What I Wish I Had Known Before My First Reenactment

Back in May 2019, after months of research and sewing, planning and organizing, dreaming and then finally doing... I attended my first Civil War reenactment. Not as a spectator, but as a reenactor. And then on September 7th-8th of 2019, I reenacted again, this time a little farther up North, and on November 9th and 10th of the same year, I went to Alabama for the first time for yet another reenactment. Let me tell you.. they were ALL exciting and fun; but, as with any grand adventure, there are a few things I wish I had known before taking part in it. So let's dive right in..

Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Reenactment as a Reenactor

 You won't need all that food, but you will need more water.

I made the mistake of not bringing enough water for the May reenactment, but I didn't repeat myself again. I made sure to bring a 24-pack of water bottles, and then I filled my glass containers whenever I could. Instead of water, I brought meat-sticks and trail-mix, applesauce and vienna sausages, and much more, but no water. My second time around I brought half the amount of food, and twice the amount of water (there was still too much.). I think I finally figured it out in Alabama, when I brought almost the perfect amount.  

Walk around more, go sightseeing!

I saw about 1% of the first battle reenactment, and I regret that. I thought I wouldn't need to, since I was a reenactor, not a spectator. But boy was I wrong. I made it a point to see as much as I could see the second time around. And because of that, I saw close to 90% of all there was to see. I still had a few more camps to see, and sutlers to "window shop" at, but I am very satisfied with all that I saw.

Don't worry about your impression 

You don't need to be perfect. You don't have to have authentic, antique, or vintage pieces. It helps, but it isn't necessary for your first reenactment. Enjoy yourself, don't worry if your impression is incomplete. Chances are, everyone else was just as you are, it's called "being a beginner". If you don't have a "first-person" impression, don't worry about it.

For more information about impressions, read THIS 

Take lots of pictures whenever you can

If you don't you'll regret it. But please! Try to be inconspicuous about it. Take them when there are no spectators around, or wait until you're not "in character".

The cannons and musket and rifles are LOUD!

Seriously, they are so loud! Louder than I expected. Bring earplugs or cotton to stuff in your ears. The cannons themselves boomed right through me.

Bring sunscreen and apply it regularly

Unless you want to look like a lobster or a tomato, then put sunscreen on. You're outside the whole day, even if you have a hat, or a bonnet, you will still get some sun. 

Bring an extra pair of shoes, and extra socks

Just in case one your boots wears down on one side and leaves you with a sore leg from walking on the side of your foot without you knowing it. Also socks, for the same reason you'd take them on a hike.

And there you have it. It's not exactly a complete list, but it's what's on my mind right now. I might add more later, I might make another post entirely. I hope you enjoyed reading this, because I had fun making this! 

If you want to see some of my adventure in reenacting, then go to my Youtube channel which you can find 

HERE

~Happy Quarantine~

Well, aren't we in a fine kettle of fish (not sure if this is an actual saying, but it sounds like it should be) with this whole "self-isolation" thing going on. Thrift stores are closing, libraries aren't open, and stores are not letting more than a certain amount of people in. The worst thing of all, all reenactments and living history events are cancelled or rescheduled until much later in the year. I had quite a few events planned to go to, but I have yet to see any end. I might be going a little crazy and bored of the 21st century, if I don't see a petticoat or hear a cannon boom within the next two months I think I will lose my cool, retreat into the wood, live off of wild honey and squirrel,  and start talking about how the government is using birds to spy on us and the only way to evade their watch is to wear tin-foil hats.

To keep myself from doing that, I have decided to hop on here and live in the past for a few moments. To do that, I have looked on the World Wide Web for what has happened in this month of April during the American (and sometimes UK)

history.

April 1st, 1865 -- During the American Civil War, Confederate troops of General George Pickett were defeated and cut off at Five Forks, Virginia. This sealed the fate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's armies at Petersburg and Richmond and hastened the end of the war.  source

April 2nd, 1513 -- Spanish explorer Ponce De Leon sighted Florida and claimed it for the Spanish Crown after landing at the site of present day St. Augustine, now the oldest city in the continental U.S.  source   

April 2nd -- Fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense, Denmark. He created 168 fairy tales for children including the classics The Princess and the Pea, The Snow Queen and The Nightingale.  source  

