Possibly not the place to post this. But Toonces asked in another thread for pictures, videos, stories or whatever from those of us who are reenactors, Civil War or otherwise.
I didn't want to hijack IronX's thread, so here we go, a few pictures of me doing my thing. And an AMA for the ultimate war gaming experience, actually commanding real people in battle with a very, very low chance of having them killed or wounded.
(Yes, I've seen some really ugly life changing injuries. It's not the safest hobby in the world).
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi331.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fl472%2FAndrewDupy%2Freenact1_zpsxsbo4xte.jpg&hash=2e209c64cc7d62ef94a61317257bff1404e91095) (http://s331.photobucket.com/user/AndrewDupy/media/reenact1_zpsxsbo4xte.jpg.html)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi331.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fl472%2FAndrewDupy%2Freenact%25202_zps5ppbgko5.jpg&hash=d0dadd38535eafcc2cea8a7ffa1810ecf3641348) (http://s331.photobucket.com/user/AndrewDupy/media/reenact%202_zps5ppbgko5.jpg.html)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi331.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fl472%2FAndrewDupy%2Freenact2_zpsfgker9xt.jpg&hash=be2f70f0749db8845ce82dae9f654fcca26a4697) (http://s331.photobucket.com/user/AndrewDupy/media/reenact2_zpsfgker9xt.jpg.html)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi331.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fl472%2FAndrewDupy%2Freenact%25204_zpsvmwreigw.jpg&hash=5126128d5b255a52f48ac4d50114e0be1489ed66) (http://s331.photobucket.com/user/AndrewDupy/media/reenact%204_zpsvmwreigw.jpg.html)
awesome - now we see the work thats gone into your avatar too!
Doesn't look like it matters which side you represent. ;)
Looks like a lot of fun. Great pics!
Notice on the first picture, several cavalrymen. This is what happens if you lose yer horse in the reb cavalry - if you don't find another one, yer an infantryman.
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 18, 2015, 04:27:26 AM
awesome - now we see the work thats gone into your avatar too!
Ha! Yeah, an artist friend of ours did a Star Wars picture of my wife and I. That was the result.
Every year she makes us personalized Sci-Fi themed Christmas cards. Awesome lady.
Quote from: MetalDog on October 18, 2015, 08:12:58 AM
Doesn't look like it matters which side you represent. ;)
Nope. My unit is both the 6th Alabama and 10th Indiana cavalry. We always have both uniforms ready, sometimes we switch day to day. Not many northern units make it down to the deep south so we always have to be prepped to keep the scenarios properly balanced.
Reenactor units up north have to do the same.
Quote from: bob48 on October 18, 2015, 09:03:44 AM
Notice on the first picture, several cavalrymen. This is what happens if you lose yer horse in the reb cavalry - if you don't find another one, yer an infantryman.
We actually use dismounted Cavalry to represent troops that have dismounted to fight before the battle. My Company is always dismounted, but we have a mounted company that is in support that sometimes dismounts on the field.
A lot of the battles we portray in Alabama and Georgia historically had no infantry present at all aside from Mounted Infantry. The unit we portray as our primary, the 6th Alabama was essentially Cavalry in name only. Most of the weapons they had were long infantry rifles, and they essentially had no other choice but to fight on foot.
I do occasionally fall in with the infantry sometimes though. Cavalry and Infantry are totally different animals in role and practice, and it's cool to change up and do both.
Looks great, anyway. Would love to be there, although I'm afraid I would be wearing the blue :-)
Nothing to fear there, bob. It was the right side [MD ducks and runs for cover]
^LOL
Just remember where you are - folks down there have long memories!
Quote from: bob48 on October 18, 2015, 04:50:55 PM
^LOL
Just remember where you are - folks down there have long memories!
Nah, just remember a bit of history.
Quote from: bob48 on October 18, 2015, 04:34:35 PM
Looks great, anyway. Would love to be there, although I'm afraid I would be wearing the blue :-)
Probably. I'm blue a lot more than grey. It doesn't bother me though. I'm a degreed historian, even though I don't work in the field anymore, and I stay objective politically. History is history.
I also do 1812 reenactments and a lot of Western Cowboy events. I'd reenact anything that I can afford.
