That is an amazing piece of firepower!
 
The one thing I would like to see would be a set of basic standards adhered to and enforced.

One of these days a charismatic and brilliant Living Historian will write them up and they will be universally accepted... Craig let me know when you do up the rough draft.

Nicky Hughes wrote something called The Campaigners Manifresto during his tenure with "The Watchdog."
Things are still about the same as before that though.
 
Things I hate to see in Reenactments adding to Greg’s list.

Grossly Overweight “Soldiers” ( I don’t mean heavy/chubby, I mean guys who’s guts hang down to their knees and are out of breath walking from the car to the camp)

Unmounted Cavalry

Cannons on the field before anyone else shows up.

Cavalry who ride everywhere and are bullet proof

Modern Eyeglasses

Radical hairstyles and colors (Mohawks and weird colors)

Body Mods (Overly modern tattoos and piercing)

Modern Smokes

Blanket wool “regimental sack coats” and other similar products

Bad Hats

Tennis Shoes and work Boots

Half scale cannons

Mortars

Mountain Howitzers and “boat Howitzers”

Confederates with “Yankee Gear” (Less the time and place is correct”

Confederates portraying “Yankees” and making a mess of it.

1930’s Beach chairs in camps

Assassination of the Drill Manuals

Ice Angels

Women “battlefield nurses”

Doctors wandering the field behind the lines

Little Kids on the field as “runners”, Color Bearers, in the line, etc.

Family Camping in a “military Camp”

Pistols on anyone but Cavalry or Officers

More than one pistol on anyone.

“Ragged Rebels”

“Ethnic Impressions” (Scottish, Irish, Indians etc)

Specialty Impressions where they did not operate (USSS and Zouaves FL as examples)

“Black Confederates”

Marines where there were no Marines

“Skits”- Flogging, Hanging, Executions, court martial’s, duels, etc.

Those percussion cap wrist bands or pieces of leather to put caps in so you don’t have to get a Pouch

“Impressionists” of people who were never within a thousand miles of the place. Ex) Lee at Olustee.

Battles that never happened but billed as they did.

Battles that are bigger than the one they are portraying

Officers with no command

Sergeant Majors and others walking around with sticks and no weapons

Artillery with any weapons other than the cannon

Cell phones

“Sharpshooters”

USSS with Hawkins, sharps carbines, pistols, shotguns, gatling gun, henry’s. (Got pics)

Side knives for no reason but to look “kewl”

Moccasin boots

Railroad lanterns

Improperly attired women

Improperly attired civilian men

Cowboys

Playing Cards shoved in hats

Everyone Dead on the field and lack of wounded and walking wounded.

“Gun Guards”

Hawkin Rifles/Plains Rifles/Modern Henrys

Coon Phallus and other animal parts on uniforms.

Snoods

“Heritage Groups”

Armed Musicians

“Reenactments’ In towns on modern roads in modern buildings

BAGPIPERS!

Useless/non-functioning impressions (Engineers who don’t engineer, paymasters who don’t pay etc)

Non Period Music Played as if it were correct

Period Music played on Modern Instruments and billed as period correct

“Rubber Limb” Medical demos and most any other “medical Demo”

Convenience store “Mexican Blankets”

“Provosts” who think they are Modern Cops

“Kewl Gear” that is not correct but everyone in a unit has to get so the unit stands out (Straw hats, Gaiters, Red billed caps)

Friction Primers metal tabs on hats and clothing

“Fake Blood”

Medals

Midgets on the field

Crown Royal Bags used as canteen covers

Masons symbols on everything (For a private club they sure like to be seen huh?)

Women Combatants (Women in women’s clothing on the field shooting)

People who Use the ACW as an excuse to theme camp, play war, and **** on our history.
 
 
 
All I can think of right now. So let’s see who all I can make mad.
 
The only thing I saw that i hate to see is a plastic tarp tent at less use a canvas tarp not a plastic one and rev war hats or pirate looking hat too
 
Somehow, midgets and coon......parts......seem to go together. I mean, how do you even spot them? Where do they wear them? Not the midgets.....the coon parts. And do they also wear skunk, possum and possibly armadillo parts?
 
