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I'm a little surprised at all the casually affirmative answers here. You'd let a total stranger wander up and fall in with you at an event? Wow, our units sure wouldn't. With prior contact and...

It's true that some officers did carry a rifle, but I can't believe that it was all that common. First of all, the officer would be forced to carry it and the ammunition and accouterments--quite a...

Well, any pics you can find from the 135th Anniversary reenactment will show you the site. Same location.

Well sometimes you do have to punch young officers in the head to get their attention...

Oh! You meant the officer punched the horse! Well that's just cruel!

The issue of rank is a tricky one in reenacting. I've been elected to be the commander of the Mifflin Guard. Technically that makes me a 'colonel', but I've never had any problem dressing down if our...

Actually there is a fascinating scene where Lincoln discusses the legality of many of his actions, the Emancipation Proclamation in particular. It's very clear that he realizes that many of his...

Saw the Spielberg film yesterday and I was very impressed. Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal is just stunning. The history seems pretty good (although politics is not my strong suit) and the story is very...

Let me add my compliments and thanks to Chris and his people. A truly wonderful event. I must admit that I had my doubts beforehand about the Cornfield battle due to its seeming complexity, but it...

If you read the US Army regulations (and read a bit between the lines) you see that the pre-war view of the ordnance sergeant role was as a sort of honorable retirement post for a long-term NCO. They...

A recent letter in the Civil War News leads me to believe that ordnance sergeants were more numerous than we've previously believed. They were either attached to a post or infantry regiments were...

Some good information here. A couple of other points: the regulation that battalions with less than 5 companies wouldn't carry colors should be taken with a grain of salt. As regiments shrunk due to...

I too can heartily recommend Paul Lopes! He made an incredible Berdan Sharpshooter pack for me and the quality was magnificent. I'm sure his other packs are also things of beauty.

The original copy of the 1861 regs I own is bound with a dark green/gray cloth.

I would think that most soldiers would want their equipment to be able to shift around on their belt. I know that the position I want for the bayonet scabbard when I'm standing is NOT the same place...

A question came up on a wargaming forum about how Civil War troops responded to casualties during battle. Specifically, how the lines dressed to fill the gaps.

I know how we reeanctors generally...

Have you seen the book: "The Training of an Army: Camp Curtin and the North's Civil War" by William J. Miller? It has lots of great info on Camp Curtin and the people that went through there. Sadly,...

Actually it's very straightforward and per the regulations. The diagram shows a regiment in line of battle. It's front is faced to the left of the paper your diagram is on. By tradition going back...

It's something that is open to interpretation, I guess. I always instructed my men to keep the weapon vertical. Two reasons for this: one is that most of the arms movements try to keep the weapon...

I sometimes carry my original Springfield. Living history events are particularly good for that. When the public asks the inevitable question: "Are those real guns?" I can say: "Well, most of those...

Yes, I'd have to think that sergeant majors of artillery would have been a pretty rare sight. There were five regiments of artillery in the regular army (by the end of the war, I think there were...

I've had tie-on shoulder boards for my frock coat for years. For the ties I just use shoe laces :) I've seen some original boards and the ties look almost exactly like shoe laces. As noted, the...

The loudspeakers were annoying as all get-out when I first got there, but I'll admit that after a while, I didn't notice them anymore.

We often do this with the two wings of the battalion. Used it several times at Manassas this past weekend. Works pretty well.

My point is that the event organizers deliberately put the convenience of the spectators ahead of the convenience of the reenactors. I have nothing against the spectators, but the welfare of my...

The event had its good points and bad points, but the issue of closing the exit road on Sunday is an important one. First, the road WAS closed for a while. No doubt about that. I could see the police...