byron ed
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An unfortunate casualty of current events is that Civil War reenactments and living histories are being swept away in the otherwise justifiable and correct purge of Confederate symbols. That includes the Confederate battle flag at reenactments but also by extension Confederate reenactors -- and in the mind of a naive public it includes all CW reenactors, Union and civilian as well.
And btw, as often Covid has been merely been the convenient and opportune public explanation for shutting down these outdoor events, a straw-man only.
A big part of what's to blame for this overreaction has been the BS impressions of some mouthy play-Confederates (and some Union) over the years. These grey-bearded, pot-bellied reenactors have sullied the whole reenacting hobby with their uneducated and thinly-disguised excuses for their own personal racism. Some of them have volunteered their BS history at local schools, which is inexcusable imho. Can't tell you how many times I've heard some cretin play-Confederate officer or soldier give the spectators the "hey, this is what a real soldier was all about / it wasn't slavery that caused the war / I'm just giving it straight / don't blame we Southerns for slavery" thing.
Some fault also goes to unit and venue leadership for allowing the over-use of the Confederate battle flag at reenactments. Most Confederate units did not use that rag in the actual war. It was Lee's army and a boat or two (and Lee himself discouraged the use of that rag after the war in any context).
Well thanks a lot boys (and some of their equally-ignorant "Southern belles") for nearly killing the hobby. And btw you best remove that little cement "Jocko" from your front lawn before the local BLM notices it.
If this seems directed at the play-Confederates and their clueless webmaster at that "other" site, well whatever...
And btw, as often Covid has been merely been the convenient and opportune public explanation for shutting down these outdoor events, a straw-man only.
A big part of what's to blame for this overreaction has been the BS impressions of some mouthy play-Confederates (and some Union) over the years. These grey-bearded, pot-bellied reenactors have sullied the whole reenacting hobby with their uneducated and thinly-disguised excuses for their own personal racism. Some of them have volunteered their BS history at local schools, which is inexcusable imho. Can't tell you how many times I've heard some cretin play-Confederate officer or soldier give the spectators the "hey, this is what a real soldier was all about / it wasn't slavery that caused the war / I'm just giving it straight / don't blame we Southerns for slavery" thing.
Some fault also goes to unit and venue leadership for allowing the over-use of the Confederate battle flag at reenactments. Most Confederate units did not use that rag in the actual war. It was Lee's army and a boat or two (and Lee himself discouraged the use of that rag after the war in any context).
Well thanks a lot boys (and some of their equally-ignorant "Southern belles") for nearly killing the hobby. And btw you best remove that little cement "Jocko" from your front lawn before the local BLM notices it.
If this seems directed at the play-Confederates and their clueless webmaster at that "other" site, well whatever...
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