Coon d*ck bones were a real big fad for people for a while and you still see them on hats and used as toothpicks on occasion. I have tried to upload a pic but the file is too large but trust me, it exists. I have seen an Armadill shell hat, and raccon tails, gator and snake skins, oppossum hats, and maybe a skunk but the verdict was out as if it was or just something dyed.

The Midget on the cannon....well yea I thought I had seen it all til the pictures came out a couple weeks ago from an event in Florida.

BTW- Yes I have a bunch of F.a.r.b. photos, its my hobby within the hobby to find the fa-rbiest of the fa-rbs.

5405224985_cc046635d5_o.jpg
 
My no go list

1. Scopes on rifle muskets

2. Excessively ragged Rebs

3. Claims of illiteracy

4 ICE ANGELS

5. Bad skirmish drill

6 Bad drill

7. Out of place units (Berdans, Zouaves in Florida, or the ATL campaign, Navy or Marines, of either side ANYWHERE but where they were active


8. Out of place impressionists

9. Propane stoves, railroad lanterns,

10. Obvious Gal Troops and Gal troops who want to be soldiers but put on a dress at night.

11. Bagpipes, Kilts, scots bonnets, thistle or harp badges. QUIT Celtifying the hobby!! Less Lucky Charms Irish in the Federal camps, more GERMAN!


12. Henrys where they dont belong....in the hands of CS Troops, or before they came into common usage. To many Henrys anyway, not enough Spencer rifles and carbines.

13. "Snipers"

14. Vivandiers......especially CONFEDERATE

15. Sunglasses... period or not.... they weren't that common folks.... so even if they have period frames
I want to rip em off and stomp on em.

16. little kids in full military get ups.... put em in civilian clothes... sure, they can have a military flair to em, but they should not be in little uniforms

17. Women with "Scarlett Fever"......who's research stops at Gone With The Wind
 
The only thing I saw that i hate to see is a plastic tarp tent at less use a canvas tarp not a plastic one and rev war hats or pirate looking hat too

Ya mean like this?

From the Regulations of the Army of Mississippi, 1861

. Hats were of black felt, broad brimmed and 'looped up on three sides,' with cord, tassel and plume for parade. The plume was to be 'long flowing' for generals, field and staff officers, and 'short and standing' for all other ranks. Plume colours were white for Major General, red tipped white for Brigadier-General, crimson for regimental field and staff, green for the Medical Corps, yellow for the Adjutant General's Corps, blue for the Quartermaster General's department, and blue tipped with red for the Ordnance Corps. Captains, lieutenants and enlisted men wore plumes of the colour of the 'facings of their dress.' Yellow metal regimental numbers were to be worn below the plume socket for Regimental Field and Staff officers. These were probably substituted for company letters for Captain and all other ranks. Cords and tassels were to be gold for all officers, and worsted facing colour for other ranks.

Just fine for early war.... and it was a style that was quite popular.. argue with Maxcy Gregg about his hat.. I dare ya..oh wait, sorry, he's dead.

gregg.jpg
 
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1. Joey, you went way past ten! I actually winced reading the list. You reminded me
of quite a few I had forgotten, and this effort is deserving of the grand prize...
Your reservation in the 69th San Francisco Highlander/Zouaves/Nancyboy Lancers
has been made for the 2011 Buster Flywheel's 5th annual Invitational Tractor Pull and Civil War Reenactment in Sweet Home Alabama featuring Forrest Gump's dismounted cavalry vs an
entire army of one galvanized Billy Yank.

You will be the Yank so get ready for the skeer to get put into, or whatever it is they do
in dismounted. Also, midgets are funny and there is no exception to this rule, but a midget with a mini-artillery piece rivals yahoo dismounted cavalry for foolishness. It transcends the genre right into the realm of inspirational. We are in the presence of greatness here. Kudos.

2. Bobby, close second here but you recycled a couple like ice angels, and really scopes
on rifle muskets is the same gripe as snipers. Your prize is to ride with Forrest Gump's dismounted cavalry on their broomstick horses. Fifteen in your top ten rivals Joey's counting ability. And so for a bonus you get the first dance of the night with the CS Vivandiere with the most teeth.

So far nobody has hit on the funnel cake stand or superbad FIRPER. And I left those lying
there for the next poster to take...
 
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