Which side do you choose

[Demaster30]

I would love to get into reenactment some day which got me to thinking how you guys choose where to reenact? Do you try to do it with a company that your ancestor fought with or is it more of one local to your area?
If you choose your ancestor regiment and you had a number of ancestors that fought in the war how do you choose which one you represent? Also what if you had ancestors on both sides which side do you choose? Just a thought I had.

 

[captaindrew]

Usually which ever group is based in your area. There are some units that portray units my ancestors were in but none locally to me.

 

[bayouace]

I think many reenactors have a Union uniform and a Confederate uniform. They just go with the flow.

 

[W Charles Young]

I think many reenactors have a Union uniform and a Confederate uniform. They just go with the flow.

I agree. I enjoyed doing both for about ten years. The Federal unit was local and artillery. The Confederate unit was not local and infantry. I only had to worry about meshing the two units schedules.

 

[jepridgen]

Don't get too caught up in ancestry. It's more important to find a good group of guys you enjoy being around, and who try to do a decent job at portraying their units. I've only been doing this a few years, but I don't know many units that only do one side. Makes for a boring event if there's no one to shoot at. I'm in a reb unit, but we also portray yanks (almost as much if not more actually).

 

[PrivateBrooke]

Just find some local groups, see who you mesh with and fits your authenticity standards. That's what I did, it just happens to be confederate. Trying to get a Union kit started at some point.

 

[SgtDarby8OVI]

I was introduced to the unit by a friend who had joined based on its location in NE Ohio. At that time, the hobby was at the end of the 125th sequence, so my first event was 125th Wilderness/Spotsylvania. As it turns out, the Company B of the 8th OVI had strong Irish roots in Cleveland and several descendants have blessed the unit with their approval, so it became a perfect fit. Many St. Paddy's Day parades, two movies, and too many events to count later, I am still happily slogging along with those lads.

 

[3rd North Carolina]

best advise is to talk to different units. some units have strict rules on who can join, uniforms, sleeping arrangements among other things.

 

[6yanks+2rebs=1me]

I've been thinking about civil war reenacting myself. I recently got into fort Henry reenactment as a native and I'm wonderbread white lol. Most of my family lines came here to hold the front as soldiers, but 1 out of ten Mowhawks in this area were assimilated whites (renegades) and I my 6th great grandfather William (Indian Billy) Ice was kidnapped when he was 10 but escaped when he was in his 20s. (Sorry sidetracked) point being its about the history.

 

[SeaTurtle]

The only time I did reenacting was with the Rebs. Ended up a powder monkey (or whatever the land-lubber word for it is) in an artillery unit. Sometimes you just go wherever they need boots on the ground. I had no particular interest/draw to CSA artillery before joining, but they were all decent guys on my gun crew, and I had a good time at the event. Showed up with my own period clothing beforehand (I was about 13 at the time, and had been doing some local theater work) and got chatting to one of the NCOs, and he took me seriously enough to give me a chance, even though at the time I wasn't an enrolled member of the group.

So I guess, keep your mind open and maybe you'll discover a particular unit that you mightn't have thought of joining, but which ends up being fun.

 

[7thWisconsin]

I have always reenacted as a Federal infantryman. It was the impression of the unit I first contacted. I´m not anywhere near the end of interesting research so I stick with it. As a Federal, you almost never have to worry about having too many men. I´ve rarely been on the outnumbering side. If you´re thinking about starting, please do Federal.

 

[Shane Nail]

Being from Texas but living in Arizona, my group is Cavalry and we go to the side that needs more troops. I even carry a confederate Sharps Carbine or US Sharps depending on where we wind up. Over kill to have 2 cavalry carbines but I enjoy it.

 

[SeaTurtle]

Someone needs to do blockade-runner reenacting, that'd give me an excuse to come back across the Atlantic every now and then