What was your strangest moment reenacting?

I had an incident while doing Rev War reenacting which happened many years ago but I can still see it clearly in my mind's eyes. There were no spectators at this event, reenactors only. In the morning we competed as regiments in Rev War era skills. Starting a fire with flint and steel, changing flints on the muskets and then target practice with live ammo at the thirty yard range. That sort of thing. In the afternoon we had a battle on an abandoned farm. I vividly recall advancing on the enemy who obligingly retreated. About 15-20 yards ahead of me I had the perfect shot at the back of an enemy and drew a bead on his knapsack and fired. Jeeze, as I did, he lurched forward and went down like a poleaxed steer. I stopped and froze. Did I accidently leave a live round from the morning's shooting competition in my cartridge box? I ran up to him in the tall grass and he did need help indeed, from falling into a wood chuck hole and spraining his ankle. I never told the guy why I just happened to be there so quickly when he fell but I did get to practice another battlefield skill, helping to walk off an injured soldier to the aid station.

Whoa. I do Civil War and Rev War and have never been to a reenactment of any kind where they allow live firing at any time during the event! Doesn’t matter if there were no spectators—not a good idea for a lot of reasons, including the one you cited. Must have been a very long time ago.

Anyway, your post reminded me of an incident in Gettysburg at the end of the Remembrance Day parade about 6 years ago. I was in the rear rank and we were marching off the street with fixed bayonets at right shoulder shift onto a field full of holes next to the old parking lot. The guy in front of me stepped into a hole and as his right knee buckled, he tried to keep his balance, which caused his bayonet to swing back right in front of my face. A few more inches and he would have stabbed me, especially if he hadn’t caught himself. Getting stabbed by a bayonet on the Gettysburg battlefield would have made a great campfire story for a Civil War reenactor—but not one I’m eager to tell!
 
Sitting at the campfire at Gettysburg things were settling down for the evening. All the guests were gone and the dance was winding down. I was sitting quietly with my Sargent. I thought one of the men from our group leaned over and whispered in my ear. I could not make out what he said, so I turned around and no one was there. :skull:
 
Whoa. I do Civil War and Rev War and have never been to a reenactment of any kind where they allow live firing at any time during the event! Doesn’t matter if there were no spectators—not a good idea for a lot of reasons, including the one you cited. Must have been a very long time ago.

Anyway, your post reminded me of an incident in Gettysburg at the end of the Remembrance Day parade about 6 years ago. I was in the rear rank and we were marching off the street with fixed bayonets at right shoulder shift onto a field full of holes next to the old parking lot. The guy in front of me stepped into a hole and as his right knee buckled, he tried to keep his balance, which caused his bayonet to swing back right in front of my face. A few more inches and he would have stabbed me, especially if he hadn’t caught himself. Getting stabbed by a bayonet on the Gettysburg battlefield would have made a great campfire story for a Civil War reenactor—but not one I’m eager to tell!
Yes, indeed it was a long time ago, 1974 to be exact. Since lunch separated the events, competition in the morning followed by the skirmish in the PM, it was assumed, I guess, that there would be no mix ups. The live ammo we used in the shooting competition was wrapped in aluminum foil to distinguish them from the blank paper ones (and boy does that stuff taste terrible when you have to bite into it and our non coms did inspect out cartridge boxes before the skirmish, which is why I was so surprised that I might have actually shot someone. You are right, though, that the two activities ought not to have taken place at the same location ( the abandoned farm, with the permission of the owner) on the same day. By the way we also wadded at the time and did carry out rammers in their pipes and used them when loading. A different time.
 
I'm not a reenactor but I own a confederate shell jacket that I've worn for years in chilly weather. I do it to remember my reb ancestors and I think the jackets are cool. My son & I went to a small reenactment at Washington, Ark. which is not far from where I live in Texas. We were standing back in the crowd watching the battle. The yanks drove the rebs back when a couple of the yankees came into the crowd and pointed their bayonets at me and said i was their prisoner! I reckon with the jacket and being from Texas I wear a hat & boots too I must have looked the part enough. It was all a joke and everyone got a good laugh about it . I don't think I'd like to get tickled with the bayonets for real. lol
 
A lot of strange moments. Some at Pea Ridge and others at Gettysburg. Nothing like camping on a hospital site. In fact the ANV 2nd Corps Hospital site. We were told there were body parts buried there and some people still. A lot of strange things happened there that week. At Pea Ridge we watched a rocking chair at the Tavern rock by itself. Than we watched the lower torso of a soldier walk across a field, in one night. I had no trouble sleeping, I was tired. I have also seen a few strange things at Wilson's Creek during the 135th.
 