Quote from: MetalDog on October 18, 2015, 04:38:53 PM
Nothing to fear there, bob. It was the right side [MD ducks and runs for cover]
Most in reenacting, at least down South (myself not included), would disagree, but you'd be surprised at those that don't. There's a great unit, the 1st Alabama Cavalry US, that represents a real loyalist Winston County unit of Federal Cavalry. The historical unit was all Alabamians, and all fought for the Union. Part of their rules of admittance are that you must be a devoted Unionist as well as a southerner.
SirAndrewD, being from Alabama, have you done any War of 1812 reenacting at the Horseshoe Bend battlefield?
Requests in the other thread were made for videos, so here's a couple I was in.
I can find myself in the regiment in the middle on this one. 150th Atlanta, trench warfare. This was amazing.
Some close quarters when the federals breached the right wing of the works at 150th Selma. My company is sadly out of the action, facing a stubborn Texas regiment facing the works on the other side. Still, great reenactment, especially because of the repeater company that was present on the Federal side.
There used to be a couple of other ones out there, but sadly I can't find them now. As I said, I don't really have time to take videos myself, I'm a bit busy.
Quote from: Airborne Rifles on October 18, 2015, 07:28:40 PM
SirAndrewD, being from Alabama, have you done any War of 1812 reenacting at the Horseshoe Bend battlefield?
No, but we do 1812 Fort Mims every August.
So how does the rank protocol work? Can some rich noob show up in a General's uniform?
I've always wondered that.
So, let me understand this. You don't actually get to shoot or bayonet anybody? What's the point then? ;D I'd love to do this but not many renactors here in Fla. Just Yankees driving real slow with their turning signals on... all the time. BTW. I've been to the Horseshoe Bend Battlefield in Ala. Beautiful place.
Quote from: Centurion40 on October 19, 2015, 07:56:36 AM
So how does the rank protocol work? Can some rich noob show up in a General's uniform?
I've always wondered that.
Someone could, but they'd have zero authority and would get in a LOT of trouble (the kind that ends up with someone getting a black eye) if he tried to have any. That has happened and those people are usually tucked away very quietly where they can't be harm themselves or anyone else.
Every regiment is part of a Division. The Divisions have an elected Senior Staff, pretty much always taken from the commanders of the Regiments.
Internal to each Regiment, rules of promotion vary. Some use elections, some get promoted on the direct authority of the commander and existing officers.
In my unit promotion is merit based and decided based on the decision of our Colonel and Company Commanders. We have four companies, with four company commanders, and each company has a Sergeant and Corporal as NCO's. We also have our Regimental First Sergeant, Quartermaster Sergeant and Ordinance Sergeant. All of those positions are occupied until someone moves on from the hobby or gets promoted.
It took me about eight years in my regiment to make 2nd Lieutenant, and I did my time as Corporal and Sergeant on the way there. Officers and NCO's are really more concerned with safety than anything else. My primary job is to make sure my people are where they're supposed to be, and don't get hurt.
If someone who is an officer or NCO goes to an event and their regiment doesn't show up, they have no rank authority. That's when we "fall in as a private".
ok you made me curious
how do you earn merits in a 'pretend' engagement?
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 19, 2015, 12:46:48 PM
ok you made me curious
how do you earn merits in a 'pretend' engagement?
Learning and knowing the drill manual, helping new troopers on the field, performing camp duties, learning, teaching and exercising proper safety procedures.
As an officer my job starts at about 6:00am, as the cooks are getting ready. I send my NCO's to get head counts, write up a morning report to have all weapons in camp accounted for so we know what to inspect. I make sure the NCO's know a tentative time to have everyone ready for drill and inspections. After breakfast I have my NCO's assign clean up details and make sure everyone gets all their tinware back and clean.
At about 8:00am I'm off to Officer's Call where I turn in my morning reports and go over the scenario for the day. We determine what color we're going to wear and who the senior field commanders are going to be. After that, I head back and set up drill for typically around 10:00am or so. I go over the scenario and assignments with my NCO's and I meet with and go over safety instructions with anyone new. We then drill, sometimes for around and hour or so and I have my ordinance Sgt perform weapons inspections to make sure everything is working properly.
