Rick
Barram portrays the mischievous Private Sullivan Biddle of the
72nd New York Volunteer Infantry, RACW. He is pictured at left in
his former role as the scholarly Captain John Mann of the same unit.| Fanny & Vera Home About Us News Links Contact |
*Note: although this article was directed at military units, there is much good information for Civilian reenactors in Rick's philosophy of authenticity.
One
of the most often asked questions, and topic of often heated debate among
reenactors, centers around what is and isn’t FARB. What is authentic and what isn’t and what is good enough
and what isn’t.
The
question of what is good enough is basic to the whole issue.
But to best understand the answer, we must examine what it is we’re trying
to do as Civil War reenactors. In
the RACW our stated purpose in our bylaws is to perpetuate public awareness
of, and stimulate interest in, the historical significance of the period in
United States history termed the"War between the States" and commonly
called the "American Civil War".
We do this by portraying the look, talk and actions of Civil War soldiers
and war era civilians. It is at this point that the debate occurs:
how accurate must our look, talk and actions be, and how accurate do
I make my own personal impression and how accurate do I expect my fellows to
be?
An
often-heard rebuttal to the pressure for more authenticity is, who would
know? This response is based
in only a limited understanding of the depth of what is attempting to be done
by reenacting. Who would know
is based on the assumption that the audiences which come through our camps and
watch our battles have only limited or no knowledge of the Civil War, and as
such would not appreciate or care about some points of authenticity.
Such a belief relies on the overall look of the camps and the battles
to convince the viewers as to the "realness" of the details as unimportant.
Perhaps
a better mantra for the reenactor than who would know would be one of
who would see? Using
this idea to guide your impression, who would see provides a number of
advantages and offers a more complete concept of reenacting, avoiding some of
the pitfalls associated with who would know.
Non-period articles are now hidden from view, not on display with the
hope that no one would recognize the error.
It must be remembered that when you have a Civil War event, you attract
people who are knowledgeable about it and can see FARB material for what it is,
unreal. And there is a group of people who will always know if there
is FARB about: other reenactors. While
many won’t say anything, there will be those who do, and while some may
blow-off their comments as being over wrought, they owe it to themselves and the
hobby to clean up their act. Also
the non-period equipment detracts from the overall ambiance of the event which
other reenactors may be trying to create. Out
of respect for your fellow reenactors and their enjoyment of the hobby, keep
yourself in the period with both mind and deed.
The
concept of who would see
recognizes that there will always be FARB stuff at events, it is unavoidable.
But instead of denying our FARB gear, we hide and camouflage it.
Some examples of this notion of camouflage are: Wearing your period clothing so your modern undergarments don’t
show, yet often is seen tee shirts sticking up above the top buttons.
Keep your non-period gear covered with a period blanket or canvas.
If your pants are modern, cover those parts that are the most modern
looking (i.e. belt loops and pleats);
wear your sack coat at all times to cover this.
If you’re not wearing a kepi, alter your hat so you don’t look like Frank
Sinatra or Ben Cartwright. If you’re
not wearing brogans or proper boots, get some nondescript, black leather shoes
without a bunch of laces showing, modern army boots won’t fool anybody at any
distance but some very plain dress shoes might.
Please
remember, this idea of who will see is one not based in "Authenticity
Nazism", but in good theatrical practice.
The theater goer does not see behind the castle wall, so therefore the
backside may be left canvas and wood, while the patron is left to believe it
is solid. The theater goer does
not get to touch or wear the chain mail armor, so he does not realize it’s crocheted
and painted black and gray, but still believes Mac Beth and his men are preparing
for battle. Our audience cannot
see under blankets to reveal the sleeping bag beneath or see inside our haversacks
to discover our credit cards. We
must remember that it it’s the illusion of the time that we must convey and
anything or anyone which falls short in this will detract from his fellow reenactors
and the audience’s experience.
The
following are some rules of thumb to remember regarding the area of FARB stuff.
Not
all wire rim glasses are period. Glasses
of the Civil War had no nose pads.
Just
because it’s wool doesn’t mean it’s period.
Pleated, French army pants are no more period looking than fighting with
an AK-47. (Levi’s are even
worse!)
Just
because it’s not electric doesn’t make it period. At night, let’s try to maintain the feel of the camps by
leaving the Coleman lanterns and gas heaters at home.
Look
at your unit. At least rise to the
level of everyone else in your unit regarding proper gear.
Don’t be the last one to step up to the mark.
Check
wooden items for lumber grade markings and non-period hardware.
Remember, the Phillips head screw was not invented till well after the
Civil War.
If
you are going to post a notice in camp, hand write it.
Computer printed schedules hanging from company duty boards look bad.
Smokers
should find a cigar they like and be sure to pick up their after-hours butts.
Camp
chairs are nice, but remember only officers had access to the wagons and a hard
campaigning unit would have tossed them out long ago; sit on a box..
Rick
Barram portrays the mischievous Private Sullivan Biddle of the
72nd New York Volunteer Infantry, RACW. He is pictured at left in
his former role as the scholarly Captain John Mann of the same unit.
Rick spends countless hours at Civil War studies, crafting reproduction shipping boxes, and attending Civil War reenactments. He serves as co-publisher of the 72nd NYVI newsletter and as webmaster for the 72NY website. He is also writing a history of the 72nd New York Volunteers for publication in the near future. In his spare time he works as an educator.
