Women’s Participation in American Revolutionary War Reenactment
The Revolutionary War (1775-1783) is one of the more established historical events in the American reenactment scene. Like Civil War reenactment, which has over time become the most popular form of reenactment in the US, Revolutionary War reenactment started with an anniversary.
Specifically, it was the 1976 Bicentennial of the United States, celebrating 200 years since the Declaration of Independence from the British Empire, that provided the impetus for the first reenactments of this war. It has never achieved comparable popularity to Civil War reenactment, and mock battles and encampments of the Revolutionary War have never attracted as many reenactors or public spectators as the Civil War. However, Revolutionary War reenactment attracted female participants who started to conceive of themselves as a group within the larger reenactment scene. Facebook groups such as “Women in the Ranks of the American Revolution” (with over 120 members) were set up exclusively for female reenactors, and they provide evidence not only for a growing number of women involved in the social practice but also for a growing awareness of female reenactors regarding their interests within the larger community. Other Facebook groups like “On the Army’s Strength” set out to “provide a support network for all reenactors who wish to portray the strength surrounding the army.” This focus includes, but is “not limited to, laundry, mending and tailoring, mess cooking, Sutlers, market inhabitants, nursing, soap making, along with other contributory activities” (Facebook page “On the Army’s Strength,” online). The group’s Facebook profile has an inclusive approach and intends to reach out to women and men alike; however, the group is focused on activities that can be seen as typically belonging to women in the late 18th century, which the group wants to help improve and put forward during reenactments of the Revolutionary War.Four of these women active in Revolutionary War reenactment are the protagonists of this case study. I interviewed them in spring and early summer of 2017 in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, after I visited reenactments like the Battle of Trenton to observe female practices of reenactment and make acquaintance with female reenactors. The interviews were conducted in a one-on-one setting off the battlefields in an environment chosen by the interviewees. Some of the conversations took place in parks, others in institutions thematically related to the Revolutionary War, like the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton. To conduct the interviews off the battlefields was a deliberate decision within the research process to enable a freer conversation regarding female participation in reenactment and to be able to address difficulties and conflicts within the reenactment groups as well as personal fears, wishes, or desires in a safe environment.Within this relatively small group of interviewees appears a certain heterogeneity, despite the fact that the interviewees, much like their male counterparts, are all white and middle-class. Like the majority of male reenactors in the reenactments I have visited, the women I interviewed were between 25 and 65 years old. Most of the crucial factors for becoming part of a reenactment unit apply to women and men alike. It is, for instance, not an easily accessible leisure activity, and the preconditions for becoming a successful reenactor are hard to meet. This applies to the equipment required, which can cost thousands of dollars, depending on the persona of the reenactor. Education is another factor that cuts across genders. Reenactors are more likely to have a college degree or a higher educational background, or to be willing to gain additional knowledge regarding the reenacted topic. Another element that has been highlighted in studies focusing on male reenactors holds true for the female participants as well—their professional background is very diverse. In the small sample of interviewees I chose for this chapter,2 the following professions are represented: a chemist, a physiotherapist, a history teacher, and the director of a county heritage center.
The differences between the women are significant regarding their experience in reenacting, as some have been active in the community for almost 20 years while others are newcomers.The interviews suggest that women begin reenacting in one of two ways. The first derives from their own experiences during a visit to a reenacted battle or an encampment; the second is because a friend or family member, most often the husband, is already an active participant in reenactments. Among the first group, it is the positive impression they received during their first visits to reenactments that sparked their own interest in becoming reenactors. Interviewee 1 (approximately 30 years old) moved from Florida to New Jersey, where she first encountered reenactments:
So, when I moved up here four years ago [.one of my girlfriends and I, we went to a Civil War Reenactment; we were looking for something to do. [.] And when we went, I said: ‘Oh my goodness! This is incredible! I want to do this!’“You can’t just put men in the field and be accurate” 223
Interviewee 2 (approximately 40 years old) first came into contact with reenactment in 1992, and she experienced it as “theme camping”: “When I went to one of those [theme camping trips], I was like: ‘Uh, this is really cool! Those people look like they are in fantasy-land.’” After this first encounter, she asked a participant, “How does this work? [...] And, if I were interested in doing something that was more historically accurate, how would I do that?” Interviewee 3 (approximately 55 years old) had seen some reenactments before she decided to become an active reenactor. In 2005, she moved to the vicinity of Washington Crossing State Park on the Delaware River—considered to be one of the most important sites of the American Revolution: “Then we moved here, and I had the park two miles from my house. I went down and said: ‘Okay, I want to be part of this.’ And so, this was a lifelong dream to become a reenactor.” Interviewee 4 (approximately 50 years old) became involved because her husband belonged to a reenactment group, thus sparking her interest.
In the interview, she reflects upon the fact that her pacifist upbringing and her general attitude were antithetical to playing war. However, such considerations receded because she wanted to spend more of her free time with her husband: “And I got into it because it was something my husband was involved in. I don’t think it’s necessarily a direction I would have gone otherwise.”One overarching motive which cuts across the interviews relates to the women’s respective emotional connections to the past. All four of them began their interviews in more or less the same way, with such statements as “I love history!” or “I’ve always loved history.” These statements remain rather unspecific and describe a connection or affinity with history in a very broad sense. However, it is this felt connection—in addition to a fascination with reenacting historical events—that prompted these women to get involved, either directly or in conjunction with their husbands. It is worth mentioning that at the beginning of the four interviews, gender was not a significant issue, or rather, it rarely came up. None of the women reflected on themselves as having a minority status or feeling different or exposed regarding gender in the male-dominated reenactment groups when we started our conversations. Yet, over the course of the conversation, reflections on gender emerged. Their thoughts were related to how their identity as women influenced their status within their reenactment group and the possibility of their participation in reenactment.