Have you ever been to a civil war re-enactment?
 

Well?

No, but I read a good book called Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz. He participates in some re-enactments and then writes about it.

My dad is a civil war buff, so I've visited several battlegrounds. Eh.

no i havent but i would like to.

sounds like fun.

Yeah, back then negroes stayed in their place. :confused:??

I find the people who take part in these re-enactments a little scary. History is cool, we wouldn't be where we are now without it, but some people seem to take it all a little too seriously.

i went for a walk one sunday years ago and wandered into a field to see two large groups of people carrying swords and shields etc and dressed up in full lord of the rings style garb. i literally could not stop laughing when they started casting spells on eachother and trying to get eachother with their spears and stuff. my friends had to literally carry me out of the field because i was laughing so much.

Man, you'd like that book I mentioned.

i know a ton of band kids that are drummers in re-enactments.

no, but i have been here, not far from where Jenn lives

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antietam

The Battle of Antietam (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South), fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with almost 23,000 casualties.[1]

After pursuing Confederate General Robert E. Lee into Maryland, Union Army Major General George B. McClellan launched attacks against Lee's army, in defensive positions behind Antietam Creek. Despite having superiority of numbers, McClellan's attack failed to achieve concentration of mass, resulting in a three-phase battle that Lee was able to counter by shifting forces to meet each challenge. Despite ample reserve forces that could have been deployed to exploit localized successes, McClellan failed to destroy Lee's army. Nevertheless, Lee's invasion of Maryland was ended, and he was able to withdraw his army back to Virginia without interference from the cautious McClellan. Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, it had unique significance as enough of a victory to give President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to announce his Emancipation Proclamation.

no.

i wish i had!!!

just because the idea is so absurb, it garanties good times.

Hmm, there's no poll option like, "Why the fuck would I spend my time doing something so completely inane and utterly mindnumbing boring!?"

I'd sooner read a book about UFOs. Or cut my toenails.

not on my family's watch.

we were the first people to assist in the underground railroad in ohio. in fact, John Brown used to hide out in the barn. :)

the north (in general) really didn't care about slaves so much as evening out the disparity between labor costs....but some people certainly did care. it's one of the few things my ancestors did that I can be proud of.***

on topic: I've never been to one, but I'd certainly go watch. history is important and a visual representation would certainly go a long way in driving home just how bad it really was for both sides.



***my great-great-uncle (I think that's enough "greats") was General Travis (of alamo fame). I could have had a free-ride at any school in Texas due to him being a "Texas Hero", however that's blood money that I'll never touch.

Yeah, I go all the time. Like every single day of the week. That's like my number one favorite thing to do of all time.

In other words, I've never been to one.

i went to one a few years ago because it was "what was going on" in the next town over when i was visiting my parents. i was kind of excited to see what kind of people actually go to these things and thought i'd get to witness some cultural phenomenon. i was actually bored out of my skull. they had shooting contests and stuff but there was no "battle" re-enactment. so a guy in blue would go shoot a gun and try to hit something, then a guy in grey would. it was a nice day out and you could buy hot dogs. that was probably the most exciting part.

I happen to be quite the student of Oliver Cromwell and the English Civil Wars, and I've been to a few re-enactments. Around the city walls in Chester is always a good place (there was a protracted siege there, back in the day). I should quite like to have a go at 17th century life, as I love so many aspects of it's culture. I'd have lolled around quite happily searching out King Charles sympathisers and despatching them fastly to their maker.

If needs ever be, I know how to use a flintlock pistol and a polearm. Very usefull in downtown Birkenhead on a Saturday night.


Ha ha, you may be right. I've talked to some of the bods from the very serious indeed Wirral Skip Felagh (or something similar) Viking re-enactment group; they spend months making chainmail armour out of those round keyring links. Great people, they are. By researching the real history and living the life, they contribute a great deal.

Apart from the re-enactment side of things, it's often people like that who do hardcore research and write the really good local history books.

In another Viking-related bit of rubbish, that has even less to do with this thread than the two preceding paragraphs, I would like to say tat I live a ten minute walk from Prenton PArk, the ground of mighty football warriors Tranmere Rovers. Tranmere Rovers are the only league team with a Norwegian Viking name, and every week many Norwegians make the trip to support the club.

Where's downtown Birkenhead?

I wouldn't know. But if I ever find myself there, on a Saturday night, surrounded by the assorted ne'er-do-wells who I imagine frequent that kind of area, I shall be alright as long as there's a handy flintlock or polearm.

Charing Cross or Argyle Street, I should think. When we go to the theatre, which is also at Charing Cross, there seems to be a bit of nightlife going on around and about. Makes me feel uneasy, to be quite frank.

My partner informs me that there are several nightclubs in the Argyle Street area.

Liverpool's Concert Square/Bold Street nightlife is a sight to behold. Many a night I have begun the journey home from the FACT cinema and had to wade through gangs of fat scantily-clad women in glittery pink cowboy hats and leather boots..

Many years ago now, we used to go to the Crazyhouse in Liverpool on a regular basis. And sometimes the Pink Parrot. I don't like to go into town at night anymore.

Well, 'the crazyhouse' kinda sums it up, doesn't it?

Liverpool is shit these days. All the roads are dug up for 2008 and Lewis's has had to shut down because of it.

I don't bother to see a re-enactment.

I fear that the 2008 thing may be a bit of a let-down. Merseyside councils have a long history of spending all available money on things like 'pre development costs' and 'unforeseen expenses'. The only things actually getting built seem to be new shopping malls and the like.

I'm looking forward to the Bluecoat finally reopening.

There's no culture, thats for sure. Remember the trams? The city spent like 400 million on them and then realized there was no point. What a waste.

don't burn any flags....they'll never know.

my dad took me to and my brothers to see one when we were all small, i can't remember anything about it other than it was at knebworth and i think it was the american civil war

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My dad is a huge Civil War buff.

I've never been to a reenactment, but I've to Gettysburg and Antietam a few times.

Went to a few as a child, and took part in one.

Wouldn't interest me a great deal now.

Why is it stupid?

I love watching a good re-enactment while drinking some beers with some friends, mocking both sides, yelling at the Union how Lincoln will be assassinated. I used to be interested in the strategies of Civil War combat, I've even been to Gettysburg. I would never participate in one, though.

I've never been to a Civil War reanactment, but a couple Christmases at my in-laws have come close...

I've been to one, it was cool but I wouldn't participate in one. Civil War buffs are some of the most rabid hobbyists around, extreme dedication in many cases.

i saw something like that when i was a kid but with knights on horseback and whatnot. it was great as they started to beat the hell out of eachother with swords and axes and everything.

every day of my life is a civil war re-enactment. people still fly rebel flags like it's gonna come back into style soon.