Not "Good Enough"

The first event I ever attended as a reenactor was Brandy Station, Virginia. My good friend, Sean Pridgeon, rounded up gear for me and helped me out in every way you could possibly think of. I remember arriving at the event during the early evening hours. The sky was dark, and swollen clouds were drifting in our direction. Within an hour of arriving, the temperature dropped into the 40’s and I was soaked from the heavy rain. “What have I gotten myself into?”, I thought. That event was miserable, and yet, I was hooked on reenacting. In fact, all of the “miserable” moments I have experienced in reenacting are the ones that I cherish the most. They’ve helped me grow as a reenactor, and to further appreciate the history and lifestyle of the boys of ‘61-’65.

After McDowell in 2003, I took a break from reenacting. I was doing 2-3 events every month, and I was beginning to burn out. In June of 2011, I decided that it was time to hit the field again. I picked a small event 5 miles from my house (Jerusalem Mill, MD), and after talking about it, my friend Rance expressed interest in attending the event. Between Sean and myself, Rance was outfitted and ready to go. I explained to him that Sean and myself are of the “campaigner” mindset, and that we do some things differently. To my surprise, the event at Jerusalem Mill had a decent number of campaigners attending. We went through the day; drill, wait in camp, reconnaissance scenario, wait in camp, battle, etc. As we were sitting in the shade after the battle, Rance said something to me that really made me think; “Why would you want to bring tents to these events? We pack up in 5 minutes and then we’re on our way. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

I honestly didn’t know how to respond. I think I tried answering with “I don’t know”, but I wasn’t satisfied with giving him that kind of response. I tried to explain how some reenactors basically ignore all of the history and documentation, but I couldn’t. Rance asked me one simple question, and I had no answer. Instead, it unlocked more questions in my own mind.

The Civil War is not a mysterious blip in American history. The documentation from 1861-1865 is incredible. Thousands of photographs, first-person accounts, illustrations, and original items are easily accessible. On top of that, countless books have been written about the Civil War. This leads me to my main topic - there is no excuse for reenactors to get so many things wrong.

I was portraying a private in the 4th Alabama at the 150th Manassas event in late July. Early war impressions can be difficult to judge, especially on the Confederate side. With that in mind, I decided to not over analyze the impressions that were on the field. Unfortunately, I saw things that I could not ignore. I was simply stunned; modern combat boots, tennis shoes, gray jeans, modern shotguns, paper kepis (the kind you find in a gift shop), WWII canteens, sunglasses, and my personal favorite, a Captain leading his men into combat with his sword raised in one hand, and texting someone on his cell phone in the other.


Yikes

I’m not discovering anything that hasn’t been seen or heard before. I just want to understand. What mindset does it take to deem these inaccuracies as acceptable? Is it financial? Is it laziness? Ignorance? There has to be a reason.

Before I go any further, I do want to say that I am not bashing or alienating mainstream reenactors. I am just curious. If there is someone out there that can help me understand, please leave me a comment below.

The most common answer I hear is that “Campaigning is too expensive”. I strongly disagree. I understand that you might pay more for gear that is correct, but it’s not an astronomical number. It’s not like you’ll be shelling out $5,000 for a good impression. Instead of blowing a few hundred dollars on an incorrect jacket and trousers, save that money for a good hat or jacket. Your impression doesn’t have to be put together in a few weeks. I have never, ever heard one of my reenacting friends say that they were satisfied with their impression(s). We are constantly adding and subtracting items from our impression(s), and it’s a never ending quest to “get it right”.

While some of it may be financial, I do believe that the majority of incorrect impressions are born out of laziness or ignorance. It drives me nuts when I see or hear a reenactor say “I’m out here to honor those boys, and to keep history alive” and they’re wearing a cowboy hat and slinging back a Coke inside their wall tent. “If they had it, they would have used it”. Yeah, but they didn’t have it. So don’t use it.

What would a soldier think of us? Let’s say, by an insanely ridiculous and totally unrealistic circumstance, that a soldier from 1861-1865 walked on to the field at an event. What would we look like to him? Would he be satisfied with our effort? Or would he see us as a bunch of cowboys running around making war look comical? Or would he walk back to camp and grab a slice of pizza?


Confederate Prisoners at Gettysburg
A Great Image of a Mid-War ANV Confederate Soldier

These are the questions that will never be answered. I don’t think that good impression(s) are impossible, nor is it a far-fetched idea that everyone should have a good impression. Take the time to research, and to find out what the armies had available during the time period of your next event. For example, wearing a Type III during an 1861 event is uncalled for and easily remedied. If you are reading this and have no idea how to move your impression forward, please feel free to contact me. Others, along with myself, have no problem helping someone improve their impression. It might be a few tweaks to your current outfit, or some advice regarding good vendors.

Let’s hope these questions do not go unanswered. Let’s abandon the “good enough” attitude. With the 150th’s upon us, let’s do our part and represent our history to the highest standard as possible.

Please feel free to contact me at KevinKutlik26@gmail.com