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You may be wondering what a Civil War reenactment is like. The following is a brief explanation of what we do.
Reenactments are usually held over a weekend during the summer. Most reenactments are within
1 ½ hour drive of Buffalo but several times during the season some of us will go out of state.
They start Friday afternoon and end Sunday afternoon. If possible you should arrive on Friday
either in the late afternoon or after work. It's OK to drive in with your car and off load all
your gear and set up your tent on Friday. But if you can't arrive until Saturday you will have
to carry all your gear in. After you set up your tent and other equipment you can then help
with setting up the common areas of the camp such as the dinner fly and the fire pit. You then
put your car in the reenactor parking area and either go out to dinner with some of the others
or cook dinner over the camp fire. Friday night is a time to get your equipment ready and just
sit around the fire for some general good conversation.
Saturday morning starts the reenactment. We usually make reveille around 6:00am. Get up, get dressed and put the coffee on. Roll call is about 6:30. You are then able to cook and eat your breakfast. Once cleanup from breakfast is done we will have morning drill and weapons inspection.
After drill we usually enjoy free time until lunch. This is a good time to go to the Sutlers (period merchants to the military), you never know you might find something there you just can't live without. Or just visit with your pards. Sometimes the event will contain a tactical Saturday morning. This is an unscripted battle where you are given a task to perform under fire and against the enemy. After the tactical and a light lunch we get ready for the battle. The battle usually starts around 1:00pm and will last one to two hours. This is where the real fun is. We get to burn lots of black powder, besides, where else can grown men run around a field firing guns and not have people think they are strange?
Arcade and Attica Railroad Raid, 2004
After the battle we go back to the camp and do a living history where we talk to the spectators coming through the camps. We explain the camps themselves along with an explanation of all the
equipment and their purpose. We also use this time to clean our weapons. It is required that
your gun be cleaned because there will be another weapons inspection Sunday. Once 5:00pm rolls
around the spectators leave and we are on our own. Some stay in first person and some just
kick back and relax after dinner. Saturday evening most reenactments have a period dance.
They hire musicians and the men and ladies put on their best to go and partisipate in period dancing and generally socialize. At 11:00pm it's lights out and all quiet in the camps.
Sunday morning reveille is around 6:30am and we go through the same routine: get up,
get dressed and put the coffee on. Roll call is about 7:00. You are then able to cook and eat
your breakfast. Once cleanup from breakfast is done we will have morning parade and weapons
inspection. Church service on Sunday is a special treat. Many times we will have a period service given by seasoned Chaplains. These services are done as if we were in the 1860's and
some of them get pretty intense. There isn't any politically correct stuff here, just down
right old fashioned preaching.
Church service at The Arcade and Attica Railroad Raid
After Church we might drill or just do some first person for
ourselves or the public, go to the sutlers or just relax around camp. After a light lunch we
get ready for the battle. The Sunday battle is just as fun as the Saturday one and most of
the time it is slightly different than the Saturday battle. After the battle is over we return
to the camps and do a little first person for the public and start to break camp. At the designated time set by the sponsor we bring the cars into camp, pack them up, say good buy to
all and head home. You will notice that I didn't say anything about horses. That's because we
don't use horses. Horses are very expensive and most of the time the sponsors of the event will not allow anyone to bring horses. Besides, in the Civil War the horse was mainly used to
get the soldier to the battlefield where he dismounted and fought on foot.
Well that's it in a nut shell. I tried not to get too detailed but keep in mind that there are
many variations of what I just told you and each event is different.
Civil War reenacting can be a most enjoyable and varied hobby. It gives the
opportunity for primitive camping, historical study, military tactics and weapons,
and travel. Re-enactors come from all walks of life and backgrounds.
The 9th is constantly on the lookout for new recruits and welcomes anyone who
shares our interest in Civil War Cavalry. We are a family organization and most
events that we attend have activities for all members of the family. The Ladies
especially enjoy the Teas, Fashion Shows and Military Balls. But women can also act as part of
the U.S. Sanitary Commission, the Christian Commission, camp followers, laundresses, cooks, spies and many more. Why I have even heard tell that some women disguise themselves as men and
go right into the battle line.
We welcome prospective recruits to stop by camp at any event that we participate
in. Or you may contact...
Terry Schultz, Captain, President & Recruitment Chairman @ 716-693-3237,
t.schultz5@verizon.net .
For a list of events we will be attending for the summer click on the Scheduel button at the upper left of the page.
If you are interested in Civil War reenacting as a hobby, it is important to
understand that the cost can be a factor for many folks. While it is not out of line
with many forms of recreation, and is a lot cheaper than many other hobbies, there is the financial aspect to consider. The members of the 9th understand this and will do all that we
can to help those interested to put their kit (uniform and accoutrements) together.
This hobby requires an initial outlay of money to get yourself equipped but it relatively cheap from then on. Once you are equipped all you have to do is get to the event, you sleep in a tent and you bring your own food. So motels and restaurants are not normally a factor. The process of equipping can take as long as one year to complete, unless you can afford the entire cost all at once. There are a number of sutlers (period merchants to the military) who can supply all of the items that are needed. It is highly advisable to contact an Officer of the 9th directly before purchasing anything. You don't want to have to purchase something twice because it is the wrong style or from the wrong time period. When dealing with sutlers the old axiom applies
- "Let the buyer beware!"
Click on the Equipment button on the top left to check out a list of supplies and some sample pricing .
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