Ten points if you noticed that I am not wearing any shoes… They didn’t have any size 15 shoes in the bins of spare uniform parts where they kept extra stuff for temporary volunteers like me. So I fired a cannon barefoot. Very historically accurate, by the way, considering the state of Southern resupply during most of the war.
And now, while we view some pictures of the battle shot by Uncle Bert, the battle I was busy firing the cannon from the actual civil war in, help me decide if I really want to sign up to do this on a permanent basis. I would need to spend about 3 or 4 hundred dollars for the uniform. And those uniforms are hot…
I would get to spend 5 or 6 weekends a year with other guys who share my love of history. I would sleep in a cotton tent with other guys and cook over a fire in old cast iron pots and that sounds awesome! But on the other hand, I snore really loud.
I love the sounds of the battle, the smell of the powder. I felt like I was really there. And once again, in the artillery I don’t have to spend $800.00 dollars on a working rifle.
But to be honest, I sort of felt bad fighting for the Rebs. I am a Northern boy and I certainly don’t hold to most of their beliefs.
On the other hand, nobody there was really pro-slavery. It is just the camaraderie and history that attracts them.
So should I charge ahead and do this, or am I just going to be hot and uncomfortable in a heavy wool uniform and end up regretting it?
Pouring My Art Out 
Unless you’re really passionate about this, I wouldn’t spend the money to be hot, stinky & uncomfortable for 5 – 6 weekends a year. Especially for the rebels!
I sort of feel like that now too
I honestly don’t get the appeal of the Civil War reenactments, other than doing stuff outside and meeting new people, which is a part of many other activities as well. If I’m going to be pretending to shoot at other people, I’d rather do it for (a little more) real in paintball.
I have this idea of making realistic period accurate paintball guns and re-fighting actual battles that way.
Being a confederate in Southern California is actually appropriate. During the civil war a majority of Southern Californians favored secession. In 1860 they were almost able to secede from Northern California and form their own state, but were blocked by a pro-Union Congress. Had they succeeded, then they would have seceded, and been part of the Confederacy.
What is it about the South that makes people so succeedy?
Must be the heat. It fries the brain cells.
I was thinking that
I think it’s the fact that they are so unalike the north.
They don’t actually want to quit, they could live with you perfectly well if you just loosened up on nation-wide policies.
that would be nice
My sister roped me in to some of that as a teen, daughters of the confederacy and all that mess. I have trouble sympathizing with your bare feet knowing that the ladies seven or eight layers of clothing, whale bone corsets pulled too tightly to breathe properly and ginormous hoops made it a game I didn’t care to play. Most of the folks involved were mildly racist meaning they kept it to low whispers when it was brought up. None of them were pro-slavery but very strong “state rights” folks who, like you said, were just in it for the fun and camaraderie. If I could have played a mans role it may have been more fun for me too…. even though reenacting a war from the losing side has obvious drawbacks… by the way, I just noticed yesterday that you were no longer on my follow list and came to hunt you down. I didn’t unfollow you, so WordPress may be acting up again. Guess you’re getting too popular and the ole WP got jealous?
WP hates me… so maybe you are on the list now too… and since this reenactment was in California, I have to work on the assumption that there are very few actual overt racists in the ranks on either side… but then again…
Yes, then again, it’s sprinkled around the globe. I do think folks are getting better at realizing it’s wrong but we do have a ways to go.
yeah we do
Reblogged this on galesmind and commented:
I don’t know if you need the uniform. Towards the end of the war they probably had very few any way. I think it would be a really interesting thing to do. Maybe you could join the North they may have bigger shoes.
I have to wear a uniform. It doesn’t have to fit…. or be comfortable… or match…
Well that narrows it down doesn’t it?
It really does.
You could sew your own uniform. It doesn’t hurt to give it a try at least once eh?
That sounds like a lot of work.
Consider it art
hmmmmmmmmmmmm