To make these reenactments even more
stunning is the fact that many of the re-enactors are not southerners, and many
have family roots that arrived to the United States long after the US
Civil War. Thus, why would these
individuals come out to partake in a “war game” that does not pertain to their
direct history, and does this unique element detract from the historical nature
of the event and legitimacy of the dramatization? Well, re-enactors take their jobs very
seriously, and everything from uniforms to food carried is inspected for
cultural accuracy. Men will come out for
these reenactments and they will sleep in the field for several days (just like
the original battle), and during this time they do not have cell phones,
watches, zippers on their pants, toilet paper, or other modern accessories. Their food also represents the Civil War
era. Here, men often eat homemade loaves
of bread, carry bricks of cheese wrapped in cheese clothes, and granny apples
are a frequent staple. These items might
appear to be simple and mundane, but when the reenactment soldiers bring them
to the battle field they must be correct in color and texture. This means, that quite frequently, that
apples are discarded because they are too green (modern farming techniques and
chemicals often makes the apples a brighter green than they would have
naturally grown in the 1860s), cheese is custom ordered (or dyed at home) to
achieve the orangish-yellow huge prevalent during the war, and so forth. These men even carry custom ordered tobacco
products—so that their smell and appearance will match the 1860s. These little elements add to the atmosphere
and significance of the reenactment, and viewers witnessing these displays of
love and patriotism will walk away with a sense of history and cultural
significance. These notions vary from
enlightenment (i.e. understanding an element of the nation’s past), to
understanding the evolution of US
society. This evolution process enables
to visitor to see how far US
society has come, how far it has to go, and how and why it acts as it
does.