Thursday, May 30, 2013

Thursday ~ Civil War Reenactment, Part 1

It's been a busy few days - howabout I just say busy life and be done with it? - so editing was put onto the backburner. But the good news? Here for your viewing pleasure is Part One of my Civil War Reenactment phaga. Yes, I just made up that word. You know, photo saga...phaga? Okay, never mind.

Due to the mass amount of photos to try and sort through, the photos are in no particular order although I have tried to maintain a general continuity in the progression of a reenacting day. And I know I keep saying this but...so sorry for the bad edits and over-saturated colors, my monitor still has it's coloring messed up.

And huge photo credits go to my mom, who took the majority of the shots in this post. She's a much better photographer than I am. Thanks, Mom!


The morning starts out early with the bugler playing reveille ({rev-i-lee} click the link and listen to it!). This is one of my favorite sounds that can be heard at a Civil War reenactment. There's something about it's fast-paced tune that ignites the fire in a reenactor's blood. From my pallet bed on the bare ground floor our wall tent, I hear it's energizing sound floating out over the camp...and I roll over and go back to sleep. Because even after the fire's been lit in the blood, a few more minutes of sleep never hurt anybody. :)

On Sundays, we have Church in the Camp. Someone shouts "church call!" and we grab our bibles and a chair to sit on and join the trickle of fellow reenactors who, despite the fun of the weekend, still hold Sunday mornings to be something that belongs to the Lord. Only a small portion of the reenactors go to church, but there's something really powerful about being one of only few in a camp full of many.

At some point in the morning, us women tie off the straps of the tent door and begin the transformation from 21st century gals to 1860's belles.

This reenactment was especially exciting because my roommate and her sister (pictured above left) came for one of the days to do it with us! Can I just say so much fun to have more people and more girls to hang out with? Seriously, reenacting is really just adults playing dress-ups. :)

Above: Katheryn, Colleen (roomie), Regina and myself

Above: That young man in the brown hat holding the flag is Stuart, my 13 year old brother. Next year he'll be old enough to carry a musket and fight in the battles! When did this happen?

Above left: my 21 year old brother Seth, who is Lieutenant and in command of our unit while on the field.

Above: James, our unit head-hancho addressing the unit pre-battle. Due to knee injuries, he's unable to fight on the battle field, which is why Seth, as Lieutenant, commands on-field.

Above: My brother Scott (18).

Above: the 43rd Virginia (our unit) in the midst of battle, with a spectator train passing in the background.

Above: First Sergeant and Lieutenant.


There's still more to follow!

Blog poll: when reading a post such as this that has pictures with captions, does it make more sense to the reading/scrolling-down-the-page brain to have the caption above or below the actual photo? Let me know!

46 comments:

  1. Love, love the pictures! Thank you for letting me be a part of it this way!!

    And to answer your questions....I like it bellow the picture because you look at it and then see the explanation....and the picture makes sense. ☺

    Iris♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If only you could be a part of it in real life, Iris! I know you'd enjoy it!

      Okay, thanks for the input! That's very helpful!

      Delete
  2. okay what...this is seriously the coolest thing, EVER! I absolutely love these pictures! I am fascinated by history so I know I would especially enjoy reenacting this time in the past with family and friends! so cool! I love that a small group of you broke off to go to church too! How did you and your family get involved with this? love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is so much fun and I've definitely developed more of a love for history since actively reenacting it!

      When my family switches churches about 7 or 8 years ago, there was a family there who already reeacted, and I guess my dad/brothers had had an interest in doing something like that (unbeknownst to me, apparently) but they didn't know how to get into it. So through this family at church, they got us hooked up and the rest is history. I have to confess that at first I did NOT want to be a part of it at all. I thought it was something that frumpy homeschoolers did (being a homeschool alumni, I can say that, hehe!). So I was supportive of my dad and brothers, but had no interest in doing it myself. Well, the men-folk of the family LOVED it and over a few years, Civil War reeacting became more and more a part of our family summers. I went maybe once a year, wore a skirt for a day but didn't really want to do it. But then four years ago when I was going through some super tough times, I needed something to fuel all my energy into...and lo, making Civil War clothes became my outlet, which led me into actually reenacting myself and now...here I am, a hooked reenactor myself. :) As much as I enjoy it, I usually only dress up for one day out of the weekend, but I love being up there living in the camp with everybody. That's my favorite part. :)

      Delete
  3. Caption above.
    Seth looks so happy!
    Regina - same comment as with Sam - the Civil War transformation just becomes her perfectly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the input, Michelle!

      And I love that one picture of Seth laughing, too! Being Lieutenant can be really stressful at times (there's a LOT of politics and yes, even man-drama that goes on!) but he's really learning to roll with the punches.

      And yup, Regina really becomes a Civil War lady and she really just looks the graceful part!

