Let’s Don’t Tell Rob Hodge About This, Okay?
Tim Smith is live-blogging (kinda-sorta) the Manassas reenactment over at A House Divided. It”s pretty good for a funny, not-at-all-serious take on the whole thing. This morning, “When Civil War reenactors go to Burger King:”
Derek Lanham, a Confederate cavalryman at Camp Manassas, has his horse saddled and he’s ready to ride for breakfast.
He’s getting a bite at Burger King.
“Where are you going to hitch up your horse there?”
“The drive thru,” he says.
With picture, FTW.
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Dead Confederates, A Civil War Era Blog 
How farby. I have seen many transgressions at Manassas…. Yesterday on the local news, for example, a Confederate was wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses. And today I saw a pic of some men dressed in (**gasp**) shorts. Guess the intense heat and summer sunshine provide a free pass from authenticity.
See, that’s my dilemma. Every time I go to a reenactment (ACW or other) I think, “damn, that looks like fun. I oughter do that.” I then spend the drive home from (wherever) thinking about the costs involved, who I should ask about it, and generally sorting out how to launch myself into the hobby. Then I think about this guy, and realize it’s really not a good look for me.
Ha! Well, if I keep eating like I am, that might very well be my look in no time! (I do have to admit to wanting to give it a try just once. But won’t be making a hobby of it–too expensive, plus don’t think I could ever pull off the right hairstyle!)
Andy-Tony Horwitz who wrote “Confederates in the Attic” also covered several modern armed conflicts. He said in the book that his biggest problem with reenactments was that they were too neat and clean. Real wars were neither. He did concede that, no matter how dedicated reenactors were, it might be hard to get someone to volunteer to have his head shot off by a cannonball in the interests of authenticity.
Then I’m totally not doing it.
Hodge would do it! ….or at least come up with a way to come damn close.