April 5th -- African American educator Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was born a slave in Franklin County, Virginia. Freed by the Civil War, he taught himself the alphabet and eventually graduated from an agricultural institute. In June of 1881, he was asked to become the principal of a new training school for blacks at Tuskegee, Alabama. The Tuskegee Institute began in single building with 30 students but through his efforts grew into a modern university.  source


April 11, 1970 - Apollo 13 was launched from Cape Kennedy at 2:13 p.m. Fifty-six hours into the flight an oxygen tank exploded in the service module. Astronaut John L. Swigert saw a warning light that accompanied the bang and said, "Houston, we've had a problem here." Swigert, James A. Lovell and Fred W. Haise then transferred into the lunar module, using it as a "lifeboat" and began a perilous return trip to Earth, splashing down safely on April 17th. source  

April 12, 1945 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt died suddenly at Warm Springs, Georgia, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He had been President since March 4, 1933, elected to four consecutive terms and had guided America out of the Great Depression and through World War II. source  


April 18, 1775 - The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and William Dawes occurred as the two men rode out of Boston about 10 p.m. to warn patriots at Lexington and Concord of the approaching British. source 


April 18, 1982 - Queen Elizabeth II of England signed the Canada Constitution Act of 1982 replacing the British North America Act of 1867, providing Canada with a new set of fundamental laws and civil rights. source  

April 23rd  - William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born at Stratford-on-Avon, England. Renowned as the most influential writer in the English language, he created 36 plays and 154 sonnets, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice. source  

April 10th, 1912 -- The "unsinkable" RMS Titanic departs on it's maiden voyage from Southampton, England. source 

 April 15th, 1755 -- English lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary; he had taken nine years to compile it. source 




Well, this should suffice for a few more weeks (hopefully I'm not already insane in the membrane!).
How are you doing during this tough time? 

Getting Started on a Budget: Tip's and Tricks from an Amateur Civil War Reenactor

                Let me get one thing straight, I am in no way a professional, nor have I been reenacting long. But it is my wish to help other people get started in  living history and reenactments without all the hassle that I had (and am going) through. I hope that this little "Getting Started" series helps you figure out what, where, and when you will be getting or making your impression! This post (and probably the series as a whole) is mainly written for the ladies, but I guess you fellas can stay, if you don't mind seeing some womens skivvies! I reenact the American Civil War, so everything that I own and will be showing is for that certain time in history, 1861-1865.

                   Also, side note.. my kit is not 100% historically accurate (which from now on will be referred to as HA); it is probably not even 75% HA, but it works for me, and I have had many people tell me that I look authentic, which, to a reenactor or living historian, is obviously the best compliment we could ever receive (along with "super hardcore!" " you look like you just stepped off a battlefield/out of the time period" "you look like death, and smell worse!") .  If you don't like the inaccuracies, then feel free to skip this post! If you don't mind them, then by all means, please stay!

                   I would say the most important thing I learned when I was first getting into living history  was that you should always start from the inside out. "And what the dickens does that mean?!" you might be asking yourself right about now (I know I was when I first read that). It basically means to spend the first fruits of your new found obsession pouring over countless books, fashion plates, photographs, blogs, and videos to search for the perfect chemise, or shift, pattern; the perfect pair of drawers, now referred to as bloomers or pantaloons; and everything else that will never be seen by the outside world on a well-to-do woman with high standards.  Getting the right underclothing is very  important because it gives you The Right Silhouette ™. The Right Silhouette ™ means that you will look less like you're playing dress up, and more like you live in the right time period. To get The Right Silhouette ™ you should start with setting a good foundation.

Here is how I started getting The Right Silhouette ™ for myself...

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                These are my two chemises. I made both of them out of muslin fabric from (and I know those of you who have been doing this a while will gasp and possibly faint when I say this) Walmart. Yes, you read that right.. the good ol' Wally-World. It is 100% cotton muslin that was only $1.97 a yard, and I got both unbleached and bleached white. It took 2 yards each to make them and I used this free pattern that you can find BY CLICKING THIS RIGHT HERE 

I was unsure how to finish the sleeve hem, so I added
some soft ribbons. 

                   There were no instructions for the sleeves, so I also cut two rectangles and used those for the arm straps. I had just the straps on one, and for the other I wanted sleeves so I made a tube out of two more rectangles and sewed them onto the straps.