      Delete
  4. These pictures are great! They make me feel almost as if I had been there myself. I'd love to do reenacting someday...the closest I've gotten to that so far is attending renaissance faires. :P
    Ooh, and in answer to your question, I personally like reading comments/descriptions below the pictures since it just seems to flow more naturally.(:

    ~Vicki
    Decked Out in Ruffles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vicki, I've never gone to a renaissance fair personally, although my family has (and weren't too impressed, since there were some very UN-clothes people there, haha). Maybe one day I'll make it to one of those, although American history is more my niche. I'm always up for an adventure! :)

      Okay, thanks! So far most people are saying below, which is good, since that's what I usually do! :)

      Delete
  5. What beautiful images! Love the historical clothing, it just fascinates me. You know....there's Reenacting out on this side of the county too ;) Yet another reason for you to visit!

    And I've wondered the exact same thing about the captions for pictures. I say below works best as well :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too, Brea! It was really the fashion aspect of reenacting that got me into it! The whole clothing thing is really fascinating! It's always a never-ending task to try and be as "period correct" as we possibly can!

      Delete
  6. Love it! It looks like tons of fun! I don't know if I would have been able to live that all the time...but I am sure it is fun to revisit every so often!

    My personal preference...below! (I know, that is what everyone else has said too!)

    QUESTION! (raises hand) Why do you address certain folks as gral?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you, Madison! As fun as it is to do it for a weekend, I'm always more than happy to return to normal, modern life again! :)

      ANSWER! And you're not the first one by far to ask me about "gral!" Sadly, you've sorta got to hear it to actually "get" it, but it's basically a slurring/slang-ing of "girl" and "gal" into one. It originally started with a "ghetto" voice, like "yo, gral, whutcho doin," and it's just evolved into my personal pet name for my girlfriends. :)

      Delete
    2. Oh I see!
      (you don't know how many times I just repeated that to myself...and I'm sure my ghetto voice was a sound to behold...:)

      Delete
    3. Haha, maybe I'll need to do a vlog on it someday. ;)

      Delete
    4. LOL!

      Another nosy question...does your roomie actually share the same apartment as you or just across the way or something?

      Delete
    5. I don't mind nosy questions at all, Mads! I share an actual house with my two roomies. We each have our own room, but we share the rest of the house. :)

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Thanks, Bessie! That seems to be the general consensus. :)

      Delete
  8. ::Squeals:: I'm practically in heaven looking at all of these!!! What an awesomely amazing epic SO much history it makes me want to bawl Civil War re-enactment!! {And that's how fast this Yankee girl said all that fangirling}
    One of these years I'll make it out there to visit you on a re-enactment weekend!

    And in answer to your question--I prefer captions below. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehe, quite so, Megs! I, sadly, was not able to get any good Yankee shots for you this time, since they had the Union and Confederate camps on different ends of the park and so our paths didn't really cross.

      So you'll have to console yourself with pictures of the enemy. ;)

      Delete
  9. Oh, heavens! Kellie these are delightful. And don't you ladies look lover-ly!? ;) So very much like the Southern belles you already are... only in the 1800's instead!

    As always, this is a way fun blog post and I don't think I am alone in giving you a huge THANKS for sharing it with us. :) Love it muchly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aaah, shucks, thanks, Rissi! And my pleasure to share the photos, I really can't help myself. :)

      Delete
  10. I have to say, I can't really imagine being a part of a Civil War re-enactment, but I'm really and truly loving these photos! It's so cool to see all of the different clothing, the tents, and just how much people get into these re-enactments. Can't wait for the second part of this post to come, girl!

    p.s. I'm a bottom of the photo caption kind of girl myself. But whatever you choose, I'm fine with! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehe, that's funny you should say that, because everybody who knows me is always SO SURPRISED that I actually doing something like reenacting! It's not my normal form of entertainment and not my usual "groove"...but like it, I do. So who knows? Maybe you'd be surprised. :)

      Delete
    2. Oh, I'm sure I would be surprised! I think mostly it would just be a total culture shock of sorts for me. A good one, but definitely a change of pace. It really does look like a lot of fun, though! Who knows, I just might have to join you someday. :)

      Delete
    3. I know they have reenactments up your way, too! I knew a guy who lived up "there" who was a Yankee and did reenactments. You should try just attending a reenactment first. It's a great photo op, anyway! :D

      Delete
  11. I love the way you did it! Girl.. I am seriously amazed at this!! I still don't fully understand what's going on... but I LOVE IT!! Send me a plane ticket, I want throw on a big poofy dress and bonnet and reenact with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really wish you could, Angela!

