Hi
What is the procedure for taking part in Civil War reenactments? What are the qualifications if any? How does one sign up? Do those taking part usually provide their own uniforms and weapons or can you rent them? How soon before a reenactment do participants have to sign up?
I look forward to your feedback.
See the book “Confederates In The Attic” for many answers:
https://www.amazon.com/Confederates-Attic-Dispatches-Unfinished-Civil/dp/067975833X
I am not a re-enactor but I do live close to Gettysburg and I’ve given so many tours there to friends and family that I could probably work as a professional tour guide there at this point. I also own a replica 1853 Enfield rifle-musket that I shoot semi-regularly (used to be more regularly but I haven’t had much time for it lately).
I am not aware of any place that rents equipment and uniforms. The guys that I have talked to have all owned their own equipment and uniforms.
Re-enactment isn’t organized on the national level. They are a bunch of small groups that happen to go around to different sites. Each group is different. Most of them are very friendly and eager to share their knowledge. It’s probably not a good idea to just strap on a uniform and hop out on the re-enactment battlefield. You should have a pretty good understanding of the history of the battle and the war, and the history of the specific unit that you are re-enacting. You should probably watch a few re-enactments, maybe watch the unit you are interested in joining, and get a feel for what is involved. As long as you show interest and take it seriously, they’ll help you all along the way and show you what you need to do and will tell you what you need to learn.
You don’t need any knowledge or experience to get started. But you’ll need a certain amount of knowledge about what you are doing before they’ll let you join them for an actual re-enactment.
Like I said, most of these guys are very friendly, and they’ll tell you what you need to do.
I buy a lot of musket shooting supplies from the same guys that sell re-enactment gear. A replica Springfield or Enfield musket (the two most popular muskets of the war) will set you back about $500 to $700. You can get some cheaper muskets but they aren’t really period authentic. Stay away from the Zouave because they are cheaper, but they weren’t actually used in the war. Some Hawkens rifles and the like did see some limited use, but they were extremely rare during the actual war. Some units probably won’t let you bring one to a re-enactment event. If you are on the Union side, the 1861-1863 Springfields were the most common musket during the war. with the 1853 Enfield next in popularity. On the Confederate side, the Enfield is again a good choice (the British were happy to sell Enfields to both sides during the war). Older 1855 Springfields were also seized at the start of the war and were used by Confederates. 1855 Springfields aren’t too common among replica manufacturers, though you can get them. Some re-enactment units may have specific weapon requirements as certain units during the war only had certain weapon types available.
A uniform will cost you about $300 to $400 or so by the time you get all of the pieces you need. They expect you to wear authentic gear all the way down to your shoes. Cartridge and cap boxes and other misc. leather goods will run you another $50 to $100 or so depending on how much you get. Add in another couple hundred for a canteen and a mess kit and all sorts of little misc. stuff. You’re probably talking about an initial investment of $1500 or so for a fairly minimal basic infantryman setup.
I’ve never purchased a uniform so I can’t help you there, but I have purchased muskets and other gear. If you want to know a good place to get muskets and accessories and camp gear and such, send me a PM and I’ll tell you where I get my stuff from.
Thank you engineer_comp_geek. I will be visiting some battlefields this summer (north south). I was honestly hoping that some of these reenactment groups would make room for ‘extras’ without experience, but that looks very unpromising now.
Considering that these guys are handling some serious weaponry (even blanks are dangerous) and that they study tactics and rehearse before setting foot of a battlefield, it should be no surprise that they wouldn’t want a stranger, however well meaning, getting in the way and putting themselves and others in danger.
I used to have a friend who was a ‘roundhead’ in civil war re-enactments. He put more time into that than many people do in the real military reserve. Like most of these activities, it was very much a social thing - a group of like minded people getting together. A good deal of ye olde English ale was consumed I gather.
I was involved in the removal and moving of a Civil War soldier to a new grave site in town. When he was re-interred, a dozen actors provided services for the procession and send off. It was very moving.