A close-up of the sleeves

The chemise with sleeves

               For the drawers, I used this pattern from the same website as a reference (WHICH YOU CAN FIND BY CLICKING HERE  ) but I used this very helpful and easy-to-follow-when-I-understand-what-she's-saying tutorial from ten years ago on YouTube (WHICH YOU CAN FIND BY CLICKING HERE)

                      The only thing I did different was instead of using elastic on the legs and waist, I gathered and sewed them onto a band. I closed the waistband with a button.
It took around 2 yards of a cotton bed sheet that my mother gave me, so these bloomers were free. If I would not have had the sheet, I would have used 2 yards of the same fabric as the chemise.

The button closure. Also, you can see that the fabric
is stained, and I like how it looks. It gives it an authentic
feel, like I've had these for a while.

  

         Ideally, you should have no less than three petticoats, but as of right now, I only have one! 

Yes, I know only having one petticoat is pretty bad, but I just haven't gotten around to sewing another yet. And, let's face it... a petticoat takes up a lot of fabric. I have set aside a few yards and plan on sewing one up if not this week, then the next. For the petticoat I have made and any one I will be making in the future I will be using this handy-dandy tutorial THAT CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE

The fabric I used was some recycled cotton curtains. If I didn't have the curtains then I would have used.. you guessed it.. the same fabric from Walmart. It would take around 4-5 yards of fabric to make a decent sized petticoat that would cover a hoop skirt. For a regular working-dress petticoat 2-3 yards of fabric would do.

I decided to be different and use a patterned fabric for the waistband

                    Don't feel like you have to spend a fortune on fabric! I have found that cotton bed sheets do just as well as cotton fabric. You can find sheets at every thrift store. Take a weekend and go bed sheet shopping! They don't even have to be white if you don't want them to be. But historically, they were almost always white or at least the natural beige color of linen or cotton.  The reason being, white is easy to wash. You don't have to worry about white washing out or staining other clothes. (Honestly, I think some pretty pink undies would be just as cute as white, but then again.... I'm not hand washing all my clothing!)

For all of my under-things that I have made myself, I would say that I've spent around $8-$10 on everything.


~~~~~


Now that we've gone over everything that I have made, let's look at what I have bought....



                    My favorite part of getting dressed is putting on the corsets! I am unsure why, but I love my corsets. They are the icing on the cake when it comes to support. And I mean support, real support. 

I got the dark pink one for $42 from a sutler at a Civil War event, and the lighter pink one I bought off of Amazon.com for $30.

I love my Amazon one, because it has spiral steel boning, and I love the sutler one because it has the softer synthetic baleen boning.  I would add a link to the Amazon.com one, but I have forgotten what it is called, because I tore off the tag and any identifiable papers have since been lost. I would search for "Victorian historical corset steel bones" until you find one. It also came in the color black, but I decided to go with the one that matched my skin-tone better. One day, I will buy a custom corset, but since I don't have an extra $100-$300 laying around, it will have to wait.

The sutler corset was a little too big, so I had to
sew it up a bit for it to fit right.

                 For the stockings (socks to every modern person) I bought the green ones in the middle off of Etsy.com,  HERE IS THE ETSY PAGE ; the striped ones are from the same sutler I got the corset from, they were $5; the black shorter ones are a pair of men's cotton dress socks that I stole obtained from my brother.

I would recommend getting some garters when you buy the stockings, and if you don't want to pay upwards of $15 for a simple pair of ribbons, then get cotton, silk, linen, wool, or basically any natural fabric ribbon and cutting it into usable lengths, or cut  fabrics into usable lengths and use those.

 Don't use synthetics, like polyester, nylon, etc., because they won't grip the natural fabric of the stockings and will slip and slide and you will get caught with your stockings down around your ankles (which you shouldn't even be showing in the first place! How scandalous!)

I do have another pair of striped stockings which I bought from the same place.
You can also see the different lengths of my stockings. Find out which length suits you best
and run with it (pun intended)

                        My boots are probably my other favorite part of getting dressed. I don't feel complete unless I have my boots on (which I put on before or after my corset. I have no problem with that 'boots before corset' dealio, but personally I have never had a problem putting on my shoes while wearing a corset.)
             

  The shoes are, in my opinion, just as important as the corset or dress. Look at it this way, you wouldn't go to  a wedding wearing sneakers, or run a marathon in thigh-high boots. Well you wouldn't (or at least shouldn't ) wear the wrong shoes to a reenactment. No matter which time in history you are portraying, whether it is the 14th century or the 20th, a pair of period-correct foot wear is very, very, very important. Spend a bit of money on this one part here, and you will be thanking yourself later, you don't want to have blisters on your foot from walking around all day in an ill fitting pair of shoes!

I got these this past Christmas  from my wonderful parents and I haven't even worn them yet except for to try them on (as you can see by the paper and cardboard still being in the shoe) 

                           When searching for a pair of shoes, do research first. Research is key when it comes to the perfect look. Were the shoes in the time you are portraying square toed or round? what color would they have been? laces or zippers? black, brown, tan, red, white, blue? heel or no heel? There are countless things to consider. A simple pair of ankle boots from World War II  are going to be completely different from a simple pair of ankle boots from the Civil War, or even World War I!

These are from Amazon.com for about $25

  

These are my canvas and leather dancing shoes that I wear to any  mid-19th century
ball or dance. They are period correct to my knowledge although they are just fabric jazz shoes.
I got them for Christmas two years ago from my parents.

         
















  Thrift stores again come to the rescue. I got these boots for $2.99 at a local thrift store. They are not HA for Civil War reenacting, but I bring them anyways as a backup boot, in case my other shoes break or something happens to them.

             Boots are not the only type of shoes used during any time in history! Do some research of your own, and see what type of foot-wear goes with the person you are portraying.

