The Stool Parable
By
Tom Klas
All
Rights Reserved
This article came about from a question proposed by Citizens Guard member Patrick Weeks in December of 2002 regarding what are some mistakes to avoid and how to improve his overall impression in the Citizens Guard. Patrick’s question gave me the insight to come up with our version of the stool parable for accurate living historians.
Have you ever noticed
what makes an individual or unit an accurate entity? It is not just one area of their impression
that makes them accurate, but it is a well-rounded overall impression that
makes a unit or indiviual a cut above the rest.
In order to explain this in an understandable fashion, I will try to use
my stool parable to describe what constitutes an accurate impression and how
one continually works towards this goal.
Each leg represents a property that is necessary to make an individual
or unit an accurate entity. Without one
leg, the stool will not stand on its own.
If a reenactor or unit just focuses on one area, they are missing the
total picture and will not function very well.
A well-rounded individual and unit will need all of these properties to
make themselves a progressive/hardcore part of the hobby. You probably have
come across units that do not take any of these legs into their consideration
and it shows. We have seen several of
these units over the years both in
The three stool legs that constitute progressive/hardcore individuals or units
are comprised of:
1. Authenticity
2. Drill/Discipline/Military Deportment/Acting like a soldier/
3. First Person Impressions and personas
What makes all the legs stay
together is a positive attitude
towards an accurate portrayal. This is the most important part of the
stool and what drives individuals to always improve their impression.
Our
goal in Company "A" is that everyone can achieve such a balance in
their impression. The Citizens Guard prides itself in being a progressive/hardcore
entity that is always moving forward with our overall impression. We will
continue to work towards getting better by doing research, sharing our
knowledge, and above all having a positive attitude that if you are going to
reenact, you have to do it right. Even
if one person from our company is out of balance, it shows.
1. Authenticity
As you are probably aware, most reenactors tend to trust sutlers to sell them
the correct uniform and equipage for their impression. We would identity these as mainstream
reenactors whom really do not take the extra step to learn what makes an
accurate reproduction when compared to an original article. Unfortunately most sutlers are in for the
profit and could care less that they are selling a terrible reproduction of
uniform and equipage. The new recruit,
full of excitement, rushes out and purchases all his uniform and equipage in
confidence from these suppliers. In many
cases, they do so without consulting with the unit they belong to or are told
by the so-called experienced reenactor to go to so and so sutler cause they
have a cheap deal. They feel great about their new gear unknowing that it looks
nothing like an original garment or accouterment. Unfortunately, this mindset snowballs into
acceptance of poor quality impressions, the wrong attitude, a belief in the
10-foot rule, a festival camp full of modern items and inaccuracies, and the
term "mainstream" reenactor or even worse FARB becomes the label
others call your unit or personal impression.
This is not our goal in Company "A". Avoid at all costs.
We want to continue to strive for better impressions including correct rations
in every haversack, ration issues of food and ammunition as a company when
appropriate, acting like a unit on campaign or garrison if our impression
dictates, staying in first person, increasing our proficiency at drill and
guard duty, keeping all modern items out of our kits and camp at all times and always purchasing accurate uniform and
equipage using our Uniform & Equipage List. Members of the Citizens Guard can feel
confident about their path towards authenticity by adhering to our Authenticity
Guide, purchasing all uniform and equipage using our Uniform & Equipage
List, learning all you can about our impression (this is always a continuous
journey that we never complete), eating and bringing proper rations such as
hardtack, coffee, slab bacon, surviving a weekend campaigning with us and
enjoying it, and asking questions.
Please
keep performing research, asking questions, studying, and maintaining a
positive attitude about doing it right.
There are plenty of fine resources now available to increase all
members’ knowledge of what is accurate regarding uniform and equipage. These include our own Authenticity Guide, the
Columbia Rifles Research Compendium, The Watchdog, the Authentic Campaigner
Website with plenty of good information and articles, the old Hardcracker
Handbook (out of print but available from some of our membership), and most
importantly asking one of our Authenticity Committee members for some help is
always cheerfully welcomed.
2. Drill/Discipline/Military Deportment/Acting like a soldier
The next leg of the stool...being a well-drilled and disciplined soldier in the
ranks. Many reenactors seem to do ok on
drill, but do not pay attention to the small details that make a
company/individual impression really something special. This includes studying drill manuals to
become even better at drill and guard duties, staying attentive and quite in
the ranks, listening to your NCO's and Officers, making sure your rifle musket
is clean for inspections and during the duty day, squaring away your gear
before going down for the night, asking for permission to leave camp before
going, and always striving to do better.