At a weekend reenactment at Rancho de las Golondrinas between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM, I had dressed up for the Fandango Ball held on Saturday night. I had dressed out in a hand made Maryland Guard and Militia Chasseur's style uniform. For those unfamiliar with the look... it is a dark blue trowser and short (Zouave) style jacket set, trimmed in yellow. It is worn with a light blue vest adorned with brass buttons, and a parti-colored Kepi. To top if off, it comes with white canvas gaiters and a red sash beneath a polished belt with Maryland belt plate. Quite splendid, in my book!

As I entered the Fandango, I overheard a young boy ask aloud, "Is that man a Lawn Jockey?" This became an inside joke among my pards for some time to follow.
 
I was at a small unit event that we would put on for school demonstrations & candle light tours. Well this place (Lambert Castle in New Jersey) apparently is a wedding photo hot spot. So over the years of us doing this event, we would see limo's pull up and the whole wedding party file out to take photo's. My unit's Captain (who is an old salty 'Nam vet) loved to mess with these people during the photos, let them get a few good shots in then during the last few we would trap up and start firing volley's right as the photographer was to take the photo...most times this would enrage the photographer and bride and we would get a good kick out of it (it was a well publicized event every year so they knew that we were there before hand and still decided it was a good idea to come). Well one photographer and bride roped us into their wedding photos by having us provide a rifle archway for the bride and groom to walk under and wanted to have a photo of the bride holding a rifle with bayonet fixed pointing the groom towards the alter (which our Capt. refused to let have taken for reasons I cannot recall).
 
I was sitting around a campfire with the 2nd US Cavalry unit I was with at the 135th Gettysburg taking a sip from a flask that had been handed to me by an officer. When I handed it back I realized the officer was Sam Elliott. The discussion around the campfire was the politics of 1863... I wished someone would have gotten a black and white picture and compared it with one taken in 1863... There would have been no difference.

At another reenactment, Brandy Station we had a cavalry fight and I blocked and slashed back at the Confederate who fell mortally screaming from his horse. I quickly yelled "Medic" which was the code word to stop all action. It turned out that this guy had been practicing falling from his horse as he held the reins. The horse would not move but stand guard to keep other people and horses from standing on him... I was really shook-up when he stood with blood coming out of his mouth, he had a blood capsule. Here I thought I had killed him with my saber... It was caught on film and it looked real!!! That stunt was never again permitted!!!
 
I was at a small unit event that we would put on for school demonstrations & candle light tours. Well this place (Lambert Castle in New Jersey) apparently is a wedding photo hot spot. So over the years of us doing this event, we would see limo's pull up and the whole wedding party file out to take photo's. My unit's Captain (who is an old salty 'Nam vet) loved to mess with these people during the photos, let them get a few good shots in then during the last few we would trap up and start firing volley's right as the photographer was to take the photo...most times this would enrage the photographer and bride and we would get a good kick out of it (it was a well publicized event every year so they knew that we were there before hand and still decided it was a good idea to come). Well one photographer and bride roped us into their wedding photos by having us provide a rifle archway for the bride and groom to walk under and wanted to have a photo of the bride holding a rifle with bayonet fixed pointing the groom towards the alter (which our Capt. refused to let have taken for reasons I cannot recall).

And one wonders why the public doesn't take reenactors seriously?
 
And one wonders why the public doesn't take reenactors seriously?
I have never questioned why no one takes us seriously. We are tools for honoring and education, nothing more, when you see photos of soldiers back then in formation with pumpkins on their bayonets and staged fencing duels it reminds you of something...THEY WERE TRYING TO MAKE THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION...if they had fun with it when the time allotted...why can't we?
 
Whoa. I do Civil War and Rev War and have never been to a reenactment of any kind where they allow live firing at any time during the event! Doesn’t matter if there were no spectators—not a good idea for a lot of reasons, including the one you cited. Must have been a very long time ago.

Anyway, your post reminded me of an incident in Gettysburg at the end of the Remembrance Day parade about 6 years ago. I was in the rear rank and we were marching off the street with fixed bayonets at right shoulder shift onto a field full of holes next to the old parking lot. The guy in front of me stepped into a hole and as his right knee buckled, he tried to keep his balance, which caused his bayonet to swing back right in front of my face. A few more inches and he would have stabbed me, especially if he hadn’t caught himself. Getting stabbed by a bayonet on the Gettysburg battlefield would have made a great campfire story for a Civil War reenactor—but not one I’m eager to tell!


