Gettysburg reenactments struggle to find reenactors
by Dennis Owens, Madison Montag
July 3, 2023 - abc27.com
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — In recent years, we’ve seen symbols of the Confederacy, flags and monuments, disappear from the landscape, as America reckons with race.
But Gettysburg is in a unique situation, as it marks the 160th anniversary of the battle that turned the tide of the civil war. How have things changed for re-enactors?
The uniforms are blue and gray, but the hair is mostly white.
“The average age of our re-enactors are now close to 60, 65 years old,” said Kirk Davis, a reenactment organizer.
“Even though I’m from Michigan, I am a Confederate,” said Charles McDermott, a retiree.
McDermott’s portrayed a cook who was hand-cranking ice cream. He said his first Gettysburg, 20 years ago, was much different.
“It was 25,000 soldiers alone on the battlefield,” McDermott added.
Spectators filled the grandstands for the 160th reenactment to witness soldiers getting killed. But is reenacting a dying art?
“We haven’t had a good turnout about trying to recruit the younger people. So the only young people that are coming up in all of this is the ones I was at that I call actually born on the battlefield with their parents,” McDermott said.
People like Piper, a ninth grader from Cumberland County who portrayed Peter, a Union soldier. She followed her parents on to the battlefield, but knows few teenagers are following her.
“I’m here because I love history personally,” she said. “My hope is that more children get into it and more people push their children. Let’s try it out. Let’s just one event, let’s try it out. And then it gets bigger and bigger and bigger like it used to be.”
Dressing as a Confederate and flying its flags have become increasingly more taboo. And the battle flag has become an offensive symbol of racism to more people.
“What we do is the Confederate flag, which is normally, unfortunately, picked up by some hate groups. We only use the battle flag for battles,” McDermott said.
That flag used to fly far more freely in Gettysburg, but less so now. Being politically correct, some argue, is all wrong.
“Everybody nowadays, they get offensive about every little thing,” McDermott added.
“It has no place anymore,” said Levi Ryan, a former reenactor.
Ryan thinks that flag is fine during demonstrations of battles and just about nowhere else.
The fighting here was terrible 160 years ago, but the big fight now is keeping reenactors and these demonstrations alive.
My pard Mal Stylo writes: "Time for the Hobby to move to the Grand Army of Reenactors. Everybody comes to 'encampments,' sets up camps, wears a sack coat festooned with reenacted medals, does FIRPER (first person) and tells awed publics about how 'our regiment' held the Rebs at wherever. Combines all the best of reenacting and ditches the drill, command structure, etc. And all you need is a hat and a tin cup — It’s an idea whose time has come!"
