Unit Guidelines
All members must be willing to follow these guidelines, however remember we are here to have fun and enjoy each other's company. This would not be worth doing if it was not fun, therefore don't be scared off by our guidelines as 99 percent of them are common sense!
The first line of authenticity is the individual soldier's kit and 1st person persona; this is the responsibility of each member.
1. The fundamental rule of is: If you’re not sure it’s accurate, DON'T DO IT! Questionable items should be cleared prior to use at an event with the rest of the Mess.
2. No modern clothes or equipment. It doesn’t matter if it is visible or not, it is not our way and won’t be tolerated.
3. No modern firearm cleaning equipment, such as (but not limited to) WD-40, K-Mart cleaning kits, WWII cleaning kits, etc. If you want to clean your weapon (which a good soldier should since their life depended on it), cloth squares, sweet oil, and brick powder or tow do a great job and are all period correct.
4. If all you want to do is crack open a few cold ones and hang out by the fire this is not the group for you.
5. All members will take their turn at guard or fatigue duty as required for the event.
6. No modern food items. No Pop Tarts, no Beef Jerky, no Ho- Hos, no Gatorade and the list goes on and on. Many of our events will have rations issued as part of the registration cost, if not we will bring our own period correct rations based off of the documented ration issue and whatever could appropriately be foraged in the area we are operating in.
7. NO CIGARETTES!! Pipe tobacco, cigars, and chewing tobacco were used by Civil War soldiers, but not cigarettes.
8. Uniform and Equipment Guidelines. These are listed on our Uniform and Equipment Page and will be updated for each event – Follow them.
9. No items from other reenacting periods are allowed because they’re “close enough.” Close enough - isn’t right! Examples: obvious non- period blankets, WW2 shirts and gun cleaning kits, etc... (Refer to Rule #1) Ask for any needed clarification before the event, not the day of!
10. Our unit does not have a guiding impression other than we portray Union Soldiers in the Western Theater. We alter our gear and uniforms to fit the guidelines for specific event portrayals.
11. We strive to portray the typical Union combat infantry unit. Therefore, items for your impression should be what were common, typical and ordinary for a United States soldier from 1861 through 1865. Exotic, exceptional or unusual items should be avoided, unless clearly documented for a specific event. Remember, the more a soldier stood out, the shorter his life expectancy was! Again, if in doubt (Refer to Rule #1). Any major unit decisions will be voted on by the unit and decided by the majority. The founding members are almost all veterans of multiple reenacting time periods. We are here to enjoy each other’s camaraderie, not to bicker or squabble as many of us have experienced that before within different reenacting organizations and have no desire for that to continue with The Coffee Coolers.
12. This list is not an all-inclusive list. It’s just to remind us what’s expected. In other words, if it isn’t listed here, that doesn’t mean it’s OK. If it’s not period, it doesn’t belong in our camp. When in doubt (Refer to Rule #1). If you accidentally or intentionally bring an unauthentic item into an event, don’t complain if you are asked to return it to your vehicle for the duration and don’t be an ASS when asking someone to return an item to their vehicle! None of us claim to be perfect; however by always striving to improve together we can have an excellent unit.
Going the Extra Mile:
The goal of each member should be to push one’s impression a little farther at each event. Whether by making something for the unit or yourself, learning a song, adding to your persona, de-farbing an item, doing research, or one of many other actions, members should not, as is often seen in living history, reach a stagnation point where nothing ever changes. If that becomes the case, chances are you are attending the wrong events! It is important to note that a member of this Mess is more than just a uniform and a rifle (or musket)! There is the soldier under that uniform that is holding that rifle. For that reason we will also include information on this page dealing the creation of a basic first person persona.
Persona - Have you developed your personal history? Do you know when & where you were born, who’s in your family, what your peacetime job was and so on? Obviously this may change each of event by some small point, however your base persona can likely remain the same.
First Person - This is a term that describes speaking and acting as if you are really a Union soldier and it really is 18/61/62/63/64/65. This sounds difficult if you’ve never tried it, but it’s not that hard and gets easier each time. The easiest way to do first person is simply to avoid talking about modern things; forget the big football game, your new truck, computers, etc. Discuss the battle, the President, the dirty secesh, Mattingly's coffee (it sucks), all the things soldiers have talked about since warfare began. Many modern topics, however, can easily be “translated” and discussed in first person. Complain about your wife---back home, the constant shelling, gripe about your work---instead of your computer programming problems, talk about how slow the mail is running; complain about rebel guerrillas, tell dirty jokes---about the Rebs; discuss the latest war news, most importantly complain about whoever cooked the last meal.
