Reenactments, yee haw

[Sir Slash]

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.

[SirAndrewD]

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".   

[undercovergeek]

ok you made me curious

how do you earn merits in a 'pretend' engagement?

[SirAndrewD]

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. 

[undercovergeek]

holy crap   :o

[Toonces]

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?

[bob48]

With a pair of very big D6's

[SirAndrewD]

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. 

With a pair of very big D6's

No.  D20's.   8)