      Basically, we're members of a Civil War Reenacting group. Within that organization, it functions very much like an actual army - Majors, Generals, Lieutenants, Sergeants, etc, with different "unit" of soldiers. We are part of the 43rd Virginia Dismounted Cavalry. So, several weekends out of the summer, at different locations in a several hour range, this group has reenactments, were we basically give a "living history" presentation. There's the Union/Yankee camp and then the Confederate/Rebel camp, set up and sorted out by their individual units, so we (the 43rd) always camp together in a cluster of tents. So, during the days of the reenactment, once the gates open to the public, we go into "pretend we live in the 1860's" mode - we hide everything that's not historically/period correct for the Civil War times. Some people go as far as to only talk as if they're a historical character, but I personally find that to be a little much. Most of us just do our thing. Twice during the day, all the soldiers will form up, headed up by their commanding officer (just like in a real army, and it's not pretend authority - they REALLY have the authority as if it was real life), and they march out to battle. The head-hanchos of the organization will, prior to the battle, have come up with a battle strategy/plan/who will win the battle, and so they go at it with canons booming, muskets firing, people "dying" and Rebel's shouting their best representation of the infamous "rebel yell." The battles last about 45 minutes, ending with "recall" which is the bugle call for the "dead" to rise and live again. The battles happen twice a day and for the rest of the day, we just hang out in camp or walk around to see and be seen and basically just have a good old-fashioned (pun intended) day of fun. :)

      So, that's the basic structure. :)

      Delete
  12. Oh my goodness this looks amazing!!!! These photos are amazing! I'd LOVE to see something like this someday. This is such a cool thing to do girl! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Francesca! It really is pretty awesome!

      Delete
  13. Ahhhh, Kellie! The dresses, the gallant soldiers, and that pic of you wearing a North Face shirt and buttony brown jacket while holding a metal mug. All of it is completely awesome. :D

    We literally have NOTHING like this where I live (mountainous and isolated Colorado loveliness… without much culture, apparently ;-). I've googled and asked around since I was twelve but never found a semi-local group to join. I resigned myself to it a long time ago, but still live out my dream of reenacting through pictures. Looking forward to part 2!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, Taylor! You're enthusiasm always makes me smile!! Love it, girl. :)

      Oh that's so sad that you can't find anything nearby!! Maybe you'll just have to come visit me, okay? I have extra dresses you can wear. :D

      I'll get right on part 2. ;)

      Delete
  14. Oh oh oh oh oh!!!! I've been looking forward to this! I love it! Okay, enough exclamation points. But you do see my enthusiasm, right?! ;P

    Seriously so much fun! (oops, where'd that one come from?) Beautiful pics and awesome outfits and glorious re-enacting and everything's positively wonderful about this post. You're so cute when you're dressed up. (Okay, so you're always cute, but you're much cuter dressed up. ;)

    Thank you so much for sharing and I shall definitely be looking forward to more. :D No hurry though, I understand about busy lives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, Kara, you always keep me laughing! I love your comments. :)

      So, howabout you come to the next one?!? It's in a city two hours south that starts with F in September. Actually, it starts with F even when it's NOT September, too. *doubles over at my own stupid joke*

      No, but really. You should come. I'd LOVE it. :D

      Delete
    2. I love your stupid jokes! That's about as funny a joke as I can ever tell myself. I'm no good at telling them. I can barely read them out loud! I try to do this at work and just end up laughing and have the other person laughing at ME instead of the joke! :D

      Seriously though, September? Sounds A-MAZING!! I'd love it too! *marks calendar* No idea of the date, so I marked the whole month off. That works, right? ;P I really do want to come! That's not far to travel at all. I really, really, really want to do it. So. Therefore I've decided. I'm going to go. Yay!!! :D

      Delete
    3. Kara, I'm SO glad you can appreciate my lame humor!! And I'm the SAME way with joke telling - a failure! I, like you, just end up laughing to hard (even when it's not THAT funny). I can't even practical joke someone, because I just start uncontrollably laughing!

      Yay!! I *think* it's the last weekend in September, but when I found out for sure, I will certainly let you go! It's an easy drive there, the place is not far off the freeway and it's basically a straight shot. ;)

      Delete
  15. As the Mom of a long time CSA reenactor, I loved viewing your photos! Have quite a collection myself taken while following my son to Spotsylvania and even Cedar Creek. By the way, to me, it seems normal to read a caption below the photo. Just my take on it. Where are your reenactments held? We live in NOVA and my son takes part in nearly all Virginia events but always includes Gettysburg as we have Civil War veterans from Pennsylvania. Would love to have you post your reenacting stories on our website!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, then you understand all the ins and outs of this post! How great that you son reenacts, it's always so much fun to find other reenactors!

      I actually live no where near Virginia or even any of the southern states, I'm more of a west coastie, actually. We've talked about going to see Gettysburg and other famous Civil War sites, but seeing as it's a cross-country trip for us, it's never happened. How great that you can go to so many reenactments, including Gettysburg! I do it in my dreams. :)

      Delete
  16. Wow, that looks amazingly fun--(and I'm sure that dressing up is one of the best parts!) What an awesome family tradition!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is really fun, Rachel and it's even better done with my family. :)

      Delete

Oooh, you're about to comment! How exciting! Know that you are SO MUCH MORE than just a name and a comment to me - you're a person I'd like to get to know! Make sure you check back, as I reply to each comment. I love getting to talk/correspond with each of you!