Re-enacting with Cleburne's Mess

A Veteran Comments on Re-enacting:

"Who knows but it may be given to us, after this life, to meet again in the old quarters, to play chess and draughts, to get up soon to answer the morning roll call, to fall in at the tap of the drum for drill and dress parade, and again to hastily don our war gear while the monotonous patterns of the long roll summons to battle? Who knows but again the old flags, ragged and torn, snapping in the wind, may face each other and flutter, pursuing and pursued, while the cries of victory fill a summer day? And after the battle, the wounded and slain will arise and all will meet together under the two flags, all sound and well and there will be talking and laughter; and cheers, and all will say, "Did it not seem real? Was it not as in the old days?…"

Pvt. Berry Benson, 1^st South Carolina Rifles Regiment; Berry Benson’s Reminiscences of the Civil War, S.W. Benson, editor, 1962.

Civil War Reenacting:

During the war, "sham battles," in which blankets were used, were conducted by Confederate and Union troops for training purposes at the winter camps. Near the end of the nineteenth century, old veterans in civilian attire got together at reunions, and retraced their steps, over the same ground they had fought across as young men. Beginning in the early twentieth and continuing into the 1930’s, the U.S. army "fought" U.S. Marines in war games held on Civil War battlefields using contemporary weapons, and loosely following the movements of the original armies.

Cleburne's Mess:

Cleburne's Mess is a small group of "living historians" having originally hailed from the 15th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, who create authentic impressions of soldiers of the 'War between the States.' We are a non-profit organisation that exists for the enjoyment of our members, the education of the public, and the preservation of the heritage of the soldiers that fought in the American War Civil War of 1861 -1865.

Joining the ranks and feel the excitement of the charge; smell the smoke of battle; enjoy the camaraderie of camp life; drill in the same maneuvers; march in the same formations; sing the same songs around a campfire; eat the same rations. You wont be reading it in a book, you will be living it, experiencing it, bringing history alive.

We attend events mostly as part of the 'Volunteer Company' of the Southern Skirmish Association. This unit was formed in November 2002 in an effort to group together as many of the 'progressive' re-enactors of the society together in one unit. However, we also attend other events by like-minded progressive re-enacting groups such as the Lazy Jacks, Scallawags and the American Eagle Society.

You will meet people from all walks of life and from all over the UK and Europe who share common interests in history. We also travel across to America to re-enact with our good friends in the States, to enjoy living history on the same grounds that the men and women of the period lived and died on.

What's in a name?

We make no apology in choosing the name of our Mess after the greatest General of the Civil War period, General Patrick Cleburne. An Irish immigrant, Cleburne chose to fight for his adopted South. Arkansas had become Cleburne's home of 13 years and one that he had become to love and respect. In CLeburne's own words:

"I have never owned a nigger and care nothing for them, but these people have come to be my friends and neighbours."

Impressions:

Our principal impression is of the mid-War period -1863 as part of Cleburnes' Division, Army of Tennesses, but when attending events as guests of other units, we will adopt the persona of the unit chosen for the event. This might be an Eastern impression, Western or a Union impression if required. We do this because 2/3's of the Civil War re-enactment community prefer to portray Confederate soldiers. Therefore, in order to stage re-enactments with realistic battle ratios (generally 2:1 Northern majorities), re-enactors have to be able to "galvanize" (a period term meaning joining, or in our case portraying the other side). This unfortunate necessity has actually helped the hobby because it gives the re-enactors a broader perspective of the War and it lets the public know that we are primarily concerned with historical accuracy.