The foolishness of Civil War reenactors

http://www.salon.com/books/history/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/05/08/civil_war_sesquicentennial

Last month, the Civil War sesquicentennial began with a bang with a "living history" event in Charleston, S.C., that commemorated the firing on Fort Sumter, the momentous act of violence that started the war.

If you’re not familiar with what "living history" means, this is a term that Civil War reenactors use to describe their hobby of dressing up in Union and Confederate uniforms and acting out battles and other significant events that occurred between 1861 and 1865. On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired (for real) on Fort Sumter, a military installation manned by federal troops, and continued the bombardment for more than 30 hours, when, outgunned and almost out of supplies, the Union commander, Major Robert Anderson, surrendered the fort and its garrison. It was the fall of Fort Sumter that began the Civil War, and modern reenactors pretended to do it all over again, only this time they did not use live ammunition, did not keep modern Charlestonians from getting their sleep by sustaining the thunder of cannons through the night, and presumably did no damage to the preserved stone walls of the Fort Sumter National Monument, which is located on an island in the middle of Charleston harbor.

In fact, the "living historians" at Charleston fudged the history more than a little by firing their first shot at the fort at 6:45 in the morning rather than at the very famous historical time of 4:30 a.m. Presumably, this enabled the reenactors to sleep a little later than their historical counterparts did 150 years ago. Then, when the mortar shot was finally fired to begin the reenactment, it barely sailed up 40 yards or so into the sky, although the noise it made was, according to the Charleston Post and Courier, "thunderous." But the newspaper also reported that the pyrotechnics left something to be desired: Rather than the "star shell" of a century and a half ago, the explosion seemed more like a "bottle rocket." The fireworks technician in charge of the mortar shot explained that the burst was "intentionally weak, as a safety precaution to the crowds of people on hand to witness the waterfront ceremony." So much for historical accuracy.



The promoters of this observance insisted that their event was not a "reenactment," but a moment of "living history." Although I’ve been a practicing Civil War historian for quite some time, I’ve never quite understood why reenactors dislike being called reenactors. They almost universally claim to be "living historians" or to be engaged in "living history." But I find these terms mystifying. For one thing, I think that I am a living historian; if not, someone should inform my loved ones of my passing. For another thing, "living history" makes me think of apparitions, like ghosts possessing the living and walking about historical sites in the manner of zombies, wide-eyed, with arms outstretched and flesh dangling off their faces. But if reenactors wish to be called living historians, so be it.

More at the link --

are dressed in period costumes and pretending to be living in the 1700s, 1800s, early 1900s for the audience. No harm. Interesting.

out in Eastern Mass is like that.

The people who work there are dressed in period costumes, and actually talk in the manner of Colonial America, and if you mention any modern inventions, etc., they pretend they don't know what you're talking about.

In a way, it's a bit like being a time traveler to go there :)

working the garden.

And make sure their bottled water has as much Salmonella typhi in it as in the good old days.

(for starters), regulating the hours that Fort Sumter is open & what types of pyrotechnics can be used.

So long as they are not having the Confederates win the war, or battles that they didn't win, what's the problem with Civil War re-enactors?

Here's what the NPS has to say about the 2011 re-enactment schedule:

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2011/04/reenactments-highlight-fort-sumter-battle-anniversary-commemoration7946

Despite some initial uncertainty due to the budget impasse in Washington, Park Service officials planned a week-long series of events to commemorate the start of the Civil War. Until Wednesday, Union re-enactors will be on site. From Friday through Sunday, Confederate re-enactors will occupy the fort.

Scheduled highlights include a 30-minute reenactment of the April 12 firing on the fort and a flag ceremony commemorating the fort's official surrender on April 14.

dg

Wouldn't it be more productive and instructive to try to correct the tactical errors of the original participants and see how such-and-such battle might otherwise have turned out?

Every country in the world. It's not a United States thing, it's a human thing.

Travel around a bit.

At the Parthenon you can get arrested for picking up a rock.

Look at the Balkans, for instance.

Suppose the South won at Gettysburg . . . they were still split in half by the loss of Vicksburg, and the Union Navy was strangling them with the blockade.

The only difference tactics made is that the war might not have lasted as long if the Union had better commanders in the beginning.

And no, we can't acknowledge what a lost cause it was from the very beginning because that would mean recognizing all that carnage was for naught and that would be too difficult for our psyches.

In September 2002, I attended the reenactment of the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, and actually had a great time. These folks take it seriously. I really enjoyed "sutler's row," where they had tons of vendors selling Civil War stuff, including uniforms and equipment. But my favorite part was wearing my t-shirt from Michigan History magazine, with a big picture of Lincoln on it and his quote, "Thank God for Michigan." I made sure I stood right up front as the "Rebs" all marched by. You should have seen the looks I got! I think they wanted to bayonet me right there. I'm glad I took pictures of them looking at me. Priceless. Anyway, I don't think most of them know much at all about the genuine history and causes of the war. They're just living out their fantasies.

My passion is studying our Civil War------in case you haven't notice, we are still fighting it (you cannot understand today until you devote years to studying that war). Anyway, a number of years ago I went to the Gettysburg re-enactment. Read the local paper. Apparently, the year before they had an "accidental shooting". They "interviewed" re-enactors. You should have heard the Reb side. They were all pissed that the Union reenactors were enjoying themselves, etc. and didn't take this seriously...as in really, really hating each other! Met a guy on the actual battlefied (had a truck with the Reb flag bigger than the truck). When I said we were from Maine, I think he thought he had found bin Laden. I can only take so much of this reenacting thing and, unfortunately, some of them are so historically misinformed about the characters they portray that I've learned just to ignore.

I can't find the clip

He was filming movie near (Gettysburg?) a battlefield and heard they were doing a re-enactment. Apparently Dreyfuss is a huge Civil War student too. So he goes there and they invite him to join in. Then several of the head guys had a 40 minute discussion about whether or not Dreyfuss's eyeglasses could pass an authenticity test. He told the story in a very endearing way. He totally respected their devotion to getting it just right.

Rather than the "star shell" of a century and a half ago, the explosion seemed more like a "bottle rocket." The fireworks technician in charge of the mortar shot explained that the burst was "intentionally weak, as a safety precaution to the crowds of people on hand to witness the waterfront ceremony." So much for historical accuracy.

Yea, and dem bastids don't even use real bullets.. what a bunch of fakers. :eyes:


I guess they should be more accurate.. and kill spectators..... :eyes:


:smoke:

with a bunch of the guys and re-enacting another "living history" event..... The Seige of Khe Sahn.

We get together and live in mud and shit, eating cold c-rations and getting the snot pounded out of us.

Man.. that's "living history" fun.

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Really, I generally figure... different strokes for different folks... but I have never figured the attraction of re-enacting some of the most god-awful times in US history.

I've never been to a civil war reenactment but I have no problem with the concept. I love the historical presentations and re-enactments (replete with authentic costumes) that take place at Colonial Williamsburg.

After all, SCA(Society for Creative Anachronisms, medieval reenactors) are the folks who like to beat on each other with large rattan sticks. I've see far too many people have their lives devoured by SCA, their weekends eaten up by going to various meetings and "wars", the rest of the week eaten up by knitting chainmail and practicing other medieval crafts, and their monetary resources eaten up by gas and supplies. Year in, year out, all they deal with the medieval world until they wake up one day and wonder where their life went.

What Pickett really needed was a sweep of Thunderbolts to soften Union lines.