~~~~~

               It shouldn't break your bank to start a hobby you love, no matter what that hobby is! I would advice that  you do research before you start anything. Research is the key to having a good experience. If you don't research then you might get overwhelmed and discouraged, and you'll let another year go by where you don't live your dream and start living history, reenacting, model ship building, golfing, horseback riding, any hobby really. Read books, watch documentaries, look at  blogs, look for videos on YouTube, there are so many free resources out there others have already put together that  you can glean important information from!

      In the next post in this little "getting started" series I will help you find out how to accessorize your impression, and to get the right outer clothing! So stay tuned! 

Hello and Welcome

Hello, My name is A.J. and I am a historical reenactor. I mainly reenact the American Civil War, and the mid- to late-Victorian Era. I live in the beautiful foot hills and mountains of the South, where the tea is sweet and the people are more so. In the particular region where I live history surrounds me. I see monuments for those who came before; museums and battlefields where wars of the past were fought or where the brave Americans trained to fight; plaques, buildings, homes, and businesses that show a glimpse of the life of pioneers who paved the way for the success of the future generations.

    I have always loved history, especially the 1800's, it was a dream of mine to live like my ancestors lived... no modern conveniences like electricity, factory made clothing, even indoor plumbing! Imagine my delight and enthusiasm when I learned that there were still people who, like me, loved the past and  still took part in reenacting our history! I was ecstatic!
 So back in  November of 2018 I decided that I would give living history a try. I was busy for the next five months, researching, sewing, buying, and making my impression*. Finally, on May 18th - 19th, 2019 I attended my first event with my older brother, who also was 'seeing the elephant'**. Since then, I have taken part in two other Civil War reenactments, sewed a few more article's of clothing, and recruited another brother into becoming a reenactor.

    There are a lot of fun things planned for this upcoming year of 2020, and I'm excited to take you along with me. I have six reenactments and two living history events that I am planning to go to and many other things to sew, make, and even bake with you. So, please join me on this new adventure in life!

A sneak peak into what is coming!

Union Artillery Soldiers

My work dress. I made both the apron and the dress, plus
most of my underpinnings.

My brother in a Civil War railroad tunnel
Where he is standing is an alcove where the railroad
workers could safely stay when a train would pass while
they were in the tunnel. This tunnel dates back to the
early 1800's!

Confederate encampents

My day dress and a shawl my sister made me.

Union Cavalry and Infantry

Confederate Infantry

*impression--- "an imitation of a person or thing, especially one done to entertain." In historical reenacting or living history an "impression" is what you see on a person, essentially who they are at the event. It might be that they are a knight from the 15th C., a nurse in WWII, or a soldier in the British Militia. Each impression is carefully crafted, much thought, time, effort, and funds are put into every single detail.

 **seeing the elephant---- This term was used during the 19th century and later on by Civil War reenactors. It basically means to see a battlefield for the first time.