Characters / Reenactor's Campfire

On Friday night we will have our "Reenactor's Campfire" where everyone will come "in character". At our previous party this was such a fun and educational time! You won't want to miss out on this!!!

Once you have "enlisted", you may request an identity either on the side of the Union or the Confederacy.

We will do our best to honor your character preference.  Please understand that we need to keep the sides balanced both in number and "battle experience". 

Those who RSVP first will be given priority.  (See "Claimed Characters" Page for those that have already been assigned.)

Once you have your character you will need to learn all you can about him/her.

Here are a few things to help you start your search for information:

1. full name and rank
2. home state
3. military experience
4. Civil War battles
5. reputation
6. physical characteristics
7. childhood
8. adult life (before/after the war)
9. friendships with other characters
10. accomplishments, failures
11. unusual or interesting facts

 

Like the military comrades and West Point cadets back in 1861 who were soon to face their dearest friends across the battle field, we will come together for a few hours of fellowship before facing each other in war the next morning.

Check out these lists:
Union Generals
Confederate Generals

Here is another link with a list of the Generals from the battle of Gettysburg (each name has a link to a bio.):
Northern and Southern Generals at Gettysburg

Ladies, if you wish to attend the Reenactor's Campfire, you will need to choose a character also.  You can be the wife of a General, President, or other married historical figure, or you can choose one of the ladies referenced under "Women and War".

Women and War

Francis Clayton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Clalin

Ladies, you are welcome to be a spectator, but if you choose to be part of Saturday's battle, you have several choices. 

If you do not intend to carry a weapon, you can be a nurse or a water carrier; just be warned that you could be shot.  If you intend to participate in the paintball fight, you can join the few, brave women of history and dress as a man on Saturday*.

Jeannie Hodgers
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/jennie-hodgers.html

Here are a few links to help you find your character if you plan on attending the Reenactor's Campfire:
Women of the Civil War
Southern Women of the Civil War
Spies of the Confederacy
Women Soldiers of the Civil War
Women at Gettysburg

 *note:  If you are a character who will be dressing as a man and fighting on Friday, please wear your "pre-war attire" and dress in ladies clothing for Friday night.

The Gettysburg Address

Less than 300 words,
taking less than 3 minutes to recite,
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is one of the most powerful and concise speeches ever given.

So whether this is a refresher or your first time, I hope you will read, listen to, and memorize these lines in anticipation of reciting it together to celebrate the preservation of the Union.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 

 

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
  But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

-Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863

The recitation of the Gettysburg Address is a most significant part of this memorial event. 

Please take the time to practice this with your families. (But, remember this is for fun!  No pressure.)

Get Ready for Battle

You will enjoy the weekend so much more if you become familiar with the three day of the Battle of Gettysburg. 

The simplest approach is to watch the movie Gettysburg.

Here's a clip of the Day 3:  Pickett's Charge



You may want to do a little extra History/Literature and read Killer Angels, an excellent historical-fiction from which the movie Gettysburg was inspired.  (It "just happens" to be part of our required reading for this school year.  I just love how the Lord coordinates our curriculum for us!) 

There are several places to download it for free; here is one link:

 

 

This is a great year to visit the National Park at the Gettysburg battlefield.  The National Parks web-site is an excellent place to scope out before you visit. We printed out their helpful park map and a couple other maps that showed the troop positions each day and found it most interesting to refer to them as we watched the movie. 

 

Day 1 - July 1, 1863

Day 2 - July 2, 1863

Day 3 - July 3, 1863

 

If you find these interesting, the Wikimedia Commons has more detailed maps of the individual battlefields on each of these days.

 

There are countless websites with descriptions and videos about the battles on these days.

Men's Outfits

The possibilities for men's costumes are numerous.   Once you learn your "side", North or South, you can dress as simply as wearing Blue or Grey, or you can read a little about their uniforms and dress accordingly.

When the war first started, many men were not dressed in formal uniforms, and towards the end, the south wore what they could piece together. 

Here are the basics:

• Their materials were cotton or wool, and a rugged "jeans-like" wool-cotton blend.
• The colors they wore were various shades of blue, grey, and tan.

You could add a cap or hat, a belt or sash, buttons, a belt or suspenders, a vest or coat, a sword, or boots.

Take a few minutes to Google images of the Civil War to get a feel for the options.

Dancing!

YES!!!  You can and will want to dance!!!

Learning how to Waltz and the Virginia Reel was once a standard requirement for PE; so if you're homeschooled you can count this as a Physical Education lesson.  If you're not, just consider it as FUN!

When I worked at Sandy Cove, one of the favorite family summer activities was a Western Night!  Everyone laughed so much learning the steps!  So, even if you are skeptical, try to keep an open mind and give it a shot.

