Civil War Reenactments: Why?

Caption: Army of the Potomac – Union soldiers cooking dinner in camp (Library of Congress)

I overheard two men on the train this morning talking about their plans for the upcoming weekend. One of them is participating in a Civil War re-enactment with several of his friends and associates. He and his pals are going all out, renting period costumes, cannons, a variety of guns, and blank ammunition. I guess that’s an expensive activity. Estimating what it must cost, I’d rather spend that money spending the weekend in a Times Square hotel and catching a Broadway show.

Here is a typical shopping list for a front line soldier (some items are slightly more expensive for officers (https://www.whatitcosts.com/be-in-civil-war-reenactment-prices-cost/):

BROGANS – $95

SOCKS (3) – $30

UNDERSHORTS (3) – $60

TROUSERS (2) – $200

SUSPENDERS – $15

BELT/BUCKLE – $25

SHIRTS (3) – $105

VEST – $85

JACKET/CHEVRONS – $95

HAT/INSIGNIA – $53

WALLET – $20

HAVERSACK – $16

PONCHO – $50

MUSKET/BAYONET – $550

BAYONET SCABBARD – $25

CARTRIDGE BOX – $50

CANTEEN – $50

BLANKETS (2) – $104

MESS KIT – $30

Dinner party outside tent, Army of the Potomac headquarters, Brandy Station, VA (Library of Congress)

I never understood the fascination with war re-enactments. I Googled it to learn more about it. I learned it’s quite a popular pastime, and the average cost per person is approximately $2,000. The goal is to stay as true to history as possible. They buy or rent replicas of the same artillery in use by soldiers at the time. Additionally, their custom-made clothes are as close to authentic as the uniforms worn by the real troops. Also, many participants cook their period-style meals exactly as it was done in an 1860s army camp, their eating utensils are reproductions of the original tin versions, and they sleep under the same conditions as the soldiers did in the 1860s. An account of one Civil War soldier went like this:

“We grab our plates and cups, and wait for no second invitation. We each get a piece of meat and a potato, a chunk of bread and a cup of coffee with a spoonful of brown sugar in it. Milk and butter we buy, or go without. We settle down, generally in groups, and the meal is soon over… We save a piece of bread for the last, with which we wipe up everything, and then eat the dish rag. Dinner and breakfast are alike, only sometimes the meat and potatoes are cut up and cooked together, which makes a really delicious stew. Supper is the same, minus the meat and potatoes”. – Lawrence VanAlstyne, Union Soldier, 128^th New York Volunteer Infantry

They fill various roles, from the junior, entry-level soldiers to senior officers. Like in a real war, the men portraying junior solders sleep in a small tent, in sleeping bags; those portraying the officers sleep on miliary cots, some say aren’t much better than sleeping on the ground. Given the tragic nature of the Civil War, I don’t find it appealing. More than 620,000 people died. If these events were designed to teach and educate others, I might be supportive. But they are only for the fun and enjoyment of the participants, glorifying the events as if they were a big celebration. C’est la vie!

So, that’s that. If anyone reading these words is interested, there’s a website that lists current and future reenactments. There’s a news story also at the end of this post, down below, that synopsizes the fundamental nature of these reenactments.

https://www.livinghistoryarchive.com/article/civil-war-events-in-america