If you try it, you’ll find some of the most memorable moments from past events will be “first person” moments. The more you learn about the life of the common soldier, improve your own persona, and study the history of the Civil War in general the easier it will be. For some people it takes practice. Not all of us were experts when we started first person either. Also, if you are not in a first person mode, and others around you are, please don’t ruin their moment by discussing something modern. Move away from them to continue your discussion. At each event there will be designated start and end times for first person to begin within the Mess. Respect your comrades by following these times. Don't be nervous about this, we are more than willing to help you get started!
First Person is important to do because it helps put our mind where our gun is. We act better when we talk better. It also really helps our comrades. It truly is disturbing when we hear someone laughing about “Dancing with the Stars” when we are hunkered down trying to avoid getting shot by the Rebs.
First Person is not hard to do. We simply make it hard. Some basic rules to follow include:
- Do not talk politics, national history or why we are in the war. Or at least save this discussion for back in camp. Soldiers would certainly talk about these things at times, but it wasn’t the main topic of discussion 24 hours a day.
- Talk as you normally do. Cut jokes, laugh at the “Jonah” as he stumbles again, make light of the 13 year old Reb you just captured, complain about the food, tell your messmate that if he picks his nose one more time we’ll have enough ammo for the war.
- The biggest tip in doing first person is not what we say; it is what we do not say. Aside from the stupid items of why we are in the war, etc... simply avoid topics which occurred after the war – WWII, Hitler, modern tanks, current events, the Little Bighorn, modern politics, etc…Please don’t quote, Glory, Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Cold Mountain, Ride With the Devil, or Band of Brothers.
- Don’t portray an immigrant soldier unless you can use an appropriate accent and can speak at least some of the language. If your accent sounds like an advertisement for Lucky Charms, stay away from it. This is something that is best done well or not done at all.
All members must be willing to follow these guidelines, however remember we are here to have fun and enjoy each other's company. This would not be worth doing if it was not fun, therefore don't be scared off by our guidelines as 99 percent of them are common sense!
The first line of authenticity is the individual soldier's kit and 1st person persona; this is the responsibility of each member.
1. The fundamental rule of is: If you’re not sure it’s accurate, DON'T DO IT! Questionable items should be cleared prior to use at an event with the rest of the Mess.
2. No modern clothes or equipment. It doesn’t matter if it is visible or not, it is not our way and won’t be tolerated.
3. No modern firearm cleaning equipment, such as (but not limited to) WD-40, K-Mart cleaning kits, WWII cleaning kits, etc. If you want to clean your weapon (which a good soldier should since their life depended on it), cloth squares, sweet oil, and brick powder or tow do a great job and are all period correct.
4. If all you want to do is crack open a few cold ones and hang out by the fire this is not the group for you.
5. All members will take their turn at guard or fatigue duty as required for the event.
6. No modern food items. No Pop Tarts, no Beef Jerky, no Ho- Hos, no Gatorade and the list goes on and on. Many of our events will have rations issued as part of the registration cost, if not we will bring our own period correct rations based off of the documented ration issue and whatever could appropriately be foraged in the area we are operating in.
7. NO CIGARETTES!! Pipe tobacco, cigars, and chewing tobacco were used by Civil War soldiers, but not cigarettes.
8. Uniform and Equipment Guidelines. These are listed on our Uniform and Equipment Page and will be updated for each event – Follow them.
9. No items from other reenacting periods are allowed because they’re “close enough.” Close enough - isn’t right! Examples: obvious non- period blankets, WW2 shirts and gun cleaning kits, etc... (Refer to Rule #1) Ask for any needed clarification before the event, not the day of!
10. Our unit does not have a guiding impression other than we portray Union Soldiers in the Western Theater. We alter our gear and uniforms to fit the guidelines for specific event portrayals.