Get a "head-start" and watch this excellent tutorial:

 

 

Ladies Outfits

Ladies, you will want to wear a long dress or skirt, but it doesn't have to be fancy or complicated.

Google Images and Pinterest are full of great photos to spark your imagination.  And if you're debating about buying fabric or a costume, keep in mind, you can always use your outfit again at Halloween or biography nights, adapting it over the years for different historical periods!

Our family will be making our outfits inexpensive by raiding our well stocked stash of dress-up clothes. 


I purchased a long skirt for a costume party that could easily have been made at home.  It is a single piece of fabric with a straight seem on one side and hemmed at the bottom.  The waist could be gathered by elastic or with a draw-string. 

You can make two skirts of coordinating colors and layer them for a fuller look; then you can switch the layers for a second outfit.  You could wear one to the party and the other to the battle reenactments if you wanted. 

thank you Lewis family for this idea

If you'd like, you can wear a hoop skirt.  You can make a simple one with just a couple hoops or you can order one on-line with as many as six!

see amazon (approx.. $25.00 for a 3 bone skirt) or most any on-line bridal or costume shop

Keep in mind, sitting with a hoopskirt is a little tricky; so you'll want to practice before you actually go out.   Here's a quick "how to" video. 

You could also use a ruffled slip like these square dance petticoats.  The one hanging in this picture, that I used at the boys' Civil War birthday party, was lengthened with a piece of muslin. 

I hope you will have fun planning your outfit.  It is not very often we modern ladies get to dress up, and the barn party is the perfect opportunity!  Don't let it become a burden.  I wore a long, full length jean skirt I already owned with a petticoat and a white apron to our last party; so just be creative!

The shorter petticoats on the floor are the perfect length for little girls!   (You can also get these on amazon.)

Check out this clip from Gone With the Wind to see a few gorgeous dresses!  See if it inspires you to dress up and dance the Virginia Reel.

Campout

Don't miss one of the highlights of the weekend!

Then you can stay late at the party, join in the campfire, and literally get a "taste" of what it was like for the soldiers who slept and cooked outdoors for years.



http://www.freewebs.com/tjkoehn/knitblouseproject.htm

The campout is an opportunity for fathers and sons, or the whole family, to experience the fun of this reenactment.

Occasionally wives, and sometimes even children, traveled with the armies.

Though we do not expect every item you bring to be "period", try to be as authentic as possible to make this experience all the more memorable. 

You will be responsible to pack your own rations for breakfast and snacks.  We will have bread, cheese, and lunchmeat for Saturday's lunch. 

There will always be water and sometimes lemonade available, but you will need to bring your own cup.  (Those of you who attended the party we had a few years ago could bring your tin cups.  If you don't have a tin cup, you can make one from a soup can if you use a "smooth-edge-can opener.)

Keep in mind, your cooking will have to be over a campfire.  You will not have refrigeration available either. 

Remember when you pack, they did not have "plastics" (zip-lock bags, Tupperware, etc.).  Consider these ideas:  Wrap and tie your food in paper or cloth with string.  It can be handy to sew small bags for cookies, beef jerky, or a trail mix snack.   If you wanted to make pancakes for breakfast, you could bring a mix in a mason jar.

You certainly do not have to make a period tent (though if you like you are welcome to), but try to make your camp as authentic as possible.  Consider using blankets or old quilts or maybe a chair or short stool. 

There will be a camp inspection to determine if the north or south has the most "authentic" looking camp.  

Single Shot Paintball

The Saturday reenactments will be SINGLE SHOT PAINTBALL battles. 

To replicate a Civil War battle, soldiers will be required to reload between each paintball shot.

Depending on the number of reenactors, we may allow each soldier to be "shot" several times before they are "killed", but after being wounded, they would have to be attended by a medic and/or bandaged before they can continue to fire shots. 

As it was in the Civil War, the disadvantage of limited weapons will force teammates to work together, sharing the guns of their fallen comrades, in order to make the best use of their ammunition supply. The soldiers on each side can take turns carrying their flag, and they can have medics and chaplains.  (If you don't have a gun, you can fire paintballs with a slingshot.)

The battles will be designed around those fought on the three days at Gettysburg, but the outcomes will be determined by the those on the field on Saturday.
(Here is a chance for the "south" to rewrite history!)

If you are not familiar with paintball, you may wish to google the basics or talk with the more experienced players. NOTE: For your safety, you will not be allowed on the battlefield without face protection (a paintball mask).


As was popular at the start of the Civil War, spectators are welcome as long as they are in costume.  So pack your picnic basket and come to ready witness the war.