Something like this happened at the 135th Gettysburg event... Unit was marching with fixed bayonets at the right shoulder and one soldier tripped and fell and the soldier behind him walked into the bayonet getting stabbed in the chest... A bloody mess, which was a lesson leaned around the campfire that night.

Then there was an actually shooting at the same event when someone did not know he had a round in the chamber of his pistol and during a firefight shot a Confederate in the shoulder... That made the news and a police investigation was held... Which is another story in itself... The 135th had a lot of weird things happening...
 
My strangest moment was when I was at a battle on a very hot summer day, lots of spectators and I ran out of ammo so I figured I might as well take a hit to make it look good and also to take a break from the sun. When I went down I was slightly to the right and in front of an artillery piece being fired about 20 feet away to my left.As i lay there watching the gunners work their gun I noticed the blades of grass moving toward me as if a breeze was blowing it. It was the concussion from the blast, smacked me upside the head like somebody slapped me with an open hand ! Rung my bell but good ! Lucky it didnt blow my dang fool head off. Needless to say I learned a very valuable lesson that day. Don't go down in front of cannons ! Took me about an hour to get my hearing back. Hey I was a rookie, what can I say. Lol
 
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I had an incident while doing Rev War reenacting which happened many years ago but I can still see it clearly in my mind's eyes. There were no spectators at this event, reenactors only. In the morning we competed as regiments in Rev War era skills. Starting a fire with flint and steel, changing flints on the muskets and then target practice with live ammo at the thirty yard range. That sort of thing. In the afternoon we had a battle on an abandoned farm. I vividly recall advancing on the enemy who obligingly retreated. About 15-20 yards ahead of me I had the perfect shot at the back of an enemy and drew a bead on his knapsack and fired. Jeeze, as I did, he lurched forward and went down like a poleaxed steer. I stopped and froze. Did I accidently leave a live round from the morning's shooting competition in my cartridge box? I ran up to him in the tall grass and he did need help indeed, from falling into a wood chuck hole and spraining his ankle. I never told the guy why I just happened to be there so quickly when he fell but I did get to practice another battlefield skill, helping to walk off an injured soldier to the aid station.
you shot live rounds in an event then did a reenactment with those same weapons?
 
My strangest moment was when I was at a battle on a very hot summer day, lots of spectators and I ran out of ammo so I figured I might as well take a hit to make it look good and also to take a break from the sun. When I went down I was slightly to the right and in front of an artillery piece being fired about 20 feet away to my left.As i lay there watching the gunners work their gun I noticed the blades of grass moving toward me as if a breeze was blowing it. It was the concussion from the blast, smacked me upside the head like somebody slapped me with an open hand ! Rung my bell but good ! Lucky it didnt blow my dang fool head off. Needless to say I learned a very valuable lesson that day. Don't go down in front of cannons ! Took me about an hour to get my hearing back. Hey I was a rookie, what can I say. Lol
Never even formed up that close to good ole' rolling thunder!!!
 
As long as you clean the barrel with a wire brush to ensure all the led fragments are out of the grooves it's not dangerous, you just need to clean the rifle properly before taking the field.
Would you be willing to bet your sight or health that everyone was just as conscientious on cleaning their rifles.. Just seems like a injury waiting to happen...
 
Ok I'll play.

At the 125th of Spotsylvania, we marched into the fortifications in the predawn hours. It was cold and we only had our shell jackets and stuff needed for combat. A couple guys lit small fires and we sat back to back to help preserve body heat. Sky was clear, millions of stars and I was thinking about what happened during the actual battle and a giant meteor streaked across the sky. Brought chills but not from the cold.

125th Wilderness- tactical in the woods. Pen Bucktails were holding a part of the Federal line but their left flank was in the air. Our advancing right flank ran head on into their left. Our Col then had our left flank wheel right and we had them in a major flanking crossfire. Pen road kill.

125th Appomattox- Battle was Saylors Creek. We were the group making the last stand as a rear guard. Major pitched battle, we forded a creek that was waist deep and cold during the retreat back to form another line for more fighting. Yankees crossed the creek and waved their white towels asking us to surrender. We blasted them but when it's 15-1, the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

