Military Through the Ages

This story occupies 2/3 of the front page of today’s ‘Virginia Gazette’

I gotta tell you, I don’t exactly understand military reenactments.  They are a thing, however, and Williamsburg is hosting a traditional one this weekend.  According to this article, this event will bring in hundreds of reenactors portraying historic military units and will also host modern service members from the 111^th Field Artillery, the Virginia Army National Guard, and the Virginia Defense Force. Among the groups that are attending this year are the Greek Phalanx (portraying citizen-soldiers from around 500 BC), the Ostvik Vikings (from 984 Scandinavia), the New Plimmoth Gard (representing the 17^th-century militia of the Plymouth Colony), and the 2^nd Coldstream Guards (in Egypt in 1882).  I can’t really picture what this will look like. 

A lot of things will be blowing up throughout the weekend, with a variety of artillery demonstrations along with a narrated flyover of a Blackhawk helicopter.  I envision something along the lines of “And now, here comes the Blackhawk” but there’s probably more to it.  The weekend will also feature musical performances by three military ensembles.

According to the article, bad weather during some of the reenactment weekends has led people to rename the event “Misery Throughout the Ages” and has led to some interesting situations.  For example, during one of the weekends, the weather was less than cooperative, leading a reenactment group of medieval knights hitching a ride to one of their demonstrations aboard an M-51 tank.  In another example of what can happen during this event, several years ago one group portrayed the Women’s Land Army, a British civilian organization during World War I and World War II that supplied essential agricultural labor in place of men who went off to fight.  The article quotes the event’s organizer as saying “They were telling the story that modern-day war includes everyone.  It wasn’t just guys with guns.  It was also women with distinctive sweaters who wrestled sheep.”  Swear to God, that is a direct quote from the article.

Of course, I had to do a little research on military reenactments.  They have been around for a couple of centuries, and a particular vocabulary and lore have grown up around them.  The Wikipedia entry for “historical reenactment” includes the following morsels about the various levels of authenticity sought by the reenactors (these terms relate specifically to American Civil War reenactments, but you’ll get the idea).

Farbs are reenactors who spend relatively little time on achieving authenticity.  It’s not clear where this word came from, but it first appeared in the 1960s and was applied to people whose approach seemed to be “Far be it from authentic.”  Other possible origins of the word are presented but you get the idea.  Calling a reenactor a “farby” is apparently a fighting word.  Ahem.

Mainstreams make an effort to appear authentic, but they will wear uniforms in which the appearance may be period-correct but hidden stitches and undergarments are not authentic.  These people act in character in front of an audience but may be scrolling their social media feeds when no one is watching.

Progressives are the detail-obsessed reenactors, sometimes derisively described as “stitch nazis” or “stitch witches.”  They deride mainstream reenactors for perpetuating inaccurate “reenactorisms.”  They seek a truly immersive experience, trying to live as someone of the period may have lived even when no one is watching.

The Wikipedia entry goes on to talk in much more detail about how historians and actual soldiers view reenactments.  As you can imagine, opinions are mixed. 

If this has piqued your interest, you can attend this event this weekend at the Jamestown Settlement (about two miles from my house) for the price of $18 for adults and reduced cost for children.  Residents of York County, James City County, and the City of Williamsburg are admitted free of charge.  So are students at William and Mary.