r/Civilwarreenacting

I began reenacting when I was just 14 back around 1996. I started off in a pretty casual local group, then began falling in with some more serious fellas as the local group kind of aged out. I attended the 135th Shiloh (Mud-loh), Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, then a few 140th events before I joined the military. After that it was only when I had the leave time and usually for larger events. I played both US and CS, depending on where I was stationed, fell in with what remained of my old unit a few times, some U.S. regulars at others, and was invited to a few Richmond-area national parks for living histories when I belonged to an NC unit.

Anyway, Im out of the military now, my kids have reached a point where I'm not totally committed every weekend to some travel sports team practice, game, or tournament. I've started more or less gathering items to get back into it again at the campaigner level. I know it's not nearly as big as it used to be. The number of units have dwindled, as have quality sutlers.

How big are the "big" events now? I know they aren't drawing 10,000 reenactors anymore, but do enough show up to actually give a good representation? Would I be better off just trying to start a small living history unit, concentrating in my local area? I've actually also considered the Liberty Rifles as an option.

I've also noticed politics have edged into the hobby, while always present in the peripherals in my experience, it seems to have edged out actual education and nuance. SCV may have turned Confederate encampments into revisionist propaganda distribution centers... At least that was my experience when I went to a small local event in Ohio just to check it out. Signs when entering the Confederate encampment proudly announced to visitors they would be educated in the "real, patriotic" history of the Confederacy...free of "woke" ideology and "political correctness." Is that the current status and direction of the hobby?

Im planning on switching to the confederate group in my state and i dont know if I should just use my all black leathers i have already and just replace the belt buckle and take of cartridge box plate for the impression or should I buy some russet leathers like a russet belt and cap box woth a mix of black bayonet scabbard and black cartridge box?

Im also wondering if I should just re-use my sky blue trousers for the impression aswell or buy butternut trousers with either a butternut shell coat or sack coat or just rock the trousers with a homespun red or blue plaid shirt also i got the hat already?

Good evening everyone, I am looking for a revolutionary war unit to join. I live around Charles Town wv. Can anyone help me ? I have a full kit minus a cartridge box , bayonet with scabbard and musket.

I’ve looked in a bunch of gun stores and nobody seems to have caps.

Another recent post here mentioned the Rebel Yell, so I just wanted to put this out there. Do you think we will ever be able to find out what the Yell actually sounded like?
I’ve seen it done in several movies, but they always sound completely different. Shelby Foote gave a great description of it (because he was the greatest) but, sadly that’s not the same as hearing. I’m sure there must have been many reenactment groups that have their versions, but, is there enough agreement on what the true sound was?

What are your thoughts/experience with the finished Confederate trousers (not blanks) made by ACW kits? I know tart is second to none with fabric and cloth bug how are the finished trousers they make?

While I'd like to have a pair made by W&W, the 8 weeks noted by ACW may be a better wait.

So I purchased a painted canvas cartridge box from Lepierre leathers for an Army of Tennessee impression and when I received it there was no tool pouch. Aside from this I am very satisfied with the quality. My question is we're there Columbus depot cartridge boxes that did not have tool pouches or were they standard on all of them?

Sorry in advance if I'm posting this in the wrong place but I thought who better to ask than the reenactors themselves. Me and some family are going out to gettysburg over the 4th of July week and are centering our trip on the Daniel lady farm event as well as various other battlefield sightseeing trips. Any thoughts on the event would be great as I have never been to a reenactment and have heard this specific one lacks numbers as the days go on as well as historical authenticity, As someone who has pretty good general knowledge of the civil war I'm worried this will take a lot of the magic of such a show away.