Welcome to Civil War civilian re-enacting! A hobby that is exciting and allows you to indulge in your love of history while giving spectators an experience that will enrich and entertain.

Our hobby is living history; portraying a period of time as accurately as we can and doing it with integrity. We voluntarily make public education our responsibility.

One vehicle we use to teach history is Civil War encampments. The public who attend our reenactments are intelligent people and many are Civil War buffs, so we strive to keep our impressions period correct. Remember, when you step into your character, you provide a window to the past for spectators.

Civilian Roles are just as important as the military roles. There are a multitude of civilian roles to portray.

Male civilian roles may include: preacher, minister, blacksmith, carpenter, barber, town drunk, farmer, to name a few.

For the female civilian re-enactor you may choose to portray a farmer's wife bringing baskets of vegetables "to sell" to support her family. (Spectators love to see food being prepared in encampments.)

A social belle or lady of upper class showing their skills in find needlework may be more to your liking.

Other ideas for the female re-enactor may include laundress, cook, shop keeper, seamstress, grieving widow, society matron, nurse, spy or town gossip. Also, for those women who would more enjoy the military role, you will be greatly accepted and appreciated as a soldier in disguise.

1. Attend a couple of events as a spectator to "learn the ropes".

2. Attend an event in a simple role, such as a farmer's wife. Someone in your unit may even be able to help you out with something to wear until you can establish your own collection.

3. If you have a skill, research it's connection to the Civil War. Knitting was a very popular skill on the ladies home front. They spent much time making gloves and socks for the soldiers.

4. Research your role. Learn what you can to enhance your persona. Remember, you must know history before you can live it. But don't worry that you should spend endless hours researching, because part of re-enacting is learning as you go.

5. Ladies, please remember that it takes time to get your basic needs together. Be patient. You can add to your collection as you go. You can effectively re-enact with just a dress and boots.