debbie
Living History
August 15, 2005
Imagine spending the weekend with a clothed vise clamped around your waist. Imagine wearing layers of clothing that are meant simply to keep your body covered and your virtue intact. Also imagine it being extremely hot out, with no A/C, no modern conveniences, and chasing a 2-year-old around. I spent the weekend wearing a chemise, corset, petticoat, a long-sleeved work dress on, and chased my friend’s daughter around. I am not complaining, no. I actually appreciate the time I spent this past weekend. It has helped me realize how lucky I am to live in the 21st century.
You’ll never take for granted the power of shorts when you can’t wear them on the hottest day of the year.
As a Civil War re-enactor, it my job to portray the time period as accurately as possible. Thus I have to wear the full regalia of a woman my age who lived in the time period. It’s a good teaching tool, though I am starting to believe more for myself than the people who come to watch. I’m not deceiving myself. What would you rather do? Watch a woman sewing/knitting/collecting sanitary commission items or watch the surgeons tent as they “hack” off limbs? Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best comparison. What if it was a full-fledged battle that entails calvary, infantry and the pyrotechnics of the artillery? I thought so. Hence, I make no delusions that I am not there for other people’s education. I have helped educate people, especially women, as to what the women wore. Women seem to be enthralled with that. I think it’s because we can have a feeling of superiority and freedom. “Look, I don’t have to be constrained by a corset!” Ladies, there are other forms of restraint, and it isn’t in the form of a whale-boned corset.
I am receiving an education that I can’t get from school. No matter if it’s middle-school up to graduate school. To understand what these women went through, you have to LIVE it. I recommend that school’s require students to do at least five re-enactments. The first two are learning about what is going on, the last three are to help you absorb everything. I would also recommend the troop that I am a part of. Yes, I am partial to the people, but I also know that they are committed to recreating the time period. They will gladly answer any questions you have regarding the period, no matter how dumb or little you might think it is. They are teachers. But they also know how to have fun and make events fun. History is fun, you just have to look in the right places.
Enough with my educational endorsements. I wasn’t paid to make them.
Unfortunately I was unable to bring my camera with me, there were no digital camera’s in the Civil War. I will, however, bring it next weekend to the event in Concord MA. You will then be able to sit and laugh at me all dressed up, and see my boyfriend dressed up as a cute private.
I can’t wait for that. ~Deb
Posted by debbie13 at August 15, 2005 08:01 PM