On Being a Mobile Monument: Historical Reenactments and Commemorations

Abstract

A few years ago I was at an American Civil War reenactment ‘talking authenticity’ — as re-enactors do — with someone who claimed to be re-enacting her great-grandmother. She spoke to me about the benefits of researching a ‘real, historical person’ instead of portraying a generic character of ‘someone from the Civil War’. She firmly believed an historical person could be quite accurately portrayed in both costume and character, particularly if there were surviving photographs, diaries, or letters. She also recommended researching such things as ‘local newspapers of the times’ to gain a contextual understanding of the events and issues ‘your character would have known about’. In her case, she could re-enact an ancestor. For others without this connection, she recommended choosing an ‘unknown’ historical figure and researching them in detail. Then she proudly said to me that she felt as though she were a ‘mobile monument’ to her great-grandmother’s memory.¹