Saturday, May 14, 2011

Reeancting and Cartoons

One of the goals of this blog is to look at the way reenactors are portrayed in popular culture.  Perhaps one of the places that reenacting has been depicted the most is on cartoon shows.  By my count there are six cartoons which have depicted Civil War reenactments.

The Simpsons by far has had the largest number of Civil War reenactments (not surprising considering the fact that the show has been on the air for 22 years). 

Homer the Great (Season 6)

Synopsis: It is discovered that Homer is The Chosen One, the prophesized leader of the Stonecutters, an ancient secret society.  Homer intends to use the club to stage a reenactment of the battle of Gettysburg but after the society abandons him he decides to reenact the battle with colobus monkeys instead.

What they got right: A lot of reenactors are members of a certain ancient secret society and enjoy advertising it to the point that some reenactments and groups put the stipulations “no Masonic emblems” in their authenticity guidelines.  The Camp Chase Gazette, a magazine for reenactors, ran a series of articles on how to reenact a 1860s Masonic meeting.
 
What they got wrong: Pretty much everything, I hope to God I never go to a reenactment with colobus monkeys!  The uniforms on the monkeys are just bad (I can’t believe I had to just write that sentence). 

The PTA Disbands (Season 6)


Synopsis: The episode opens with Bart’s class visiting Fort Springfield a Civil War era fort (which looks like something from a bad western) which has recently been purchased by Diznee and is now charging an entrance fee.  As such the class has to spy on the reenactment of the battle in which the “Ninth Bearded Infantry” slaughters a group of Confederate soldiers who are attempting to surrender calling out “we need leaches and hack saw for our gangrenous limbs.” 


What they got right: Many historic sites employ reenactors to interact with the public, occasionally involving battles.  It should be noted that the year before this episode aired Disney had proposed building a park in Haymarket Virginia dedicated to American history that would have included a Civil War fort, a battlefield where daily battles would be reenacted, and a lake where the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac would be reenacted. 

What they got wrong: The uniforms were pretty bad but that’s really about it, I personally think that this would have reflected “Corporate History” as it would have happened at the proposed park or any other “corporate” history park.


Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious (Season 8)

Synopsis: Marge is losing her hair from stress so the family decides they need to hire a nanny.  Homer says that to help to pay for the nanny he will give up “the Civil War recreation society [he] loves so much.”  The scene then jumps to Moe’s Tavern where the regulars are preparing for their reenactment.  Moe remarks that they now need a new General Ambrose Burnside since Homer has left.  It is also revealed that Apu portrays Stonewall Jackson to which he adds “the South shall COME AGAIN!” 

What they got right: Once again this is a very short segment so there’s not much here to work with but the presence of alcohol is a realistic touch. 

What they got wrong: Although a few of the bar flies wear uniforms of the common soldier the majority of men portray historic figures and generals.  In reenacting (well, good reenacting) there are very few people portraying historic figures.  In essence their group wouldn’t need that many people portraying officers and presidents.  This is a common misconception that reenactors dress up as historic figures.  The uniforms are pretty bad. 

The Sweetest Apu (Season 13)

Synopsis:  It’s time to reenact the Battle of Springfield (apparently not the same one that was fought at Fort Springfield).  Homer prepares for the reenactment by getting a keg at the Kwik-E-Mart.  The battle, which was fought between the North, the South and the East (soldiers wearing plaid), starts out well but quickly degrades with a rollerblading Disco Stu portraying Stonewall Jackson and Professor Frink in a giant mechanical spider (ala Wild Wild West). 


What they got right: Barney playing General Grant and getting drunk off of Homer’s keg is a great moment.  While the anachronisms are more over the top than most reenactments Principal Skinner getting upset at the inaccuracies is also a good moment.   

What they got wrong: The Simpson’s falls into an all too common trap, and that is that reenactors are locals who get together to celebrate a battle fought at their town and then hang up their uniforms for the rest the year, rather than being dedicated outsiders who come to in order to reenact the battle.  I suspect this is more a plot device to allow the characters to become reenactors rather than an overall misunderstanding of reenacting.  While they’re still pretty bad the uniforms are better than any other Simpson’s episode. 



Family Guy: To Love and Die in Dixie

Synopsis:  When Chris witnesses a robbery at a convenience store the family is put into the Witness Protection Program somewhere in the Deep South.  While there the family watches a “Civil War Reenactment” which involves a stage on which actors portraying Grant and Lee argue before Lee defeats a drunken and obscene Grant when he falls over, thereby winning the Civil War. 


What they got right: Pretty much the only thing is that Civil War reenactors are indeed human beings, other than that…

What they got wrong: Pretty much everything.  Civil War reenactments don’t take place on a stage and almost never involve interactions between historic figures.  The episode also depicts reenactors as ignorant rednecks who use the reenactment to push neo-Confederate propaganda about the nobility of the South and the incivility of the North.

