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Who Are Re-enactors? Re-enactors recreate history by portraying the look and actions of a person from a particular time period. The organizations involved in re-creating the era of the War for American Independence are dedicated to re-creating the life and times of the common soldiers. They also demonstrate the life and activities of an 18th-century military camp. This is not to say that only "soldiers" are admitted to membership. The war affected entire families and even displaced many of them, forcing them to accompany the army. Consequently, the camps also portray a spectrum of civilian life, particularly as it was affected and influenced by the war. Re-enactors come from all walks of life as did the men who served in George Washington's army. They include teachers, doctors and nurses, dentists, lawyers, librarians, policemen and firefighters, plumbers, mechanics, museum curators, printers, musicians, engineers, photographers, authors, craftspeople--even postal workers. The list is almost endless. They all have one thing in common: a strong interest in history. Some people join because it caters to the inner child--playing soldier with "real" toys. Others join because their children become interested after attending an event. Re-enacting allows families to share common experiences and to deepen their relationships. Re-enacting is a personal experience, and there are as many reasons for joining the hobby as there are participants. Many people stay involved because they enjoy educating the public about history. Others enjoy being with friends, demonstrating a particular talent or craft, or simply escaping the complexities of modern life for a weekend. Going back to "the good old days" develops a deeper appreciation for the lifestyles of our ancestors and the difficulties they endured. It also fosters a deeper appreciation of our own lives. Some people portray specific characters, but most depict a representative of a particular class of people. While the largest number of participants are soldiers, there are officers' wives, camp followers, laundresses, tinkers, surgeons, craftspeople (such as blacksmiths, tinsmiths, leather workers, potters, spinners), refugees, etc. Sutlers or merchants follow the camps to sell their wares to the soldiers. They are also a great source for interesting and unusual souvenirs. Children can participate in re-enacting at any age, but they have to be at least 12 years old to go on the battlefield and at least 16 to bear arms. Children under the age of 16 are encouraged to join the music, learning to play the fife or drum. This is consonant with the practice in the Continental army where children as young as 11 are known to have served as musicians. Music plays an important role in the army. Band music raises morale, provides a cadence for marching, and increases the pomp of ceremonies, whether joyful or solemn. The musicians' most important function, however, is to convey orders and signals. Drums and fifes furnish most of the signals for the infantry and artillery because they can be heard in battle much more clearly than the human voice. Dragoons (cavalry) rely on a trumpet or bugle horn because these instruments can be played with one hand while holding reins with the other. How to Become a Re-enactor The three national and international organizations recreating the period of the War for American Independence include the Brigade of the American Revolution <http://www.brigade.org/>, the Continental Line <http://www.continentalline.org/>, and the British Brigade <http://www.britishbrigade.org/>. These are "umbrella" organizations made up of many units. While one can join these organizations as an individual, normal membership is through a member unit. The organizations can refer individuals to appropriate member units in a particular area or a particular "politic" or impression (Patriot, Loyalist, British, French, Hessian, Native American). Local historic sites are another source of information. Re-enactor Organizations: War for American Independence Brigade of the American Revolution http://www.brigade.org/ The Continental Line
http://www.continentalline.org/ The British Brigade http://www.britishbrigade.org/ Attending a re-enactment is a good way to see and experience the variety of units one can join. Each army also offers opportunities to portray infantry, artillery, cavalry, musicians, artificers, engineers, riflemen, militia, naval forces, marines, and other military and civilian personnel. Attending a re-enactment provides the opportunity for spectators and prospective re-enactors to ask a lot of questions about the various people, their clothing, equipment, lifestyle, activities, etc. When one decides to join a unit, he or she only needs to express that interest to the leader or a member. Outfit and Equipment Re-enacting can be an expensive hobby for the beginner. The musket alone costs several hundred dollars. Then, there's the clothing: shirt, pants, socks, shoes, waistcoat, haversack, uniform coat, hat, canteen, and cartridge box which can total $1,000 or more. That's not counting some cooking utensils, bedding, backpack, tent, etc. Re-enactors refer to their clothing and equipment as their kit and the persona they portray as their impression. Joining a unit first can save a lot of money. Many units have extra clothing and equipment for people to borrow. People who leave the hobby sometimes sell or give away their equipment. Units may have such extra equipment to loan to new recruits until they are ready to make or purchase their own. Some unit members also have extra clothing that they can share. So, new recruits can usually participate even if they don't have a full kit. Some units may have craftsmen or members with particular skills to help members make or repair parts of their kit, thereby saving money. Recruits need not acquire a complete kit all at once. They can obtain pieces as they have funds available. Some items make good gift ideas for birthdays, Father's Day, Christmas, etc. Equipment and hardware are more likely to be interchangeable with various units while clothing tends to be less so. Merchants, called sutlers, attend the various re-enactments and may be a good source for clothing and accoutrements. People interested in joining the hobby should avoid rushing to purchase kit items before joining a unit. Just because someone is selling something