Forum > The American Civil War
I would like to become a Civil War reenactor.
wtbacwr:
My name is Kayla, I am 17 years old, and I live in Missouri. I was wondering if anyone could give me more information about getting started in reenacting? I was also wondering what roles I could portray?
Faye:
Dear Kayla:
You should first fiind a unit that includes members who do civilian impressions. Because of your age, you would have to be "traveling with your family". You could be a young woman from a large city, small town, or farm. It's best to develop a persona that you might have some familiarity with. I.E., if you grew up in St. Louis, in a large Irish Catholic family (I mean in the 21st century), you would not be very familiar with life on a farm in either century. Attend an event and talk to other young women who are reenactors, to give you some pointers. Do some background reading on women's roles in the 19th century, and how to "fill in" your background. In this hobby you never stop learning.
Good luck! Reenacting is a great hobby and I have been doing it for 15 years - with a hiatus of about 18 months due to loosing everything in Hurricane Katrina. Due to the kindness of a friend, I was able to participate in the Battle of New Orleans event (War of 1812).
P.S. DO NOT USE GONE WITH THE WIND - this book has NOTHING to do with what life was like in the Deep South, or in the way young women behaved in the 19th century. There are many excellent resources out there.
Faye Dufour
wtbacwr:
Thank you very much for the advice, it was very helpful. Thanks again, Kayla
tleve:
there are a few websites that can help you to here are a few ( they are about cheap ways to make outfits , what your role as a women would have been and stuff ) WWW.shsta.com /suesgoodco/newcivilians OR www.vivandiere.net/reenact.html .
When i started reenacting , i took things that are part of my 21st century life and add it to my 1860's life .
good luck
Faye:
I found this website with a great selection of books on Women of the American Civil War. Go to the link http://americancivilwar.com/women/women/html. This gives several books that can fill you in on the lives of women during this period.
For help in "dressing the part", I also suggest Who Wore What? by Juanita Lesch. She has pages of period photos, describing how the clothing showed the woman's age, wealth, and position in life. Another book of hers that I found valuable was A Guide to Civil War Civilians, to give an idea of "life on the home front". Things a person would have been familiar with and spoken about, such as your community, was it large or smal, what business was your father in, what church would you have been a member of.
Good luck.
Faye
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