tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post116551189009554176..comments2023-11-02T23:06:45.962-07:00Comments on of Battlefields and Bibliophiles: Reenacting and Medwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-73579888984088116232007-01-07T14:36:00.000-08:002007-01-07T14:36:00.000-08:00Dear Anonymous,
You make some very good points. I...Dear Anonymous,<br /><br />You make some very good points. I can appreciate that the reenacting hobby would be especially educational for young people, and that anything that sparks an enduring interest in history is a good thing. <br /><br />As for the reenactor/journalist analogy, I would argue that the journalist is more accountable for his shortcomings. The journalist who gets it wrong as a matter of course is not likely to remain employed. Whereas the reenactor who goes into a classroom and passes along erroneous information is accountable to no one, even though the damage is done.<br /><br />Thanks for your comments.<br /><br />Daviddwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-25886313008219073662007-01-07T11:46:00.000-08:002007-01-07T11:46:00.000-08:00As the parent of a teenage reenactor I can attest ...As the parent of a teenage reenactor I can attest to the statement that this is an expensive hobby, having allowed my son to invest over $6000 of his money thus far. But it is also an opportunity for interested young persons to research and participate in events that have shaped this nation's history. Our schools are so pressed for time to prepare students to take the required standardized tests that they are not able to fully expand on the causes for battles, Civil War and otherwise.<br />My son is required to know not only the details of the maneuvers of the battles in which he participates, but also the details and reasons behind the decisions of the officers and major persons who fought in the original battle.<br />One can comfortably state that there are just as many uninformed and unprepared reenactors as there uninformed and unprepared journalists. It can also be stated that the level of one's dedication to a subject determines the accuracy of material presented.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-1165704079239232482006-12-09T14:41:00.000-08:002006-12-09T14:41:00.000-08:00Well, David here's one reenactor who does do it fo...Well, David here's one reenactor who does do it for the fun. I'd been a CW buff 16 years before getting into it so I like to think I'm well versed. I'll answer someone's questions if I can but thats it. I've no illusions it accurately portrays what really happened either. My favorite part is the camping out and being with the guys.<BR/>BTW, uniform "experts" aren't limited to Civil War reenacting. I've read that WWII reenactors have had long standing debates on what constitutes khaki and what is the proper shade of olive drab.<BR/><BR/>AlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-1165636678434406672006-12-08T19:57:00.000-08:002006-12-08T19:57:00.000-08:00Josh,Thanks for your comments. Sounds like we're o...Josh,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your comments. Sounds like we're of like mind on the subject<BR/> You're right, too, that it's expensive. Particularly for the artillery and cavalry guys. In the reenactment I went to, during the thick of the fight, a few mounted troopers came in from the side, and I thought it pretty fancy that they had scripted couriers into the scene. I think later someone mentioned that was a punishing cavalry flanking maneuver, it's just that only three people had horses, or a willingness to transport them.<BR/><BR/>Daviddwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-1165636163918910562006-12-08T19:49:00.000-08:002006-12-08T19:49:00.000-08:00Michael,Thanks for the note, and for relating the ...Michael,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the note, and for relating the story of your Marine Corps neighbor. I know it's not uncommon for people who have seen the battlefield up close to reach a point where they determine to "study war no more."<BR/><BR/>I remember reading once that participation in things like Round Tables and reenacting groups takes a downturn during times of actual war (like the Vietnam era after a surge in the 60s). It's harder to romanticize when it's on the evening news. <BR/><BR/>Daviddwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-1165529563511492752006-12-07T14:12:00.000-08:002006-12-07T14:12:00.000-08:00EXCELLENT piece David. Thank you for writing and s...EXCELLENT piece David. Thank you for writing and sharing it.<BR/><BR/>I too respect the re-enactment community, but have always remained cautious not to glorify war in itself. I had an epiphany (of sorts) a couple years ago after I had a new neighbor move in next door. He is a United States Marine, a Gunnery Sergeant to be exact, who took part on the front lines during the war in Iraq. <BR/><BR/>When the two of us first met, we were discussing my books and I was surprised to find out that he had little knowledge of (and even less of an interest in) my two subjects: Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart - or the Civil War in general for that matter. <BR/><BR/>I also came to realize that unlike me, he doesn’t have shelves in his office that are overflowing with books and videos about war. He doesn’t spend hours in front of the tube watching combat documentaries on the Military Channel. He doesn’t waste his time. He’s “been there and done that” for real. I imagine the educational and entertainment value of war goes way down once you’ve experienced it first-hand. <BR/><BR/>The biggest difference is that I have spent the last few years writing about war, while he's been off fighting in one. <BR/><BR/>It's difficult to complain to someone like that about having a "bad day at the office," as my "worst" day was probably a helluva lot better than his "best" day on the battlefield. I mean, what could I say? The only thing I've ever been shot with is a camera, and the only risk I have to take is going with French Vanilla or Irish creamer.<BR/> <BR/>WE (the armchair historians of America), the ones that spend countless hours in the study of war, the reenactment of it, the preservation of it, will NEVER know the true feeling and emotion of stepping onto a REAL battlefield. We will never experience that test of courage, that sensation of fear, and the risk of putting our lives on the line for our country, and for our friends. They, the real soldiers, the veterans of all wars, know history like we never will, because they helped write it. <BR/><BR/>We must never lose that perspective. We must never take the responsibility of recording their sacrifices lightly and we must always strive to give them the credit that they so deeply deserve. We all have an obligation to preserve their memories so that future generations will know of their courage and sacrifice. <BR/><BR/>I look at it like this: Military history may be documented in ink, and on film - but it has been (and always will be) written in the blood of heroes.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again. - MichaelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com