You’d think there’d always be a need for dead bodies. Or perhaps you could be done kind of camp follower. 
They strap on? 
Great book! Remember, you don’t want to be a FARB–you need to learn to do the bloat.
As a former boy, I’ve always wondered- If you’re one of the guys who gets shot and falls to the ground, how long do you have to stay dead? Are reenactment battlefields littered with dead soldiers propped up on one elbow watching the action continue without them?
I have been to a few re-enactments and I am sure that it depends on the specific events but the ones that I witnessed were deadly serious affairs. The actors were assigned a role of a specific soldier and the timeline followed the real battle down to the smallest detail as closely as possible. That means that whatever happened to the soldier they were playing happened to them as well even if they were ‘killed’ in the first five minutes of the battle. There is no looking around. They play the role of the soldier they have been assigned even to the point of camping out in period clothes and using the same equipment including horses and other livestock well before the battle even starts.
This is some serious historical geekery we are talking about and the people involved tend to be meticulous. As previously pointed out, there are safety concerns as well because they use real explosives albeit with blanks but that doesn’t mean the planted cannon blasts can’t kill or maim someone.
Civil War re-enactors are just one of the more popular subsets of the living history movement but it seems to be on the decline. However, there are lots of recreations around the world that try to emulate everything from WWII battles to Gulf War I.
I saw a half hour program about the making of the movie Gettysburg.
If you’ve seen it you know there were literally thousands of extras in those camp and battle scenes. Most were re-enactors, it was said The making of the movie had been advertised for a couple years in advance and there were guys who saved up all their vacation time to travel and be a part of this. The movie couldn’t have been made on that scale without them.
It was a dream come true, to due a re-enactment of such an event, on the actual site. One guy was interviewed and said at most re-enactments you maybe got to shoot off a cannon twice, three times if lucky. Here they had whole long batteries going off. Dudes came from Ireland to be in it, apparently there were many Irish born on both sides.
They strapped on lots of leather stuff. They were kinky guys.
And real muskets.
The musket I have was made with modern machinery, but it is made in the exact style of an original 1853 Enfield. The only differences between it and an original (other than its age) is mine has a modern serial number on the barrel and the modern manufacturer’s name stamped on the bottom of the trigger guard. It’s otherwise identical, down to the British proof marks on the side of the stock. You could take parts off of an original Enfield back from the Civil War days and swap them with parts from my musket and they would all fit.
Muskets have their disadvantages (very slow to reload, long heavy and bulky, black powder fouls up everything), but Civil War era muskets were the worst standard infantry weapon in all of history to get shot with, including modern rifles. The Minie Ball (which was actually bullet shaped and not a ball) made big, horrible wounds, worse than the round balls from earlier wars and worse than modern high speed cartridge rounds.
When I shoot it, I use a full powder load and a period-correct style Minie ball (except that it’s modern lead). Re-enactors use a partial powder load and no ball. But still, these are very, very deadly weapons and you have to know how to properly handle one to be safe. Even blanks can kill.
also women participate by acting as nurses and other roles that women played during the war and they dress in period costumes.
I had no idea. I’m surprised, and impressed.
Thank you all. Are the reenactments always staged precisely on the anniversary? Do they last for the same duration as the original battles?
a lot are done on a weekend close to the date so that more people can show up.
Thanks Bijou Drains. Do you happen to know if reenacted battles mirror the original ones in duration or do they usually last only a few hours at most?. How far do reenactments go in terms of reproducing the original ones?. Accuracy has already been addressed upthread but not in terms of the usual duration of these staged battles.
I only went to one to see what it was like. It was for a Revolutionary War Battle , the battle of Guilford Court house. It lasted a few hours but the original battle did not last much longer than that as well. It was on a Sat. The night before some of the people camped out using equipment and tents in the style of the 1700s.
Digging the hole again for the Battle of Petersburg and then filling it in afterward every year must get a little tiresome.