A few questions for you to consider:
Have you considered becoming a living historian?
Do you have a passion for learning about and discussing the Civil War? If so, how about sharing what you have learned with others?
Do you enjoy traveling and sleeping outdoors?
Have you ever had coffee made over an open fire?
Do you want to be a part of something unique and important?
We do something special, it's a hobby, but its also so much more than that as there is a responsibility that we all share in our efforts to bring awareness to a crucial moment in our nation's turbulent past.
To do what we do, one has to be both intentional and highly motivated about the importance of education in the preservation of our collective heritage as Americans.
We understand the value attributed to sharing the stories of our ancestors who struggled so harshly in this conflict, regardless of whether they were from north or south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Our objective is to provide an accurate depiction of the lives of the soldiers in this time period and to do so as factually as possible. We have a great deal of fun along the way. Our particular company is a progressive mixture of both campaigner and mainstream reenactors. We understand that everyone in the hobby has to start somewhere. If this sounds like something you'd like to check out and try, we'd be glad to have you join us.
How do I get involved?
Lets establish a few steps to help you get started:
Step # 1 - Consider the following items first:
A few items to consider:
What does your availability look like on weekends?
Events are typically scheduled for weekends, as this is the best time for both the public and living historians alike to both attend and put on programs.
Have you checked out the company schedule on the main page of this site?
We meet twice annually in the year, once in the winter (January) and again in the Summer (June) to adopt our event schedule for the Spring (February - May) Term and Fall Term (August - December). We ask that members be able to commit to attending two of the scheduled company events in each of the terms, or four events annually.
Do you like camping?
It may be trivial to ask, but this hobby is not well suited for those who are not comfortable outdoors, especially in the colder months, or in less than pleasant conditions. We are not what some would refer to as "Fair Weather Reenactors," in other words, rain and severe weather do not deter us from attendance at events. We go through the same experiences that our ancestors went through on campaign by re-creating the same camp environment they would have employed while in the field. Therefore, one should very much consider this as being an integral part of what we do in the hobby before committing to join.
Have you considered the costs as our hobby can be expensive?
Lastly, have you considered the financial aspect of our hobby. Getting in can be costly and as you acquire better quality items, you'll notice that they can be expensive. Our company has the extra gear and equipment available to outfit new members and will loan out items at events as are needed; however, we require members to acquire their basic kits, weapon, and additional items within the year following their decision to join. We are always glad to help and often times, can source better prices and deals as well as locate better options on items when asked to. Often times members trade up gear as they go, which presents great opportunities for new members to acquire good gear and uniform items at better prices as well.
The big take away here, is that one should be ready and dedicated to the cost of acquiring their first kits (Federal and Confederate) and equipment. The tradeoff being, that after one is established in the hobby, expense becomes much more selective as you move to acquiring items of quality which can be done over a greater period of time. This is not meant to scare off anyone from what we do, but we are very up front and transparent about what it takes to do what we do.
Step # 2 - Contact:
If you have considered the aforementioned items, and believe you are prepared to begin your journey as a living historian then the next step is to make contact in order to ask questions you may have and to coordinate attending your first event with the company.
There are several methods for reaching out; however, I would recommend an email to captain.31st.al.inf@gmail.com, to let us know that you are interested in checking out what we do. This is also the best way to ask any questions that aren't addressed on the site.
Step # 3 - Show Up at your first event:
This is where it all truly begins for you. When you arrive at an event, you immediately begin to experience how we operate, what the atmosphere is around the camp, you'll interact with people from all walks of life, and from across multiple and diverse occupations and life experiences. Here, you'll experience why we do what we do and the comradery that we share in our efforts.
I am hopeful that this short post is helpful to you, especially if this is something you believe you want to do. The information here is transparent and designed to give you an up front understanding of things you really must take under consideration before making the commitment to this hobby. There is a cost and an expectation, that's why it's always better to make an event before you begin making large monetary investments.
I hope that you'll consider joining us and to hear from you!
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