What is missing from your "kit?"

[Timothy Arnold]

I was thinking about a couple of threads from the AC about people working on their kits and impressions. There can be debates on how important your clothing is etc...

Something missing in many discussions can be mentality. Can we go out there with a mentality of a soldier in the CW? Yeah, it's quite easy, even for those who haven't been in real combat. READ READ READ. For those like me, I'm talking about reading a real book; a war journal from the. Also, get yourself in a zone once you get to events... go sit and meditate by yourself in the trees at the event once you've registered or whatever....

No psychadelics are required. Just sit, close your eyes, and breathe. Think of a period house. See yourself in civilian clothing of the times. Follow yourself through volunteering, training, getting your clothing and equipment issued, maybe a train ride, or long march, and whatever events lead up to the part of the war you are currently "reenacting." Think about what may have taken place in the past few days. Do you have a fresh letter in your chest pocket waiting to be read? Missing your sweetheart, brother, sister, or mother? Think about what town or creek you are near right then. Put yourself in the moment... breathe for a few minutes in and out your nose, similar to a buddhist way of "breath meditation." Open your eyes, stand up, and get to your company...

Does it work? Give it a try guys....

[regularyank]

Very cool thoughts here, I like it. Ive found myself thinking about these things on occasion, specialy at night times and mornings during the reenactments, semes to be the most realistic for me I guess, looking at all my pards thinking what it would be like to spend years with them fighting beside them, seeing them die. Very cool.

[Timothy Arnold]

Ah... you bring up another great thing someone could "meditate" on; the loss of messmates. Maybe guys who normally travel to events with you who aren't attending the particular event you are going to. Imagine if that messmate caught a shell in his melon, or took a ball through the throat, maybe one took shrapnel in his knee cap causing an amputation, and a trainride back to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, etc.... Good thinking Taylor.... the Lead Balls in action!

[causes2b1]

Or think about pards who can't come as sick. Depending on where you are, there could be an outbreak of measles, flu, whatever.

I did a LH at Corinth in which the basis was we were the healthy ones from Farmington. Historically, during the siege of Corinth, Farmington's wells were poisoned.

Just something to consider, since about 2 out of every 3 men who died did so from disease.

[Timothy Arnold]

Fantastic point John! Sick little crackerheads..... Sick Call Rangers!!!! Henry has the squirts, he's back in the Ville.

[homer]

Or fall out from the line with the squirts..

causes2b1 said:

Or think about pards who can't come as sick. Depending on where you are, there could be an outbreak of measles, flu, whatever.

I did a LH at Corinth in which the basis was we were the healthy ones from Farmington. Historically, during the siege of Corinth, Farmington's wells were poisoned.

Just something to consider, since about 2 out of every 3 men who died did so from disease.

[causes2b1]

If you want to do it right, you'll have to farb out a little. Here's how to do it.

1. Get a small bottle. (this is the farb part, unless someone knows a good period equivalent) It needs to be plastic, or something squeezable. Fill it with chocolate pudding or some other kind of runny brown semi-liquid stuff (corn kernels added at personal whim).
2. Get a pair of trousers you don't much care for.
3. Place bottle between butt cheeks, or between legs facing backwards.
4. During roll call, groan loudly, bend over clutching your stomach, and squeeze your butt cheeks together, squirting the liquid up and out of your britches, and down your leg. It should also stain the trousers nicely.

Just a suggestion to liven things up during roll call. ;D

[homer]

hahaha

thanks for that mental image... I was thinking a diet of nothing but fat back and chasing it with cups of the grease would be sufficient to make a real squirt.... why farb out if you are man enough to shit yourself?

causes2b1 said:

If you want to do it right, you'll have to farb out a little. Here's how to do it.

1. Get a small bottle. (this is the farb part, unless someone knows a good period equivalent) It needs to be plastic, or something squeezable. Fill it with chocolate pudding or some other kind of runny brown semi-liquid stuff (corn kernels added at personal whim).
2. Get a pair of trousers you don't much care for.
3. Place bottle between butt cheeks, or between legs facing backwards.
4. During roll call, groan loudly, bend over clutching your stomach, and squeeze your butt cheeks together, squirting the liquid up and out of your britches, and down your leg. It should also stain the trousers nicely.

Just a suggestion to liven things up during roll call. ;D

[causes2b1]

I guess instead of "if you want to do it right", I should have said if you want to do it without actually giving yourself the shits. Sorry

[homer]

good lookin' out

[regularyank]

chocolate pudding shit, didnt see that commin, =)!!!
Cant we just maditate and think that we shat our pants,,,

ANNYYYWAYYS>>>
Fear is another thing that might be missing from our kit. just a thought,,,
Fear is one thing that us reenactors have a problem recreating. And its the hardest, since we are only shooting blanks at each other and there is hardly any real risk to our lives. I have tryed to loose my self in the moment, and inturn, actually feal fear.... pretty sweet!
Has anyone else tryed this or any thought on fear in battle, befor battle, etc...

[Timothy Arnold]

Yeah man... most of the guys who have 3 green stars by their name have for real. I remember the first farbfest I went to after coming home from Iraq... I remember the cowboy and indian battle starting, and then I remember some dude asking what I was looking at. Even the spectators had left.

I think it is quite possible for folks to get so deep into thought that they begin to have fear. Another good point Taylor.

[homer]

Great point on fear. If your buddies are falling around you... why would you stand in a line that's getting mowed and not take it upon yourself to fight in the prone, or use nearby cover. It seems like a natural reaction to avoid as much lead as possible.
My greatest complaint is officers in reenacting not taking it upon themselves to move their formations behind natural cover. It is easy to just obey battalion commanders overgeneralized orders and move your company onto the line.... or you could react to real lead headed at you, and try and preserve the lives of your men, and take use of the cover nearby.
Reenacting officers (company grade) just want to do a good job, real officers (company grade) want to keep their men alive because their men are the only thing keeping themselves alive.

Its hard to create actual fear with how fake these dog and pony shoot em ups are..... but outwardly showing fear will improve your impression.

[regularyank]

yeah, cant tell you how many times ive been to a farb fest and the order was given to advance or to charge a imposible positon, gettin fired at by god knows how many cannons,,, and yet , all the mens faces lit up with a big smile... at that point i ussualy die or run away. But in the hobbie, to many times, like you said Homer, eather the officer or the men are only worried about doing a good job at reenacting, not breaking any rules and such.. But in real life, at the sight of all the horror that is around me, I would not be willing to fallow such a order, or at least not be smiling about it...

Another thing,,, once i did run away when the order was given stand in positon ( this was a perryville where the unit we where portraying had only been in service for a few months) There was three times as many rebs as there was yanks, so i ran, never looking back... I got chewed out for that by not only my captain, but the major too! ass holes...
Fear just brings a whole other dimention to things, ive never been shot at before and hope i never will be... But i can tell you one thing, i shuree as hell will not be standing in middle of a field very much longer if i am,,, theres my 2 cents.

[homer]

If an officer has had a reputation of providing cover and looking out for his soldiers always, he can order the impossible charge, and his men will grab their balls and follow him into hell.

But following a man into hell isn't honor bestowed on just any man. A real leader.

That major/Capt should chew you out if it were 1st person, if they were chewing you out, outside of 1st person, I'd tell them to suck my d*+k.