Be Excellent To Each Other

Ermagherd!

So I'm over here by Pittsburgh having just photographed a very successful wedding for a lovely couple near to my heart, and they've just surprised me with the off-the-cuff idea of us all driving off to Gettysburgh, spending the night in the Lincoln House and doing a battlefield walkabout tomorrow. It's not the first time my friend Rachel's been there, she knows the place fairly well now, and I am incredibly excited at this sudden 'hell yeah let's do it!' proposal. If we can get everything lined up we'll be driving off in a couple of hours.

Gettysburg is very, very, much on my bucket list - the opportunity of seeing the Devil's Den, the sight of the first encounter between Buford and the Confederates, site of Pickett's Charge.... ooooh.

Kern, you've been there before, right?

Yes! Many times!
Drink at O'Rourkes.

Also, hmm.. if the Regimental Quartermaster has a pair of Union enlisted trousers (no stripes) at 36" on the rack, send me a text or PM...

Dear God, those days were fun!
https://www.beexcellenttoeachother.com/ ... 81#p580181

Will do. Let me know the length and I'll see if I can source some for you! Eagerly going to devour your thread on this now. O'Rourkes, eh? I will raise it. I shall message you wifi permitting.

Hurrah! And we are booked and ready to go! I think I'll be staying in the Eisenhower room at the Farnsworth, so within a stone's throw of O'Rourke's. Super-hyped. Imma gonna take ALLMYLENSES.

Have a great time, Pete.

Enjoy Pete! Please post all the pics.

https://www.facebook.com/10086509695319 ... 46?sfns=mo

Hopefully this link will work.
It’s from the BBC archive covering reenactment in 1970

Thanks for that. Soskan is my organisation although I've been away from it a lot in recent years. Amazing to watch that and see how far the group has come (I actually know the chap they interview).

Perhaps I'll get out again next year.

BBC: Russia professor admits murder after woman's arms found in bag



WTF? Also: farb.

Really interesting piece in the Guardian about a large re-renactment of the 1811 Louisainan slave rebellion. Excellent photos too.

The ongoing turmoil in the US has also seen an acceleration of the removal (both by civil authorities and more faster methods) of Confederate monuments in the South. Just seen this tweet that provides a brilliant piece of foreshadowing:

https://twitter.com/cwbarr/status/1268164938188705794

Well I'll be damned https://t.co/o7jzPm7BCt pic.twitter.com/Ml2uV6ZDug

— Chris Barr (@cwbarr) June 3, 2020

Loads of statues across the south are coming down. The US military wants to rename its bases named after Confederate generals but Trump has said no, presumably because ceasing to glorify racist losers would set a heck of a precedent. He probably wonders why Fort Lee, Fort Bragg, etc aren't accompanined by Fort Rommel.

Maybe he's hoping for a Fort Trump.

Fort Bone Spurs

He's probably already got plans to redecorate the Lincoln Memorial.

I wonder if there will be a backlash from the "South Will Rise Again" diehards when these statues are removed.

NASCAR have banned confederate flags at race meetings, so I’d expect it’ll happen then.

The governor of Mississippi has signed a bill removing the Confederate battle flag from its state flag. Progress of a sort, but no replacement has yet been agreed. Vexillology fans have long noted how the state flag of Georgia looks suspiciously like the first Confederate flag, after all.

Guardian link on Mississippi

Do any of you Colonial Civil War type watch Atu-Shai Films on you tube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_CTu ... 7X0bxUTBTA)? He's a former Gettysburg 'living' historian and film maker. His vids on the Civil War, early colonial life and New Orleans mythology are excellent (he also has some interesting things to say on a certain type of re-enactor). Well worth checking out.

Not come across him before but I'll take a look - thanks!

Watched a couple of these just now. Excellent stuff, thanks.

Mocking "Gods and Generals" for completing missing the point is easy enough, but comparing it toa classic Western and explaining how the latter inadvertently gives a more accurate and telling portrayal of Southern attitudes is sheer class. I'm going to enjoy working through this guy's output.

And now I want to go to Gettysburg again.

The big one's gone. Richmond, Virginia, gets rid of General Lee.

And who remains on Monument Avenue, that former pantheon of Lost Cause idols and traffic jams?

And that's it.

After much painful thought over the past year I realised that my adventures in the 1860s had come to an end ages ago and there was no point clinging to stuff on the off-chance I'd make a return. In recent times most events have been on the other side of the country and the days when I would happily get up at 4, drive 3 hours, and do a whole show are long gone. These days, I'm happier pulling on my modern outdoor gear rather than itchy wool uniforms, and sleeping in a hike tent rather than just on the ground with only a shelter-half for comfort.

I've kept my kepi for sentimental reasons and the greatcoat for its general awesomeness, but everything else was loaded up in someone's car to give them a good start in the hobby. Probably only made a tiny percentage of the overall cost back, but I'm glad it'll all get used rather than just end up in landfill.

Re-enacting provided me with many memorable experiences and trips to parts of the US and UK I doubt I would have ever seen. I also gained a lot of confidence in public speaking and performing, as well as finding a use for all those old Scout skills like campfire cooking. Also gained some less transferable skills such as how to dismantle and clean a Springfield musket or how to survive on hardtack and coffee for a weekend.

Closing a chapter but I'm glad I did it and the memories, in-jokes, and stories will stay with me for a long time.

It sounds like you have made a positive, if difficult, decision, and for good reasons, too. It's good you've kept a little something back for sentiment, but also so, so good to know that your other items are moving on with someone else. I hope you continue to enjoy the part of your life that takes you into the great outdoors and keep sharing your pictures with us all x

Thanks Mimi. I never like endings but sometimes it's best to draw a line under things.

Definitely going to enjoy the great outdoors this year: already have a few trips booked.

At ease, Private.