Coolest thing I've done reenacting was a trip where a bunch of us good ole suthern boys took a charter up into deepest darkest yankeedom. We unloaded a ways from the event, got all our stuff on and marched in column heavy marching order (blanket rolls and all!) into the event with drum and colors. Pretty much brought the event to a halt. The Rebs had come to town and we were ready to rumble! Had a great weekend with those guys. They had only dealt with galvanized locals, not the shock troops of the ANV reactivated. On a couple tacticals we blasted them into oblivion, with both commands agreeing, the Yanks were worm food especially after a major ambush we put on and they obligingly walked right into it. Judges said Yanks had 90+% casualties on first volley, the look on their faces was... priceless. Sunday spectator battle was great. Word went out through our troops that there would be "special" orders in the battle. All weekend, we all had camped in shebangs strung up on cut saplings and muskets in the ground bayonet first and several shelter halves stitched together. Sunday battle, charge, shoot, fall back, the usual but there was a stone wall about mid way across the field. Clouds had gathered during the fighting and we had retreated to the shelter of the stone wall. The clouds started to part and the sun shown on the colors and the Col stood, drew his sword and held it high and in the hush of the lull, shouted "BATTALION- FIX BAYONETS!" We did it for real. "BATTALION- RISE! FORWARD MARCH!" Then my favorite command- "CHARGE BAYONETS!" And we executed a text book by Hardees Civil War bayonet charge complete with Rebel Yell and drums rolling. The charge went to the quick step, then a trot, then a flat out run. Witnesses told us later it looked like a grey wave edged with steel rolling across the field and everyone said it made a goosebumps, shivering, time travel moment for them, especially the Yanks.
 
Would you be willing to bet your sight or health that everyone was just as conscientious on cleaning their rifles.. Just seems like a injury waiting to happen...

But back to this part of the topic. Rules back in the day were different.

I no longer reenact. After the 125th and 135th, kids growing up, life stuff, I quit the hobby but kept my stuff and the memories. All while I was in the hobby, my mom and dad were in it too. My mom made lace and taught crafts that a proper lady of the era would know and they stayed in after I quit. Fast forward, my mom passed and she wanted me to keep dad busy somehow and not getting into a depression spiral. So my dad wanted to go shoot the muskets live and we hooked up with the North South Skirmish Association. No more blanks for me baby! We shoot live rounds for score, including artillery! While reenacting was fun, this is like concentrated fun on overdrive. The guys I have met in the association are pretty much walking encylopedias of firearms knowledge from the Civil War and many are collectors. What makes this fun and special for me, my dad is 84 and he's competing as a member of our team. As he puts it, there's no marching and drilling, just the fun part- shooting!

Think your musket is accurate? I've got a Colt Contract 1862 Springfield that will hit a golf ball at 50yds every shot if you can hold it. My 1858 Smith will too. My 1842 Macon 69cal smoothbore will shoot 5 balls into a 1.5in square at 25yds with ease. And guys, I'm far from the best shot in the org. There are guys in the smoothbore game that can shoot 3in at 50yds all day with their muskets. Many in our org shoot original arms live, including artillery- mortars, howitzers and guns. One guy even brings his 30lb siege gun to the artillery match!

Do yourself a favor, go over to Utoob and look up the North South Skirmish Association. You'll always be welcome to visit a skirmish and try out a few guns and who knows? Maybe find a new addiction.
 
But back to this part of the topic. Rules back in the day were different.

I no longer reenact. After the 125th and 135th, kids growing up, life stuff, I quit the hobby but kept my stuff and the memories. All while I was in the hobby, my mom and dad were in it too. My mom made lace and taught crafts that a proper lady of the era would know and they stayed in after I quit. Fast forward, my mom passed and she wanted me to keep dad busy somehow and not getting into a depression spiral. So my dad wanted to go shoot the muskets live and we hooked up with the North South Skirmish Association. No more blanks for me baby! We shoot live rounds for score, including artillery! While reenacting was fun, this is like concentrated fun on overdrive. The guys I have met in the association are pretty much walking encylopedias of firearms knowledge from the Civil War and many are collectors. What makes this fun and special for me, my dad is 84 and he's competing as a member of our team. As he puts it, there's no marching and drilling, just the fun part- shooting!

Think your musket is accurate? I've got a Colt Contract 1862 Springfield that will hit a golf ball at 50yds every shot if you can hold it. My 1858 Smith will too. My 1842 Macon 69cal smoothbore will shoot 5 balls into a 1.5in square at 25yds with ease. And guys, I'm far from the best shot in the org. There are guys in the smoothbore game that can shoot 3in at 50yds all day with their muskets. Many in our org shoot original arms live, including artillery- mortars, howitzers and guns. One guy even brings his 30lb siege gun to the artillery match!

Do yourself a favor, go over to Utoob and look up the North South Skirmish Association. You'll always be welcome to visit a skirmish and try out a few guns and who knows? Maybe find a new addiction.

Thanks for the invite, will definitely check out this organization! Sounds like a blast!
 
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