Guys,

What do you tell the spectators, who visit our camps, concerning the various anachronisms they are likely to see? For that matter, what do you tell them about the camps themselves?

I am interested in hearing what Mainstream Reenactors tell spectators about their camps. Please, no comments from the other side of the street, on how you shouldn'd be using tents at all.

Bill

In the case of a living history where we set up a static camp for spectators to see, we tend to explain that we are showing them examples of the different "housing" for soldiers.

An example of a small LH we do, we set up a wedge tent, shelter halves and then a couple of us throw down bed rolls.  And we walk the spectators through the progression and when each might have been used.

At events, it depends on how our street is setup.  Our unit has moved to a split street when possible.  Soldiers will have their shelter halves or bedrolls and then a seperate street/section for the civilians.  In those event we try to explain this is not how it would have been, but that is more of a layout for the event and not accuracy.  But it also allows us to walk them through the different styles of tentage.  

In the last few years we have cut down on the amount of camp furniture that we have because more guys have taken to laying on the ground by the fire rather than having stools or chairs.  So most anachronisms can be hidden under a blanket or done away with.

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Please, no comments from the other side of the street, on how you shouldn'd be using tents at all.

One would hope event appropriate tentage isn't a foreign concept, after all, look at the many different events on the other side of the aisle where tentage was used in a more proper fashion. In many respects, it isn't the tentage itself that is the biggest difference between what the FMA and CPH folks do with canvas, but the amount of visible blatantly modern junk in and about the company streets.  

--Last edited by Charles Heath on 2007-02-23 14:29:50 --

Charles,

My question was directed to the folks who attend events, where  tents are used where they wouldn't have been common during the actual Civil War.

I think it is well understood that tentage was used throughout the War, just not so much when the Armies were on campaign.

I just wanted to avoid the usual posts asking why people use tents when they weren't used during the actual War. That subject has been beat to death. How tent campers address that issue is another matter.  

Okay Bill, I'll duck on this one!

But I will say this, my mainstream affiliate the 6th OVI keeps all anachronisms out of garrison while open to the public.  The NCO's keep strict attention to this, and we are pretty tight about it after the public leave as well.

Bill,

I know what you meant, but many of the tent campers toss the baby out with the bathwater. They figure if they have tents, then why bother with history at all?

While enjoying the Yorktown Rev War event as a 'tater this year, I noticed how clean their camps were maintained, even during the dreaded food service prep times when most of the abominations in the CW hobby come to the forefront. Those items most conspicuously absent in the Rev War camps were the Wal-Mart collection of modern household items that the CW era tenters just can't seem to live without. In this instance, it wasn't so much what the folks brought with them, but what was left behind in the modern world.  Considering the Rev War folks are often in the hobby from 9 to 5, one can surmise the closed tents had some modern items inside. They did a good job of keeping the modern items out of sight.

Some CW groups do a good job, too. What separates the FMA folks who want to keep their camps looking like a CW camp from those who want to combine their fleamarket collecting with the CW is a matter for deep scientific research.  

When you attend events such as Fort Donelson, Fort Granger, Fort Gaines, Camp Curtain, or the usual SCAR Shiloh NPS LHs efforts, don't you notice a huge difference in the way the camps are set up and maintained for the weekend just as a casual observation?  I know I do. I'm looking forward to a bunch of Sibleys in couple of months....

 

My unit tries to maintain a military appearance in our camp. As room allows, we try to set it up according to the regulations of the time. The only camp funiture is a table by the cook tent. Most of the guys have camp chairs, but if you aren't sitting in your chair it's supposed to be kept in your tent. The one visable anachronism is a iron grate on the fire, which holds a gallon pot of coffee at all times. We do our best to insure that modern things stay out of sight, but every now and then, egg cartons seem to appear from nowhere! In regard to the tents, the rule is if you have any anachronisms visible, keep the door shut and tied.

When talking to spectators, we make it a point to explain that what they are seeing is a semi-permanent camp. It's always funny when you explain that 4 to 6 guys would sleep in a Common Tent. We usually have a few people sleeping in Dog Tents and Camplaning, so we can show folks those camping styles too. Depending on the event, we will often have some static displays of soldier gear for people to view. I've made a bullet board I use to explain the difference between mass and velocity. At most events we have a separate area for families. The rules are less strict in this area, but people are still expected to keep anachronisms out of sight.

Bill,

The food service area is typically difficult to maintain in a period-like manner, and most people aren't willing to put the effort into it, and it really is work to keep the meals within the budget, maintain food storage and food prep sanitation, and deliver the meals on schedule in all weather conditions. Sounds like the lead in to an SQT or ARTEP, but I digress....

As a whole, most of the time on the CPH side of the world, we cook incorrectly, and the same can be said for the FMA side, but for different reasons. Where a poor carpenter curses his tools as an excuse for poor workmanship, it's a poor cook who hasn't availed himself of the fine reproduction cookware available for decades. Probably the easiest tools to acquire are the sheet steel nesting kettles, and accompanying serving basins. Where they are designed to do the job, they are also far superior to the unfortunate tinware kettles in common use. Why? Because they will take a heck of a lot more abuse in use, however, they'll need about the same or just a little more maintenance.

