The Parson

[Gettmore]

 

[7thWisconsin]

I don't want to be negative, but this is one of the reasons I quit portraying a Civil War chaplain. There is so much farb nonsense going on here that I don't even know where to begin. Confederate chaplains were most often not uniformed at all, let alone with the hat badges on the sleeves. The sombrero and the sunglasses... no... just no. I get that people want to witness, testify and share the gospel with reenactors. I am an ordained Baptist pastor with over 30 years of experience. I was a United States Army Chaplain. In any mission field, you need to gain a hearing by being fluent in the language and culture. The language and culture of reenacting is history and material culture. If I get those wrong, I'm not going to get the time of day from the very people I want to share the Word of God with. We are moving in a culture where sometimes people have gone to great monetary expense to get their impression right. They've researched individual companies in regiments. They've put in the elbow grease of knowing what they're doing. We owe it to other reenactors to portray a chaplain accurately and respectfully. I would not go to a field service led by someone who looked like this. I do not feel that the Chaplain corps is honored by this impression. This is an embarrassment.

 

[Gettmore]

Thank you 7thWisconsin for your service

 

[7thWisconsin]

Thanks. Sorry to sound harsh in my post. It's just that when we dress up and play soldier, we need to remember that someone did this for real, and it's not just a costume party.