Bivouac Enlistment Quartermaster Sutlers Events Gallery Histories Reconnoiter The Cleburne
Bivouac Enlistment Quartermaster Sutlers Events Gallery Histories Reconnoiter The Cleburne
A Veteran Comments on Reenacting
"Who knows but it may be given to us, after this life, to meet again in the old quarters, to play chess and draughts, to get up soon to answer the morning roll call, to fall in at the tap of the drum for drill and dress parade, and again to hastily don our war gear while the monotonous patterns of the long roll summons to battle? Who knows but again the old flags, ragged and torn, snapping in the wind, may face each other and flutter, pursuing and pursued, while the cries of victory fill a summer day? And after the battle, the wounded and slain will arise and all will meet together under the two flags, all sound and well and there will be talking and laughter; and cheers, and all will say, "Did it not seem real? Was it not as in the old days?…"
Pvt. Berry Benson, 1st South Carolina Rifles Regiment; Berry Benson’s Reminiscences of the Civil War, S.W. Benson, editor, 1962.
Civil War Reenacting Has a History of Its Own
During the war, "sham battles," in which blanks were used, were conducted by Confederate and Union troops for training purposes at the winter camps. Near the end of the nineteenth century, old veterans in civilian attire got together at reunions, and retraced their steps, over the same ground they had fought across as young men. Beginning in the early twentieth and continuing into the 1930’s, the U.S. army "fought" U.S. Marines in war games held on Civil War battlefields using contemporary weapons, and loosely following the movements of the original armies.
In the mid-1950’s, the eve of the Civil War centennial years, black powder marksmen formed the North-South Skirmish Association to hold target shoots using original weapons, while dressed in makeshift "uniforms" of Civil war soldiers. From this hobby came men, who wanted to experience more of the lifestyles of the soldiers of the 1860’s. They began to research the proper dress, drill, camp life, etc. to become "living historians" for their own enjoyment as well as for the education of the American public, who have always been fascinated with the War Between the States.
In the 1960’s, the National Park service began "living history" programs to better interpret historic sites to the public, including Civil War battlefields. This resulted in more professional research being conducted on the many facets of a Civil War soldier’s life, which in turn increased interest among reenactors.
The late 1970’s saw a steady increase in the number of Civil War reenactors, who were interested in living history as well as in focusing public attention on preservation of our heritage and historic sites. The hobby really became popular in the 1980’s with the 125th anniversary reenactments. These events attracted thousands of reenactors, which drew tremendous publicity and enabled further evolution of the hobby. Now battalion sized and even brigade sized organizations took the field instead of the company sized units, which were all that was possible in the early years.
The 1990’s saw the results of more extensive research, and organization with reenactments providing unprecedented living history experiences as well as raising large sums of money for historic preservation. This continues into the new century.
Reenacting the 33rd Alabama
The 33rd Alabama Volunteer Infantry Regiment is an organization of "living historians", who create authentic impressions of soldiers of the War between the States. Our organization professes no political or social ideals other than those expressed in the United States Constitution. We are a non-profit organization that exists for the enjoyment of our members, the education of the public, and the preservation of our heritage.
Joining our ranks will enable you to feel the excitement of the charge; smell the smoke of battle; enjoy the camaraderie of camp life; drill in the same maneuvers; march in the same formations used by our ancestors. In other words, actually do the things you’ve only read about before.
You will meet people from all walks of life and every part of the country who share common interests in history. You will discover a sense of pride when you walk over an original battlefield in the uniform of a soldier who fought and even died there; when you fire a salute over the grave of a veteran or at the site of a monument; when you see the expression on the face of a youngster you have educated by your knowledge and historical impression.
Two Impressions
We portray the 33rd Alabama (C.S.A.) and the 6th Indiana (U.S.A.) infantry regiments. We do this because 2/3's of the Civil War reenactment community prefer to portray Confederate soldiers. Therefore, in order to stage reenactments with realistic battle ratios (generally 2:1 Northern majorities), reenactors have to be able to "galvanize" (a period term meaning joining, or in our case portraying the other side). This unfortunate necessity has actually helped the hobby because it gives the reenactors a broader perspective of the war and it lets the public know that we are primarily concerned with historical accuracy rather than becoming a part of any "radical fringe element."
Bivouac Enlistment Quartermaster Sutlers Events Gallery Histories Reconnoiter The Cleburne