Along with that I need to make sure new people have equipment, insure everyone is keeping hydrated and has full canteens or water sources for the battle, make sure the camp is clean and clear of modern anachronisms.
In the battle my job is to remember all the formation and movement commands from our drill manual, keep our lines dressed, avoid opening holes leaving glaring gaps that the other side can exploit, and most importantly make sure everyone is performing safely and not doing something that could get them hurt or killed.
In some of the bigger National events where both sides already know what color they're going to be, I also have the job of setting up and sending out pickets and being prepared to deal with the guys on the other side deciding to attack in the middle of breakfast.
Somewhere in all of that I manage to actually have some fun.
So, I guess in essence you get merits for volunteering to do actual work. The more you learn and assert yourself, the higher you'll climb.
There's also a lot of politics involved unfortunately.
holy crap :o
First, this is really neat.
Second, what is confusing me is how you conduct the battles. I was under the apparently mistaken impression that the actions were scripted. Your discussions lead me to think that you are actually "fighting" the engagement in real time and can therefore win or lose the engagement?
Third, and if so, then how do you determine casualties on each side, like who actually falls to the ground as killed or wounded?
With a pair of very big D6's
Quote from: Toonces on October 21, 2015, 06:20:34 AM
First, this is really neat.
Second, what is confusing me is how you conduct the battles. I was under the apparently mistaken impression that the actions were scripted. Your discussions lead me to think that you are actually "fighting" the engagement in real time and can therefore win or lose the engagement?
Third, and if so, then how do you determine casualties on each side, like who actually falls to the ground as killed or wounded?
How the scenario unfolds is really dependent on the event.
Big, national events like Gettysburg, Chickamagua, Shiloh ect. are usually very heavily scripted. Both sides generally try to deploy and take action that approximates what actually occurred. However, even then, the individual regiments still have to listen to their commanders and to the senior field commanders to make sure everyone deploys and advances correctly. We still go out in columns of march, we still deploy into lines of battle and have to get our skirmishers out, our cavalry deployed and mind the artillery so someone doesn't get killed.
A "script" is hard to follow when you have 1500 guys and you're going to do everything in one take on the fly, so our officers and drill have to keep everything sorted and looking good for the crowds. So, scripts are simple, generally something like "Take these four regiments and advance on that ridge, once you're up there we've told the other side to give way".
Some smaller events have more leeway, and there's less of a script and more just a scenario. We're told very broad and simple objectives like "Confederates win today" or "Federals get pushed into a fort and surrender". In those circumstances, it's entirely up to the senior commanders to figure out how they want to deploy and where they want to press or give. Reenactors tend to like these situations more because it gives the officers and chance to execute tactics.
For example, I might take out my 20-40 Cavalrymen and be told to screen the right flank of the infantry. So my job there would be to advance with the infantry, skirmish, screen them from Mounted Cavalry and to use the mobility of the dismounted troopers to press and find the flanks of the enemy. I'd have considerable leeway in how I execute that as long as I'm doing it safely and properly.
Then there are what we call "Tacticals". They are usually judged, and have no scenario at all. We go out and essentially fight a real battle. Judges determine who is winning based on position, who gets caught in the worst enfilades, who presses or retires with the best origination ect. Tacticals are really fun for reenactors, but kind of boring to watch, so we don't do those as often.
As for casualties, there are lots of ways they're determined. At some big events, like Gettysburg, lots are drawn that will indicate generally when and where you need to "die". Usually though, it's determined by how tired you are, how much ammo you have left, or whether or not you feel like it's brutally clear you've been hit, like if mounted Cavalry flanks your line and start shooting over your flank with pistols point blank.
Most times officers end up calling for casualties when they're needed, especially towards the ends of scenarios when we're closer to the crowds. Sometimes we don't get the responses we'd like, and troops on one side or the other put on kevlar and no one goes down, but that's just the way it goes.
Taking a hit isn't always the wisest thing to do safety wise either. When it's 85 F and the sun is out, falling to the ground and staying immobile in a wool jacket is a great way to get heat stroke. I've seen more than a few people carted off fields in ambulances by going down too early and not getting enough water.
Quote from: bob48 on October 21, 2015, 10:28:17 AM
With a pair of very big D6's
No. D20's. 8)