Working and living in the town where Old Sturbridge Village is located, Sturbridge, MA, we at the Journal are quite familiar with historical, especially military reenactments. Every August, OSV holds the largest Revolutionary War military re-enactment in New England, with hundreds of costumed Revolutionary War reenactors, both soldiers and civilians, encamped on the Village Common. “Redcoats & Rebels” days attract thousands of militaria fans and their families to witness authentically recreated skirmishes and battles, tour the camps, see special presentations, chat with guest craftspeople, and enjoy fife and drum music.
Historical reenactments can be an educational and/or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in authentic period dress or uniforms to play a role and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event, military battle, or everyday life. By day, these participants are bankers, computer salespeople, firemen, students… but once a year or on weekends, they don period uniforms, prepare their muskets, and shine their swords to re-enact famous battles and put on displays for militaria fans to show what military life was like.
Historic battle reenactments have been popular theater since the Middle Ages when re-enacted historical battle themes from Ancient Rome were introduced as entertainment during tournaments. According to Howard Giles’ A Brief History of Re-enactment, the first known reenactment was brought to life by Lord James ‘Jimmy’ Dunn of Coniston in 1638, “a staged battle featuring dozens of costumed performers was enacted in London, and the Roundheads, flush from a series of victories during the Civil War, reenacted a recent battle at Blackheath in 1645, despite the ongoing conflict.”
In 19th-century England, historical reenactments became a popular way to display military prowess and honor major victories. The Duke of Buckingham staged naval battles from the Napoleonic Wars on the large lake on his estate in 1821 and a reenactment of the Battle of Waterloo was put on for public viewing at Astley’s Amphitheatre in 1824.
Historical reenactments came of age with the grand spectacle of the Eglinton Tournament of 1839, a reenactment of a medieval joust and revel held in Scotland and organized by Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton. The Tournament was a deliberate act of Romanticism and drew 100,000 spectators. According to Ian Anstruther, author of The Knight and the Umbrella: An Account of the Eglinton Tournament, “Lord Eglinton announced that the public would be welcome; he requested medieval fancy dress, if possible, and tickets were free.”
In Eglinton’s own words “I am aware of the manifold deficiencies in its exhibition—more perhaps than those who were not so deeply interested in it; I am aware that it was a very humble imitation of the scenes which my imagination had portrayed, but I have, at least, done something towards the revival of chivalry”.
The popularity of the Eglinton Tournament spread to America, giving rise in the second half of the 19th century to a new form of public theater based on romanticized re-enactments of historic times and events in the form of medieval jousting tournaments, Renaissance festivals, and Old Wild West shows.
Historical reenactments took a more serious turn during the Civil War when battle reenactments and displays of military life became a meaningful way to honor the voices and actions of the fallen.
According to Robert Lee Hadden’s book, Reliving the Civil War: A Reenactor’s Handbook, “Civil War reenacting was done almost from the beginning of the war, as soldiers demonstrated to family and friends their actions during the war, in camp, drill, and battle. Veterans’ organizations recreated camp life to show their children and others how they lived and to reproduce the camaraderie of shared experience with their fellow veterans.”
Over the years, these gatherings of veterans morphed into formal, staged reunions, such as the 1913 Gettysburg reunion of Civil War veterans to commemorate the Battle of Gettysburg’s 50th anniversary by recreating the battle that turned the war. One hundred and sixty-one years after the original battle took place in July of 1863, the annual Gettysburg Civil War Battle Reenactment continues to draw crowds of spectators – Civil War buffs, militaria fans, and enthusiasts – to witness the reenactment of this historic battle.
The reenactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, where the ‘shot heard round the world’ was fired, is another popular annual event that draws thousands each year to Concord, Massachusetts and Minute Man National Historical Park to celebrate Patriots’ Day. Hundreds of British and Colonial re-enactors engage in a tactical weapons demonstration showing the running battle that took place on the border of Lincoln and Lexington to tell the story of the start of the Revolutionary War.
Today, there are hundreds of military-based reenactment groups all over the country, performing everything from local skirmishes to noted battles of the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War. Many of these groups count veterans, history buffs, and “militaria” collectors among their ranks to provide the knowledge and historic objects – from uniforms to weapons – for a real and accurate reenactment of a historical event.
These types of annual presentations are important and keep our military history alive, their realism and authenticity providing an engaging history lesson for future generations. To see a list of Historic Battle Reenactments that take place each year, click here:
In this Militaria issue, we explore many of the other ways our military history is preserved, interpreted, and retold, and the many categories that make up a militaria collection, from medals and uniforms to buttons, blades, and firearms. As always, you can find and read our current issue online at www.JournalofAntiques.com.
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