South Park: The Red Badge of Gayness

Synopsis:  The town is preparing to reenact the Battle of Tamarack Hill (a fictional battle).   To win a bet with Stan and Kyle Cartman assumes the role of Robert E. Lee and, after getting the Confederate reenactors drunk on S’more Schnapps (the official sponsor of the reenactment), convinces his troops to win the battle.  Afterwards the drunk troops continue their onslaught across the country in an attempt to win the Civil War for the Confederacy.  In the end Kyle and Stan end the rebellion by dressing up as Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln and surrendering the Confederacy.


What they got right: Many reenactors assume that there is a spy amongst us who helped write this episode and S’more Schnapps has become a standard reference amongst drunken soldiers around the camp fire.  Indeed many a reenactment has been fueled by liquor, but of course not to the extent that the episode depicts. 
Is someone spying on us?

What they got wrong: Once again the episode falls into the all too familiar plot device of having the town members dress up to reenact a local battle.  The uniforms are pretty generic although the worst mistake is the use of the Confederate first national flag as the American flag.


The Cleveland Show: The Blue the Gray and the Brown

Synopsis: When Cleveland is manipulated by a wealthy local man, Emerson Plunkett V, into helping save a statue of the slave owning town founder Cleveland decides to beat him at his own game, by winning the reenactment of the battle of Stoolbend.  Along with Tim the Bear, Holt, and Lloyd, Cleveland wins the battle by going to the library and reading the Wikipedia article on the battle, thereby preventing the Union troops from falling into a trap.  In the end Lester, who refused to break his tradition of reenacting the Confederates, takes a “fake bullet” for Cleveland allowing him to finally defeat Plunkett by shooting him in the arm, which Cleveland notes he will have to have amputated which will get infect and eventually kill him.

Cleveland Informs the Union Commander of the Trap

What they got right:  The reenactment is hands done the best one of these in terms of material culture although it still has its problems.  They don’t say much about reenactors as a group, rather focusing on Cleveland’s own motives for reenacting.   
Lester Takes a Fake Bullet for his Friend

What they got wrong: Once again reenactors are portrayed as locals who gather to reenact a particular local battle.  They mostly act as if the reenactment is something that takes part of a single day rather than an entire weekend.  Taking hits, that is getting shot, is treated like a game children play with comments like “I got you,” “No you didn’t,” which depicts reenactors almost as children playing war. 

Honorable Mentions

There are two cartoon episodes that should be mentioned even though they don’t relate directly to Civil War reenacting exactly. 

Futurama: Lethal Inspection
This episode starts with a reenactment of the Sith-al War, a future conflict between Earth (whose uniforms bear a striking resemblance to Union uniforms) and the Sith.  The reenactment includes cardboard props and resembles Live Action Role Playing more than reenacting. 


American Dad: In Country…Club

A truly wonderful and hilarious episode.  Stan takes Steve to a Vietnam reenactment at a local country club so he can appreciate what veterans have gone through.  The reenactment is carried out using paintball guns (and derivatives including sharpies as knives, and paint sprayers as flame throwers) and golf carts as PT boats and helicopters (with a ceiling fan mounted on the roof).  Throughout the episode the country club members who seem to be going about their daily lives interact with the reenactors.  Steve takes the reenactment too far and ends up suffering PTSD.  The episode is more of a commentary on Vietnam than on reenacting but depicts the reenactors, while committed to experiencing and depicting the true horrors of war, as inevitably partaking in a farce.  A great comment though is made about Civil War reenactors when Stan says to Steve, who thinks they’re going to a Civil War reenactment, “No, Civil War reenactments are for historians and people who hate blacks.”  This commentary is something that I think is at times too true as a segment (albeit a small one) of the Confed reenacting population are proponents of Neo-Confederate beliefs. 








Sunday, May 8, 2011

The Last 17 Years Reenacting

I may or may not be able to do a big blog post this week depending on what happens with my dissertation proposal which may or may not be due on Friday.  I’m working on an article about reenactors in cartoons, like the Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park.  In the meantime I’m going to post some pictures of me reenacting throughout the years.
In honor of Mother's Day I must note that my Mom scanned in most of these pictures for me!

My Dad and I at our first reenactment, Cedar Creek 1994


Petersburg 1994 (that's me with the drum)


One of my senior pictures, 2001


Me and a Friend from Undergrad, Cedar Creek 2004

In the Ranks at a Living History at Gettysburg National Park, 2010

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Neshaminy After Action Report

After Action Report: Neshaminy

I’m back from the Neshaminy reenactment.  It was an odd event to say the least but I had a good time.  I’m going to use the reenactment for two things, first as an after action report and second to describe exactly what a reenactment involves for those of you who haven’t been before. 
As for reenactments Neshaminy was fairly typical, if on the small and also inaccurate side (but this is representative of the hobby as a whole).  I arrived Friday night and went immediately to registration where I checked in.  Kevin (who I rode down with from the city) and I then found our camp.  My unit the 69th New York (the reenacting group I belong to) had set up in the woods beyond the civilian camps.  Most reenactors will set up a company street, this is a row of tents belonging to a single unit.  A good sized reenactment will create a “sea of canvas.”  Yet most Civil War soldiers, unless they were going to be camped in an area for an extended period of time, would simply throw down their blankets around a camp fire after a long day of marching.  You’d very rarely see an army camp composed of thousands of well ordered tents.  So this is the way we camp.  We quickly gathered firewood and made a fire, and each of us staked out a spot around the fire.  Afterwards several of us went into town for a last 21st Century meal.

