A NOT reenactment

Dave951

Dave951

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The history of the War Between the States is fascinating. Doing Living History is one way to gain insight into the times, as is reenacting. Back when I was reenacting, I realized that both activities miss out on one really big part: I’m referring to what it’s like to be actually shooting the guns with live ammunition. How many times as a reenactor have YOU ever wondered about the guns and exactly what they were capable of?

If you enjoy shooting modern guns, either for hunting or competition or recreation and have always wanted to do the same with your reenactment guns, then we would like to offer you an opportunity.

We are members of the North-South Skirmish Association (N-SSA) and we regularly compete with our Civil War guns: Muskets, carbines, smoothbores, revolvers, repeaters, mortars and yes, even cannons. All with live ammunition. Go check out this video on Youtube to see exactly what we do:



If that looks like fun to you, then read on!

The Palmetto Sharpshooters of the North-South Skirmish Association is going to host a live fire event and it’s by invite only, just for reenactors. We’ll be live firing muskets, carbines, and other small arms with live ammunition. The one day event is at a private range in Catawba, just south of Rock Hill, SC. The morning will be spent shooting and we’ll break for a lunch that will consist of some of the most tasty tube steaks to fall off the mess wagon. No tough, stringy mule meat or Army bread here! After that, back to the guns to send more lead downrange.

This is an invitation for those of your reenacting unit who are interested in the arms to get some real “trigger time” with live ammunition. Range space is limited so we need an RSVP if you’re coming. Date is Saturday March 18th. Please reply to this thread to get in on some of the most fun you can have with a musket! Event details will be sent once we receive your RSVP.
 
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Got into a heated debate once years ago with an idiot about reenactments. My wife's uncle used to own the farm where Fort Branch is in our county and is the site for a reenactment every year.

This dude went on and on about how stupid reenactment were and how only rednecks from the south participated in them. I told him he was crazy and that one of the largest reenactment in the country is held at Gettysburg and the last time I checked it was in Pennsylvania. Slightly north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Conversation dried up after that.
 
Schattenreiter said:
Got into a heated debate once years ago with an idiot about reenactments. My wife's uncle used to own the farm where Fort Branch is in our county and is the site for a reenactment every year.

This dude went on and on about how stupid reenactment were and how only rednecks from the south participated in them. I told him he was crazy and that one of the largest reenactment in the country is held at Gettysburg and the last time I checked it was in Pennsylvania. Slightly north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Conversation dried up after that.
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Back when I was into reenacting, I visited Ft Branch on several occasions.
 
Schattenreiter said:
Got into a heated debate once years ago with an idiot about reenactments. My wife's uncle used to own the farm where Fort Branch is in our county and is the site for a reenactment every year.

This dude went on and on about how stupid reenactment were and how only rednecks from the south participated in them. I told him he was crazy and that one of the largest reenactment in the country is held at Gettysburg and the last time I checked it was in Pennsylvania. Slightly north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Conversation dried up after that.
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A couple more reenactment comments, I was at the 125th of Gettysburg. That was and still is the largest reenactment ever held in the US. After the first couple reenactments I was in, the "battles" got to be ho-hum. There were few times I'd get "the feeling" and it happened several times at Gettysburg. New Market is a smallish reenactment and if you're in the battle line near the Bushong house, the acoustics will have you thinking live rounds are going past your head as you hear snaps and cracks echoing. The parts I enjoyed more were the "living history" things we did and some of the "tacticals". One serious moment in the 125th Wilderness- I was on picket duty on a ridge between the opposing camps. Nothing modern in sight, campfire smoke, candles twinkling in the distance, and field music, in short as close to time travel as you'll get without a Tardis. Some of the "tacticals" were darn good. With no spectators to spoil the scenery, and war game judges dressed in staff uniforms, it was easy to get the feeling during a tactical. One reenactment where we took the entire 1st NC Batt into upstate New York, we exited our buses and fell into heavy marching order complete with colors about a mile from the event. Heavy marching order is full gear for you moderns. With fifes, drums, and colors flying, we marched in column with fixed bayonets into the reenactment and brought the entire thing to a standstill, there was a column of REAL Southerners in town! We halted, stacked muskets according to Hardee's manual and held formation while our mucky mucks signed us in. One of the tacticals we fought that weekend, we ambushed a Federal column in a classic "L" (some our our staff officers were prior military) and by the judges tally, the Federals took 90%+ casualties and were rendered completely and totally combat ineffective in less than 5 seconds. You should have seen the look in their eyes and faces.


But back to the original post, if you're interested in trying out what we do, even if you aren't a reenactor, PM me and come on down to burn some of the holy black.
 
I was with the 14th Tennessee Infantry Regiment at the 125th Gettysburg reenactment. It was an awesome sight to see all those troops on the field at once.
 
gsimmons said:
I was with the 14th Tennessee Infantry Regiment at the 125th Gettysburg reenactment. It was an awesome sight to see all those troops on the field at once.
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Do you remember the musket "waves" when being bored silly while staging Picket's Charge?
 
Schattenreiter said:
In that case you have been within 8 minutes of my house and depending on which way you came into and left the fort you were within a mile of my house.
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I'm in the Winston area so we'd have been approaching from the west. Years ago, most reenactors used some form of tentage but my brother figured out a way to make a portable "shebang" that slept 4, complete with small pot bellied stove. It made it's debut at Ft Branch. Lots of folks took pix and ever since, they've been a "thing" at certain reenactments. We still have the shebang and stove.
 
Dave951 said:
I'm in the Winston area so we'd have been approaching from the west. Years ago, most reenactors used some form of tentage but my brother figured out a way to make a portable "shebang" that slept 4, complete with small pot bellied stove. It made it's debut at Ft Branch. Lots of folks took pix and ever since, they've been a "thing" at certain reenactments. We still have the shebang and stove.
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If you came into Williamston ane then on 125 to the ft. you were a mile from my house at one time. Either way at the ft. you were only 6.5 miles from me.
 
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