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