With those six items in hand, and with a nod to the lack of a couple of specific basin sizes, a reading man will note the many mentions of burning the company fund for skillets and coffee pots. Once in a great while, one will even see a Dutch oven (and Dutch gals, Dave) mentioned. One item that is not often mentioned, and is useful is a fire set, but not the little 3/8" square stock type, but a more hefty 5/8" to 3/4" size that will support the weight of three full kettles (think full joint compound buckets) and a coffee pot. This works, and is a form of a substitute for the Sibley tent tripods (complete with handy chains) as seen in four hundred zillion CW images, and the other alternative, which is cut saplings. In a lot of the places we have events, folks with badges and funny hats tend to get a case of the red ass when trees and other vegetation is molested.

So, what to do with this? The first fallacy is the Jellystone Park circular fire. In some places, these fires are mandatory due to the regulation fire rings, however, a good slit trench just narrower than the smallest nesting kettle, and about six inches longer than the three kettles (and a coffee pot if you so use one) together is about right. Butterfield, Kautz, and a few others go on ad nauseum about this in their works, so I shan't here. No, really, but note that the width most period spades are well suited to digging a fire trench in about 20 strokes.

What about the other stuff? Yep, a couple of good knives (not that stainless crap), a few serving utensils, and a couple of boxes for storage/cutting boards is sufficient. Add in some bottles and tins for condiments, and some poke bags for whatever else is needed, a few huck or Lowell towels, and some soap.

So, you have tools. What about food? About 3 million B.C. a fellow by the name of Hank Trent wrote a nice article for either CCG or CC about a weekend of foods that need no ice, no fridge, no cryogenic (hey, Ted Williams!) storage. This eliminates all but the most basic of beer coolers for each of the tents in 'streamerland, and provides for better food safety.  This information has been hashed about online for well over a decade, so it need not be beaten to death here for the 800 millionth time.

The problem comes when folks want S'mores, spaghetti, stromboli, salads, baked Alaska....

Period cookware is easily found and is very in expensive if you know where to look. So are period foodstuffs. A farmers market is a good place to start for foods. Anything with "smoked" in front of it will easily last for a weekend without refregeration. Smoked, ham, sausage and bacon are first rate. Beef can also be kept for the weekend if, it's cooked beforehand in a little salt and vinegar, then heated to a boil before it's served.  Apples, potatoes and onions would be available for any event and common sense would dictate the addition of other vegatables as they would be in season or stored just after. "Pickled anything" is period. Everything form peaches to eggs were prepared and stored in this manner and, they're all easy to make. Breads of the time period are easily found at local grocers or, easily baked before an event. The list goes on and on.

Heck, complaining about what the cook throws at you is half the fun!

Grumpy,

Preaching to the choir there, but the biggest single difference may be in the approach to developing the menu for an event. Folks in the FMA world typically prefer family camping foods rather than trying to prepare something period. With the CFBS knowlege "they had sausage back then," the Saturday and Sunday morning firegrates groan under the heavy load of potatoes O'Brian and Kielbasa with a side of cheesey scrambled eggs. So, the paper (or plastic) 'tater sack, plastic sausage wrap, and egg cartons are scattered about the place alongside the orange juice and milk cartons.

Wait, that doesn't sound half bad....

Lunch rolls around and folks have to be mindful of "educating the public." That phrase roughly translates into the vernacular as "pour your Pepsi into your tin cup." The typical lunch stew, chili, spaghetti, chicken and dumplings girds the already stuffed from breakfast reenactor for the afternoon battle. I like chicken and dumplings, don't you?

Note: I chose the word "lunch" just to aggravate the "supper" vs "dinner" crowd.

What's for the evening meal? Nothing says campfire like a 22 ounce steak, baked potato w/sour cream, butter, green beans, salad, rolls, and pie a ala mode. I like pie. Who doesn't like pie?

The reality is it really doesn't matter how many billions of posts folks make about period foods, most reenactors want the FMA reenactor norms of the big breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare. Some of the menus aren't all that far off from period fixed base type meals, and many of the ingredients are close to what was available during the period.

What the cook throws at you? Heck, you ought to see what gets thrown at the cook.

The large majority of the events I've attended, both FMA and CPH, have not featured centralized food preparation. It's usually every man or mess for himself/themselves.

In the unit I belong to, you rarely see much non-period food, other than Taylor Pork Roll, which seems to be a favorite with a number of the guys, but we sure do eat a lot of eggs! We'd have to be about the best foragers in the entire ANV!

We have a lady in the Battalion, who cooks for anybody who wants to kick in to pay for the food. She has a selection of sheet steel and period cast iron pots she uses to prepare the food. She also bakes pies on site, using a dutch oven. Her recipes are all period and the food is outstanding. We have one of those tripods that will support a heavy pot, which often comes in handy. Oh yeah, we also have two one gallon coffee pots. We have coffee available any time of the day or night.