11. We strive to portray the typical Union combat infantry unit. Therefore, items for your impression should be what were common, typical and ordinary for a United States soldier from 1861 through 1865. Exotic, exceptional or unusual items should be avoided, unless clearly documented for a specific event. Remember, the more a soldier stood out, the shorter his life expectancy was! Again, if in doubt (Refer to Rule #1). Any major unit decisions will be voted on by the unit and decided by the majority. The founding members are almost all veterans of multiple reenacting time periods. We are here to enjoy each other’s camaraderie, not to bicker or squabble as many of us have experienced that before within different reenacting organizations and have no desire for that to continue with The Coffee Coolers.
12. This list is not an all-inclusive list. It’s just to remind us what’s expected. In other words, if it isn’t listed here, that doesn’t mean it’s OK. If it’s not period, it doesn’t belong in our camp. When in doubt (Refer to Rule #1). If you accidentally or intentionally bring an unauthentic item into an event, don’t complain if you are asked to return it to your vehicle for the duration and don’t be an ASS when asking someone to return an item to their vehicle! None of us claim to be perfect; however by always striving to improve together we can have an excellent unit.
Going the Extra Mile:
The goal of each member should be to push one’s impression a little farther at each event. Whether by making something for the unit or yourself, learning a song, adding to your persona, de-farbing an item, doing research, or one of many other actions, members should not, as is often seen in living history, reach a stagnation point where nothing ever changes. If that becomes the case, chances are you are attending the wrong events! It is important to note that a member of this Mess is more than just a uniform and a rifle (or musket)! There is the soldier under that uniform that is holding that rifle. For that reason we will also include information on this page dealing the creation of a basic first person persona.
Persona - Have you developed your personal history? Do you know when & where you were born, who’s in your family, what your peacetime job was and so on? Obviously this may change each of event by some small point, however your base persona can likely remain the same.
First Person - This is a term that describes speaking and acting as if you are really a Union soldier and it really is 18/61/62/63/64/65. This sounds difficult if you’ve never tried it, but it’s not that hard and gets easier each time. The easiest way to do first person is simply to avoid talking about modern things; forget the big football game, your new truck, computers, etc. Discuss the battle, the President, the dirty secesh, Mattingly's coffee (it sucks), all the things soldiers have talked about since warfare began. Many modern topics, however, can easily be “translated” and discussed in first person. Complain about your wife---back home, the constant shelling, gripe about your work---instead of your computer programming problems, talk about how slow the mail is running; complain about rebel guerrillas, tell dirty jokes---about the Rebs; discuss the latest war news, most importantly complain about whoever cooked the last meal.
If you try it, you’ll find some of the most memorable moments from past events will be “first person” moments. The more you learn about the life of the common soldier, improve your own persona, and study the history of the Civil War in general the easier it will be. For some people it takes practice. Not all of us were experts when we started first person either. Also, if you are not in a first person mode, and others around you are, please don’t ruin their moment by discussing something modern. Move away from them to continue your discussion. At each event there will be designated start and end times for first person to begin within the Mess. Respect your comrades by following these times. Don't be nervous about this, we are more than willing to help you get started!
First Person is important to do because it helps put our mind where our gun is. We act better when we talk better. It also really helps our comrades. It truly is disturbing when we hear someone laughing about “Dancing with the Stars” when we are hunkered down trying to avoid getting shot by the Rebs.
First Person is not hard to do. We simply make it hard. Some basic rules to follow include:
- Do not talk politics, national history or why we are in the war. Or at least save this discussion for back in camp. Soldiers would certainly talk about these things at times, but it wasn’t the main topic of discussion 24 hours a day.
- Talk as you normally do. Cut jokes, laugh at the “Jonah” as he stumbles again, make light of the 13 year old Reb you just captured, complain about the food, tell your messmate that if he picks his nose one more time we’ll have enough ammo for the war.
- The biggest tip in doing first person is not what we say; it is what we do not say. Aside from the stupid items of why we are in the war, etc... simply avoid topics which occurred after the war – WWII, Hitler, modern tanks, current events, the Little Bighorn, modern politics, etc…Please don’t quote, Glory, Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Cold Mountain, Ride With the Devil, or Band of Brothers.
- Don’t portray an immigrant soldier unless you can use an appropriate accent and can speak at least some of the language. If your accent sounds like an advertisement for Lucky Charms, stay away from it. This is something that is best done well or not done at all.