What on EARTH is that flag?

Civil War Reenactment

Hello, gang! I hope your Summer is going swell. I can’t believe it’s almost over. You can always tell what time of year it is simply by walking in to any retail store and checking out what kind of products are being highlighted. They always come out with the products (and decorations) anywhere from six to eight weeks in advance. Check the calendar when you see the first Halloween decoration. I’m willing to bet that you see a pumpkin or skeleton within the next month.

On my most recent trip to the store I was bombarded with rows upon rows of school supplies. Aisles dedicated to notebooks and pens and pencils. If there were enough manufacturers making them, I bet there would have been a whole section dedicated to the glue stick. Either way, when you see the school supplies in the store, you know it’s time to start thinking about saying so long to the lazy days of Summer. And while we might have to bid farewell to weekend picnics and warm evening walks, back to school aint so bad.

I enjoyed school (and I was also a big fan of a brand new notebook and pads of blank paper). I have one of those curious types of minds anyway, so learning has always been a kind of a hobby. That’s why I got on my American Civil War kick from the get go; I saw a show last month on TV about Civil War reenactments, and it got me thinking about the real history. In my last couple blog entry’s I touched on some key points during the period. While I would enjoy nothing more than to go in depth on more of this most important period, there is just too much to talk about. For real, there were over 10,000 battles… I would have to start my own website and, well, there’s lots of sites online that are already dedicated to the history of the Civil War. Today I’m gonna wrap up this topic with some information about the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address.

The first of the two is the Emancipation Proclamation, which consists of two executive orders issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. The first executive order declared freedom for all slaves in the Confederate States of America that did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863. The second order, issued January 1, 1863, named ten specific states where it would apply. It all sounds fine and dandy today, but it was a controversial measure back in the day, and there were a few legal hiccups in the paperwork which allowed slavery to continue in some areas. Because border states of Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, or Delaware never declared a secession from the Union, they were not named in the proclamation and slaves were not freed there. Exemptions were also considered for Tennessee, and portions of Virginia and Louisiana. Nevertheless, the Proclamation was the stepping stone toward the freedom of nearly four million slaves by July 1865. On December 18, 1865, the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment ended the practice of all slavery.

Abraham Lincoln

On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln delivered a peaceful message that forever will live in the hearts and minds of the American people, and it’s the second item from the Civil War that I’ve chosen to highlight in this blog. The Gettysburg Address was read by the President at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, four and a half months after the Union’s decisive win over the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Address was crafted in ten sentences and read in less than three minutes, but the words, carefully chosen by President Lincoln, are regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. In the speech Lincoln called for equality and freedom for all citizens. In the speech the President referred to events of the Civil War and, in the middle of the speech made this statement: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” It is true that the world, and the American people in particular, have not forgotten, but little did the President know then that the words that he carefully crafted in the Gettysburg Address would in fact be remembered long after they were spoken. Remembered, revered, and relived again and again. To read the Gettysburg Address, please click here or scroll down below.

I say relived, because reliving is what percolated my initial curiosity to re-explore the events of the Civil War. Reenactments of the Civil War have become a pretty big event in the United States. In fact, reenactments of the American Civil War have even been known to take place in Canada, Great Britain, Germany, and Italy as well. Despite the following abroad, reenacting Civil War history is most popular in the United States with a following of over 50,000 participants (and growing). And some of these reenactors take authenticity very, very seriously! I’m not kidding! Those involved in reenactments have gone so far as to put their fellow reenactors in to categorized classes based on their dedication to authenticity. The classes are referred to in reenactment circles as Farbs, Mainstream, and Progressive. Farb reenactors are those who don’t put a whole lot of effort in to their “character.” Mainstream participants take a more authentic approach to their appearance and behavior, but it’s the Progressive participants who are known to completely immerse themselves in to the event. They go so far as to eat the proper foods that were available during the Civil War period (including what was and was not seasonally appropriate), speaking 100% of the time as words were spoken back then, and even sew their own clothes with the same types of fabrics, materials, and stitching that were available nearly 150 years ago. Don’t expect to see these guys carrying a period flag or historical flag made from polyester, polyester, or anything other than cotton and wool. Just like their dedication to food, speech and dress, they use nothing that was not available to the soldiers in the 1860’s.

Civil War reenactments are serious business for participants in order to make the presentation as authentic as possible for the public (and themselves). From what I’ve read I often think that that the authenticity of the events is more important to the participants than the observers. Public reenactment events can include living history of the period that portray life at the time of the War, public demonstrations, and scripted battles. Reenactors, specifically the Progressive or “hard-core” individuals, participate in closed events that are for their own consumption. Now that’s dedication!

Take a look at these recreations of Historical Flags. Some of these are items you’ll see if you ever view or participate in a Civil War reenactment.

I hope the remainder of your Summer activities will be fun-filled and joyous. Until next time, my friends!

Lexi