at an event doesn't mean that it's authentic or appropriate. It often takes time and experience to determine whether or not something is "period." Also, something may be authentic for the period but not for a particular unit. For example, buckskin and leggings which are authentic for frontiersmen, riflemen, rangers, and scouts are not appropriate for an urban militia or a coastal unit. Most units have had various types of uniforms at various stages of the war. They generally choose a primary impression to depict the unit at a particular period. They may prefer certain sutlers over others. Some may use private tailors to maintain some consistency or a particular level of authenticity. This may result in garments costing less than if bought "off the rack." As one matures in the hobby, one may opt to acquire extra items to have a secondary impression. Many photographs in this book show re-enactments and re-enactors, and give a sense of the details associated with some of the uniforms and equipment. Background Reading The average American's view of the War for American Independence is often a series of disjointed scenes or vignettes: Paul Revere's ride, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Saratoga, the surrender at Yorktown. A new re-enactor can find it difficult to transcend these initial images in an attempt to understand the nature and scope of the war. There have been several books published in recent years that focus on what life was like for ordinary citizens in the colonial and revolutionary periods. Other books focus on the politics of the period or the roles of particular groups or classes of people, such as women, Quakers, or sailors. The Brigade of the American Revolution <http://www.brigade.org/>, the Continental Line <http://www.continentalline.org/>, and the British Brigade <http://www.britishbrigade.org/> all have newsletters and publications available for their members. Some of these materials may also be available from their web sites. Diaries and memoirs offer a re-enactor a rich source of understanding. Joseph Plumb Martin's narrative Private Yankee Doodle: Being a Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers, and Sufferings of a Revolutionary soldier is one of the most entertaining and captivating narratives of a soldier's life during the War for American Independence. First published in 1830, it is sometimes criticized for being written long after the end of the war. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining firsthand account of a Connecticut soldier who served from the Battle of Bunker Hill to the surrender at Yorktown. It has been republished many times and is available in inexpensive paperback editions. There are many diaries and memoirs authored by participants in all the armies involved in the war. Locating one written by a member of the unit one wants to recreate is particularly valuable. There are also many histories of the war in general or of specific battles or campaigns. Most of the standard sources were written from the Patriot point of view. Recent histories are re-examining events from other points of view. Christopher Hibbert's Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution through British Eyes, for example, looks at the events from the British perspective. Nancy Wolock's Women and the American Experience examines the experiences and contributions of women. Other books treat the experiences of people like the Quakers, African Americans, Loyalists, etc. Philip R. N. Katcher's book Rebels & Loyalists: The Revolutionary Soldier in Philadelphia is a short (79 pages) and simple book about a soldier's life. It was written during the Bicentennial to explain the everyday experiences of soldiers in and from Philadelphia. David Freeman Hawke's Everyday Life in Early America is broader in scope, discussing civilian life in the period. Harold Leslie Peterson's The Book of the Continental Soldier; Being a Compleat Account of the Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment with Which He Lived and Fought is a standard work on the clothing, equipment, and branches of the Continental Army. A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789 by James Kirby Martin and Mark Edward Lender is a general history of the war and its aftermath that synthesizes the work of several military historians who attempted to put the battles, leaders, and armies of the war in a broader political and social context. Charles Royster's book, A Revolutionary People at War: The Continental Army and American Character, 1775?1783, makes us think about why men joined and stayed with the Continental Army despite terrible hardships. A People's Army: Massachusetts Soldiers and Society in the Seven Years' War by Fred Anderson provides important information on diet, attitudes toward service, and the social structure of camp life. It focuses on the service of the Massachusetts militia during the Seven Years War (1754-1763), but there are obvious comparisons to be drawn with the Continental Army. Every re-enactor needs to be familiar with the drills and manual of exercise adopted by his unit. Colonel Timothy Pickering (1745-1829) authored a manual which several American troops follow, but the most commonly used one, particularly after the winter at Valley Forge, was Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Baron von Steuben's drill manual (Baron von Steuben's Revolutionary War Drill Manual: A Facsimile Reprint of the 1794 Edition). Von Steuben's drills proved so effective that at the Battle of Monmouth, the first battle after the winter at Valley Forge, American troops fought on equal footing with British Regulars, particularly with the bayonet. The Crown forces have other drill manuals, depending on whether they portray British, Hessian, or Loyalist forces. A re-enactor should also have some knowledge of the history of the unit he helps portray. Robert K. Wright, Jr.'s The Continental Army provides a highly detailed organizational history of the army and includes a good bibliography of regimental histories that can identify other titles which may prove interesting. The "History and Historiography" chapter of Martin and Lender's A Respectable Army will also be useful. From Desmarais, Norman. Battlegrounds of Freedom: A Historical Guide to the Battlefields of the War of American Independence. Ithaca, NY: BUSCA, Inc., 2005 pp. 205-209.
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