I think with some study of our drill manuals (these are listed in the
Authenticity Guide), being attentive and quite in the ranks, and performing
duty day activities to the best of your ability will go a long way to make our
company very functional in any circumstance.
Drill is a skill best learned through actually engaging in it, so the
more we drill as a company, the better the we will represent the original
Citizens Guard. To honor these men, we
need to know our drill, guard duty, and duty day functions like they are second
nature to us. Company “A” of the Second
Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment did not become some of the finest shock troops
in the Army of the
Speaking
of officers and non-commissioned officers, they play an especially important
role in military deportment. These gents
really make up the function of the company and give our unit the swagger to do
it right. Therefore they should be
setting the example for the rest of the membership to strive towards in all
concepts of the stool parable. Officers and non-commissioned officers need to be prepared
by studying, knowing, and being able to teach the tactics, being able to
properly fill out army forms, keep a detailed duty day listing of their men,
and always supporting further growth in accuracy of all impressions. You will find in the Citizens Guard that rank
is a hard working position and one of service to your men, no matter if you are
Corporal or Captain. All officers should
conduct themselves according to August V. Kautz’s book Customs of Service
for Officers of the Army. All non-commissioned officers and privates should
conduct themselves according to August V. Kautz’s Customs of Service: for
Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers.
Officer’s and non-commissioned officers are a large part of what helps
keeps the Citizens Guard moving forward in our impressions especially drill,
discipline, military deportment, and acting like a soldier.
3. First Person Impressions and Personas
The last leg in my stool parable is overlooked by many units and
reenactors. This includes learning as
much as you can about your first person assignment, the culture of the 1860's,
language, politics of the era, religion, etc.
This can also lead into becoming almost immersed in an event that you
actually feel like you’re in the 1860's.
We all need to work on this and maintain it throughout an event. This is perhaps the hardest leg to achieve
and like all parts of the stool is a never-ending process. The better you get
at staying in first person, the more enjoyable and rewarding experience you
will have at events.
The
easiest way to stay in first person is to act like a soldier and discuss topics
that would be pertinent to your actions.
Modern discussion and topics ruin “the moment” and should be avoided if
possible. The more you can know about
the citizens and society during and before the Civil War, the better your
immersion experience will be. Some ways
to increase your knowledge of the era is to read period accounts by citizens,
read old newspapers of that time, view some articles on the Authentic
Campaigner Website, take a peek at the Columbia Rifles Research Compendium, and
do not be bashful about spending a day at a local historical society or the
State Historical Society in Madison.
There are some unbelievable resources available here. If you have no idea how to conduct a research
study, try getting a copy of Brett Barker’s book Exploring Civil War
Wisconsin: A Survival Guide for Researchers. It will help you get a feel of how to
properly perform research in case you’re a little shy about jumping in feet
first. Also our own hometown of
4.
A positive attitude towards an accurate portrayal.
Well this is the last piece of the stool, and it is what constitutes the seat
and all those adjoining pieces that keep the stool together. You really can not go anywhere with your
impression without having the attitude if you are going to reeact; you have to
do it right. It is a hunger to portray
the original civil war soldiers to the best of your ability. If you get a chance, please read Nicky
Hughes’ Campaigner Manifesto (available in the Columbia Rifles Research
Compendium and online at the 10th Texas Infantry Website as well) to
really make a commitment towards an accurate portrayal. Nicky basically gives our reasoning for doing
it right and why we do so. It is an
excellent document that should be refreshing to read even if you have been in
the hobby for quite some time. Citizens
Guard members are always willing to work with anyone with a good attitude
towards an accurate portrayal.
The
other portion of having a good attitude is understanding that we are trying to
represent the soldier in all his hardships and tedious tasks, and not just the
fame from engagements. The Citizens
Guard strives to look, act, drill, eat, sleep, and carry ourselves like the
true authentics from 1861-1865. Eating
hardtack, coffee, & bacon, being on the campaign or stuck in garrison
duties, nighttime guard mount, carrying all uniform & equipage in marches,
getting dirty from the march, fatigue duties, and drilling most of the day are
all things soldiers actually did and we try to as well if historically
documented. It is in these circumstances
that one can further their appreciation for the sacrifices that the original
boys of 61’ did to preserve the
Well I hope that this stool parable will give all our new members and existing
members a better idea of the big picture and how we consistently strive to
become even better at our portrayals. If
you try to encompass all of these concepts, I know you will keep
improving.
Forever
Forward Citizens Guard!
Originally
written
Revised
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