Civil War Reenactment

The march to the battlefield was a long one, and my feet were already hurting. As we neared the palmettos, the cracking of muskets and booming of cannons sent my heart up to my throat. I was already getting edgy, even though we were far from the fight. The man next to me was softly calling cadence and grinning. Some cavalry-men went running past and I could tell the battle was heating up. I was afraid. The musket by my side only made me more afraid, because I knew that they would only shoot at someone who had a musket. As we tromped through the palmettos to the battlefield, I could hear men screaming. It scared me even more, but adrenaline was starting to pump through me and I was getting eager. I knew there wasn't any real danger, unless something went terribly wrong, but it was extremely realistic. The acrid gun smoke was at the edges of the battlefield, and it sent the adrenaline pumping harder. Then I saw our boys, with the Yanks on the other side. They weren't so scary. We were given the command to load, and so as I filled my musket with a cartridge, loaded it with a cap, and pulled the hammer to half-cock, I was ready. As the captain screamed over the gun shots to fire, I aimed high over their head from the distance, and fired. A Yank fell in the opposing line and I wondered if I somehow actually had loaded my gun with a ball. I knew I didn't, but again-it was extremely realistic. We crossed the battlefield, a big, open plain, and I saw blood coating the grass. At the time, I didn't think that it was fake. I simply though, "See what they've done to our boys, give 'em twice that in return." I forgot the pains in my feet. I didn't see the stands were the civilians and fans watched us fight. I just saw the dead Southerners, and the lines of Yanks that coated the field. The man next to me screamed, and as he grasped his heart, blood spurted from between his fingers. I still didn't think, "it's all fake," I thought, I'll get 'em back for that. I will definitely get them back for that. As we went marching on, a Yank cannon fired, and right in front of me and two other men, where the "cannonball" hit the ground, the explosion tossed me to the ground, sending the other two stumbling. I quickly recovered my feet and popped a shot at the line, without the captain's approval. A Yankee fell and I felt accomplished. The battle raged on for an amount of time that sometimes felt like seconds, and sometimes felt like days. At the end of the battle, however, as the Stars n' Bars soared above the field and we fired off a salute, victorious, all the pain from the march and more from the battle itself came rushing back. I was exhausted.

Something about the Civil War appeals to you.
Maybe you've always wanted to ride your horse into a battle?
Don't be shy, even women can fight. Historically, some women disguised themselves as men and they fought as soldiers. The same is true for reenactors today. I've seen many a grimy tired soldier come off the battlefield and clean up into the belle of the ball later that night.

Yes, there IS a ball.

Maybe it's the music? You've always liked the fife or drum? If so, the sutlers carry fifes and period drums and you can easily find someone who can get your started. My husband even found someone who took him to the sutler tent and helped him pick a fife based on its sound and tone.

Maybe it's the idea of woodworking camp furniture or making homemade soap or discovering Civil War era recipes? There's a lot of niches to fall into once you begin reenacting.

Men's period shirts are very easy to make. I will tell you that I hate working with homespun. It snags on the scissors and the sewing needle and is just AWFUL!
And don't even get me started on blue ticking fabric. That stuff is sandpaper!

As for the pants and hats jackets and footwear, isn't that why sutlers and ebay exists?

For the shirt, I just combine these 2 patterns. The McCalls 4947, style B for the overall shirt, then the other (any shirt pattern will do) for the neck and collar and the sleeve cuffs. I can make these shirts for under $20.00 and so can you.

REMEMBER, there is no rush to get outfitted right away. Our group rents out the clothes, musket, and tent. If you get the hard sell, move on to another camp. There's lots and lots of groups always welcoming for new members.