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REAL Reenactors: Living History
with Lee's Lieutenants
by Michael Aubrecht
The
Dictionary defines a reenactor as, "a person who
recreates a character in a historical event such as
a battle," or "a person who portrays history as a
pastime." This is true. Unfortunately these two
passages do not even begin to describe the
contributions to the preservation of American
history that period-reenactors provide. With
reverence for their character beyond that of any
actor preparing for the stage, these men and women
dedicate their lives to educating the public while
maintaining the honorable memories of their
ancestors. In essence, as "living historians," they
themselves are the attraction. It is an expensive
hobby, but the benefits are priceless as without
them, the stories of our nation's heroes would
inevitably be forgotten.
Without question, the most popular
reenactments are those depicting America's Civil
War. Since their inception in the early 1900's,
there have been hundreds of reenactors chartered
across the country, each portraying a multitude of
brigades and companies. Some are better than
others, but all of them strive to look and act the
part. To my knowledge, no other organization has
accomplished this better than "Lee's Lieutenants"
and "Pickett's Gamecocks." As a writer, I struggle
to describe them as words alone cannot illustrate
how much these men actually resemble their
characters. Most impressive is the absence of
"Hollywood" illusion. There are no fake beards or
facial prosthetics in this group. These generals
look just like the men they portray 24/7. In fact,
they are so uncanny, attendees to their events
might feel as if they actually traveled back in
time, if only for a moment.
Their organization, christened the
"Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia" was formed
in 2003 for the purpose of promoting and teaching
the history of the war for Southern independence.
To date, the group boasts ultra-realistic
portrayals of Generals Lee, Longstreet, Jackson,
Pickett, Early, Armistead, and others to include
several of their staff along with civilian
impressions. Some members have appeared in TV
documentaries, while others have been captured
on-canvas while posing for Mort Kunstler. The
addition of equally accurate horses, spouses, and
children round out the group's complete cast. It is
truly a family affair and well worth the price of
admission.
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Recently, I was blessed
with an invitation to appear as an author
at an upcoming event hosted by Lee's
Lieutenants. Needles to say, I am
absolutely thrilled as it is both an honor
and a privilege to be sharing the same
bill.
The event is the
Gathering of
EAGLES
which takes place April
8-9 at the Rockingham Country Fairgrounds
in Harrisonburg, VA.
For more information on
this amazing group and their upcoming
appearances, visit the HQ of the ANV
online at Lee's
Lieutenants.
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