Shooting a Civil War Reenactment

Last week, I wrote about two upcoming Civil War reenactments in my community, the Battles of Sunshine Church and Griswoldville. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to photograph both reenactments and other events surrounding them. It was a great opportunity to get in close to historically accurate reenactors, practice shooting in some very challenging circumstances, and learn some valuable lessons from comical mistakes.

On Saturday, I got up early to take advantage of some very nice morning light. The reenactors were conducting inspections and drills. There were authentic camps surrounding the battlefield, offering some great opportunities to shoot a number of kids in period dress. I’m still learning my new 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto. In the morning light, narrow depth of field portraits of reenactors and family were plentiful. But the kids were my favorite, especially when I could catch them from a distance without them noticing me.

At some point during the morning, I was invited to be ”embedded” with the troops during the afternoon battle. So I put on a hot wool confederate outfit, complete with floppy hat, and set out to find a place to hide from the crowd out on the battlefield. I was also given a escort by the event coordinators. I’m certain his function solely to ensure I didn’t do anything stupid and get myself beheaded by a cannon or run through by a bayonet. We selected two “blinds” to shoot from and hunkered down for the battle to begin.

Early in the Battle of Sunshine Church, which the Confederates won, I realized just how challenging the photography was going to be. I was set up in the edge of a fairly dense stand of hardwood trees, and the shadows from the midday sun were deep. Out in front of me, the remainder of the battlefield was in full sunlight. To make matters worse, in the background, from practically every angle, were rows of spectators. I suppose this is where professionalism comes in. Time to get creative and make lemonade.

Soon after the battle started, my “guide” and I decided to move from the first blind to the second. Wanting to travel light and assuming that we would quickly return, I left my camera bag contain the rest of my lenses, armed only with one DSLR and the aforementioned 70-200mm 2.8. Save the troublesome lighting challenge, I was in a pretty good spot to shoot over the heads of a line of Union soldiers as they fired at Confederate troops advancing toward us. But the Union troops were in deep shadow and the southern soldiers were in very bright sunlight directly overhead. To make matters worse, gunsmoke from from the rifles and cannon quickly spread across the area, totally confusing my camera’s exposure meter.The final insult to my photographic skills, or lack thereof, came when the Union troops retreated to and then beyond my position. As quickly as they pulled behind me, the Confederate troops overran us, crowding to within four or five feet, quite the challenge with only one lens with a minimal focal range of 3.5 feet. I laid back in a tangle of vines and poison ivy, ignoring the fireants, and tried to find some creative close-ups, longing for the camera bag I could see, but could not reach.

The second day, the Battle of Griswoldville, proved a little less stressful. The Griswoldville battle is significant only in that it was the last resistance faced by Sherman on his March to the Sea. And resistance is a bit of an overstatement. The Confederate force was made up of local Georgia militia, mostly young boys and old men. They were virtually annihilated by the regular Union forces. I shot from the base of the hill covered with spectators and got a few really good shots, despite the bright sunlight.

Overall, it was a really fun weekend. I shot nearly 1,000 frames and got a couple hundred nice images, some of which I hope will either be published or sold. Regardless of the images, the most valuable thing was the experience of learning to never leave gear behind and to think ahead. For now, I’m still processing photos and hoping I get the opportunity again next year so that I can put some of these lessons to work.

Did You Know it Was a Holiday?

If you’re like most Americans, you probably didn’t know today was a holiday (okay, technically, it was on Sunday). You probably didn’t join a protest or participate in a vigil on the courthouse steps unless you are a member of the NAACP or the Sons of Confederate Veterans. And unless you are an employee of the state of Georgia, Mississippi, or Alabama, you most certainly didn’t get a paid day off in honor of Confederate Memorial Day.

I knew that there was a Confederate Memorial Day, although for some reason I thought it was aligned with Robert E. Lee’s birth date. It seems the date commemorates Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's surrender to Union Gen. William T. Sherman in North Carolina on April 26, 1865. Since Johnston was charged with Georgia's defense—and based on all of the things Sherman burned in Georgia, Johnston did a really lousy job—this marked the end of the state's participation in the Civil War. I can only assume that Mississippi and Alabama use the same reasoning. In reading some of the tiny amount of media coverage regarding the holiday—seems almost everyone is tired of this issue—I found some shrill, predictable, and ridiculous quotes. I just have to share.

"It's very easy to vilify our Confederate ancestors and write them off," commented Robert Reames, Alabama commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. "They were the greatest heroes this country has ever produced." That seems pretty strong language considering all of the heroes of foreign wars against America. Or did he mean America? But in regard to slavery as the cause of the “War of Northern Aggression” he said it is simply “what's being taught through the schools through Yankee books from Yankee publishers telling the Yankee side of the war." You just can’t make stuff like that up.

But not to be outdone, Mississippi NAACP president Derrick Johnson said, “It is a remnant of Mississippi's segregated past. Could you imagine Israel celebrating Hitler day.” I’m sure Mr. Johnson was simply out that day at diplomacy school.

The issue is simple for me. I do think we should memorialize the Civil War and remember it so that we don’t repeat those mistakes again. After all, over 620,000 soldiers and an unimaginable number of civilians were killed, compared to 416,800 fallen U.S. troops in WWII. But I’m not terribly concerned with keeping the Civil War battles going. It ended. The South lost. Let’s move on. And I’m glad Georgia changed the flag... again. Twice. But what concerns me greatly is that well over a hundred thousand Georgia employees are getting paid to take this day off. Seems like a great way to save some tax dollars in a bad economy.

Oddly enough, my community has a Civil War reenactment scheduled for this week. Regardless of the agendas of some of the attendees and participants, it’s a pretty well run event that accurately portrays two battles. With any luck, I’ll have some great new shots to share next week.

Until then, for you lucky state employees, I hope you enjoyed your day off. For the rest of us, get some rest. We deserve it.