Our Camp Site, My blanket is in the middle left

We awoke early the next morning and cleared any last 21st Century items out of the camp.  Most reenactments will have revelry in the morning, this one did not and so the camps slowly came alive. 

 Around 10 we formed up with the rest of the union forces, about 400 or 500 men, for dress parade and drill, which meant mostly that we had to stand around in the sun looking pretty.  After the dress parade several of us went to the sutlers to do a little shopping.  Sutlers during the war were merchants who followed the armies selling soldiers extra things they needed; shirts, socks, canned food, paper products, anything that the soldiers wanted but didn’t get issued by the army.  Today sutlers are merchants who sell reenactors our uniforms, gear and anything else we need.  When we returned to our camp (I bought a few items I needed for my 1861 impression for the upcoming 150th Anniversary reenactment of Bull Run) we found that a park ranger had been by and had ordered us to find a new camp site as camping in the woods posed a fire danger.  As we now only had about twenty minutes before we’d need to form up for battle we decided to wait until afterwards. 

Sutler Row

We formed up with the rest of the Union forces and marched out into the woods.  We could hear gun fire up ahead but could see nothing.  We were then marched quickly through the woods and out into a large open field of high grass and weeds (with several large hidden holes).  Ahead of us was a line of union soldiers and beyond I could make out the rebel lines.  We were put into reserve, standing behind the main union forces who were engaging the rebs for several minutes before we finally charged into the woods driving them back.  We unfortunately were ordered to advance way too close to the rebels and found ourselves dangerously close to each other’s rifles.  While we were only shooting blanks the weapons we use are exact reproductions of Civil War muskets (some of us were even using original Civil War muskets) and the “blanks” are simply black powder (the same type and amount used during the war) simply without the bullets.  They are extremely dangerous as they can fire out any foreign material that falls into the barrel and shoot out a long flame when fired.  I know of several people who have permanently scarred by “blanks” and in some cases people have died.  Most of the Civil War muskets were effective up to 400 yards, and so that’s the distance that soldiers preferred to fight, not the fifty feet we were from the rebels.  While we were engaged the officer of the unit next to us ran out in front of his lines to and then gave the order to fire, while he was directly in front of them.  Even if it wasn’t live fire that man still deserves a Darwin award. 
Waiting...waiting...waiting

We were then ordered to fall back and the battle seemed to end.  We were all very perplexed by this.  At this point, much to our dismay, a pickup truck arrived dragging behind it a cannon in site of the spectators (of which I was told there were 18,000).  We continued to wait as they apparently reset for the “public” event.  Finally we heard the battle begin far out in front of us.  Once again we waited in the woods, listening to the battle.  Finally we were sent in.  We were still in the rear but now at least we were only five feet behind the union troops who were fighting the rebs.  At least the troops in front of us fell back and we were sent forward.  We fired a few volleys at the rebels before charging and driving them towards the river.  I saw a few rebels to my left surrender to our now overwhelming troops and at that moment we stopped, fell back a little ways and heard taps being played over the bugle signaling the end of the battle. 
Some of the Rebels at the end of the battle


When we returned to camp we found that the park ranger had returned and threatened us with a $300 fine each.  While he was gone (with the promise of returning) we quickly gathered everything we had and moved to a new location on the other end of the Union camp.  After the rather disappointing battle and the rude ranger many of our members decided to leave early.  Kevin and I decided to leave the next morning.
Cooking the Stew

That night, after Kevin had made an excellent Turkey stew, the few of us who had decided to stay sat around the fire. We were approached by a member of the unit camped next to us with an offer to join them for some drinks which we gladly accepted.  About half an hour later one of our members, Dave a retired New York City firefighter, returned to our camp to discover that while we had left only one camp fire there were now three.  My shelter half (canvas tent), and Kevin’s coat, haversack (a canvas bag for rations) and belt were on fire.  Dave quickly put out the fires.
Kevin's Burnt Sack Coat
In the morning we surveyed the damage and decided to stay around until the sutlers opened so we could replace some of the damaged items.  I cut up the tent to save the undamaged portions and salvaged the buttons in order to make small canvas bags for food and personal items.   At sutler row I was able to purchase a new shelter half from a reputable dealer as well as a new straw hat for the upcoming Bull Run reenactment.  Perhaps most importantly though I had the opportunity to get a tin type, an 1860’s period photograph, taken.  I had to stand perfectly still for about ten or fifteen seconds while the camera captured my image.  The developing of the picture would not be complete until after we were leaving so the photographer is sending the photograph to me in the mail.  As soon as it arrives I’ll share it. 
My Burnt Shelt Half

If we had stayed we would have done a second dress parade followed by a second battle and then pack up around 5pm to head home.  The reenactment also provided a number of other events which we didn’t partake including period churches services, a dance, and artillery demonstrations among other things. 
Crushing Hardtack...so that it's edible