I enjoy period cooking and talking to the spectators about what I'm making for dinner. I use a lot of country ham, potatoes, and onions. At my advanced age, bacon is not usually a good option. I'm working on having salt pork available for this year's events. If I'm doing a mid to late War event, I'll often bring canned meat. Modern packaging is too small, but canned meat was a staple for Confederate soldiers in the last years of the War.
I've also been known to throw a big slab of beef on the fire, but I try to avoid that if the spectators are still around.

Bill,

"Still goen to the wrong events?" Just kidding.  

You mention the canned meat, and a while back we were looking for those once familiar tins of Bunker Hill beef only to find they have gone the way of the Swanson whole cooked chicken in a can. Those cans were shorter and wider than the typical two pound tomato can, and fit the bully beef tin descrïption rather well. These were documented to Petersburg as early as June 1864, as well as other places. The tins were painted with a red lead (think old type primer) paint with white lettering "Bully Beef."  I don't know how they were crated, but I do have an original post war Bovril beef (yes, Span-Am historians, that beef) case, and that may have been similar. Until a case of Bully Beef is found, we really won't know.

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"I've also been known to throw a big slab of beef on the fire, but I try to avoid that if the spectators are still around."

Could be a good interpretive device, if you wanted to go into Confederate blue beef from Florida, how the federals adapted and expanded their pre-war rations on the hoof policy, and such fun as the infamous Beefsteak Raid. I'm not saying every event needs a few steamship rounds, but....

I was just reading "Confederate Commissary General" by Jerrold Moore. It seems the meat coming in from England, both salted and canned, sat in Nassau for the better part of a year before it actually got into the Confederacy. The meat was shipped to Nassau on big merchant ships, but the Blockade Runners could make more profit on other cargo, so the meat just sat in warehouses. The stuff must have been nasty by the time the soldiers finally got it.

   

I'd go for the salt meat being in better condition after 2-3 years than bully beef in a tin closed by steam exhaust and solder dot with no preservatives. After all, real bacon will last 2-3 years hanging in the pantry.

You know what started out as a reasonable question started to take on some overtones of 'us v them - we're superior'.

I thought that wasn't supposed to happen the name of this forum is "Common Ground."

Anyway to answer the question, we always set up a company street using just shelter-halves or she-bangs.  Even the captain normally uses only a dog tent.

The only time a larger tent gets broken out in the military camp is when the chaplian comes out to play.

The street is set up by the regs and laid out by the NCOs.

The fire pit uses only period era cooking items althought the food sometimes isn't (when we provide for ourselves individually) but then I've never done any cooking when camp was open to the public.  The bacon/salt pork gets cooked late.

When spectators ask we explain to them what we are using and why we are using it.

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Bob 125th NYSVI wrote : You know what started out as a reasonable question started to take on some overtones of 'us v them - we're superior'. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen the name of this forum is "Common Ground." Anyway to answer the question, we always set up a company street using just shelter-halves or she-bangs.  Even the captain normally uses only a dog tent. The only time a larger tent gets broken out in the military camp is when the chaplian comes out to play. The street is set up by the regs and laid out by the NCOs. The fire pit uses only period era cooking items althought the food sometimes isn't (when we provide for ourselves individually) but then I've never done any cooking when camp was open to the public.  The bacon/salt pork gets cooked late. When spectators ask we explain to them what we are using and why we are using it.

Bob,

Not sure where you saw any us vs them comments. I did see where anachronisms were discouraged but not the usual hardcore vs. streamer rhetoric.

It's very true that this thread got "off topic" but I've been attending Mainstream events for almost twenty years and there's nothing that's been discussed I haven't seen any number of times. Heck, I've been guilty of some of the outrages myself!

When spectators are around, there's a lot to be said for garrison camping, at whatever level of authenticity you may strive for. Those tents and other camp impedimenta always gives you something to talk about. From my perspective, what you say to spectators is at least as important as what you show spectators. If there's an anachronism in your camp, let the spectator know it's a anachronism. They'll understand. The important thing is to tell the truth and if you don't know the answer to their questions, tell them so. Saying "I don't know" isn't a criminal offence and making stuff up as you go along doesn't educate anyone.  

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Bill wrote :  Saying "I don't know" isn't a criminal offence and making stuff up as you go along doesn't educate anyone.

That is a big thing we have started to stress in our unit.  If a spectator or someone asks you a question, it is ok to say "I don't know, but I will see if I can find someone who can answer that."  

That is the other reason that our unit is going to start having discussions around the campfire at the more mainstream events to help some of the newer members or younger members to learn more about the war.  We are going to try to have either pre-set topics of discussion or maybe someone will present a topic.  Hopefully the purpose will be two-fold.
1) keep our discussion related to the ACW
2) distribute information to the group so that it isn't in just a couple of people's heads.

Like you guys, I missed the "us vs. them" comments, too. I'm pretty sure no one wants this place to become yet another Szabo's.

Does this mean I have to give up my 16" TV that I had planned to put in a wood crate?

No, seriously.  As a New Guy I know that there are certain faux-pass that happens with us.  But there hasn't been anything that cannot be covered.  The biggest part is making sure that when spectators are among the ranks, hide your junk.

As for campaigning, I doubt that I will be involved.  Chatrbug is the reason I am there.