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Historical/War Reenactment/Questions Answered by Expert Jason Grabill
| Subject | Date Asked |
| John Call Dalton privet autobiography | 7/14/2011 |
| Q: Back in 2005 while working on a job site I found a very old book in a dumpster. The book is titled ... A: Jamie: I am not a 'book expert' by any means. I did a quick google and found some information: ... | |
| Civil War Deserters | 3/10/2011 |
| Q: I have seen a letter where Amos Babcock (103rd IL Inf commander) sent on Sept. 24, 1862 to six men ... A: Mary Jo: Desertion, even at this early stage of the war, was a HUGE problem on both sides, and ... | |
| Sign up paper and dismissal papers | 9/27/2010 |
| Q: I have two GGGreat Grandfathers, (one served in the Union from Ohio and one served in Confederate in ... A: The records will likely be minimal for the most part. Sometimes you get a huge pile, other times, ... | |
| Union regiment to join | 7/21/2010 |
| Q: Looking to do reenacting with a regiment near Vicksburg.I was with the 23rdPa. Vol. in Gettysburgh ... A: ...no, I'm afraid I don't know of any units down thataway. Have you checked the Civil War News? ... | |
| how to start a cw group | 5/24/2010 |
| Q: I've been involved with reenacting for some years now and I would like to know how I would go about ... A: John: Basically, you just go off and do it. If you've been reenacting for years then you have a ... | |
| butternut and cadet gray | 4/28/2010 |
| Q: With the short supply of clothing for the southern soldier, is it appropriate to mix or match colors ... A: William: The easy answer is 'yes'. However, if you belong to a unit, I would highly advise ... | |
| California Civil War Reenactment Groups | 4/16/2010 |
| Q: My son is an American history buff. His favorite period is the Civil War era. He is wanting to ... A: Christina: There are a few, but many no longer allow reenactors under the age of 16 to join due ... | |
| New York City Civil War soldiers | 3/27/2010 |
| Q: I am researching my family and apparently my 3x great grandmother (Sophia Ellen Larkins) had 5 ... A: No, I haven't heard of the family name. But it wasn't unusual for large families in those days to ... | |
| Northern Va-Captial of Confederacy | 12/27/2009 |
| Q: Did Northern Virginia ever serve as the the capital of the Confederates, even if for a short time? ... A: Anna: No, no place specifically in 'Northern Virgnia' served as capital of the Confederacy either ... | |
| State of Virginia Medical Insignia | 12/6/2009 |
| Q: I am the owner of IWP Fabrications and manufacture custom-order insignia for progressives. I've had ... A: Barnett: Well, I'll try for sure, but there may not BE any existing pics of those boards. Since ... | |
| 1804 medical book | 7/28/2009 |
| Q: Mr. Grabill, I have an 1804 Fourth Edition of "The Family Advisor". Do you know (since this is the ... A: Joseph: Pretty cool! The information I have shows that this book was first published in 1793 ... | |
| Treadle Sewing Machine | 7/6/2009 |
| Q: I have a beautiful Singer Treadle sewing machine (1912) in a carved tiger oak cabinet I would like ... A: Linda: While you can certainly try The Civil War News (probably the best paper for that)website ... | |
| Civil War Medical Manuals | 5/11/2009 |
| Q: I am currently starting to get back into reenacting and plan on doing a surgeons impression. I have ... A: Tom: I'd first check with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine to see if they sell a ... | |
| A war medal? | 4/24/2009 |
| Q: On the other side it has "To Comemorate The Allied Victory" around the egde and what appears to be a ... A: Daniel: This sounds like a locally issued WWII Victory medal, given to the troops from that area ... | |
| 26th MI | 1/13/2009 |
| Q: Jason, I just wanted to let you know I'm about 500 pgs + into writing a new book about the 26th MI. ... A: Sir: Very cool. Unit histories are, without a doubt in my opinion, one of the hardest things to ... | |
| medical corp/nurses c/w | 10/13/2008 |
| Q: I am a 20+ year civil war reenactor veteran and have met a lady that is an RN in current times that ... A: Nina: My first suggestion is to hit the National Museum of Civil War Medicine website, here: ... | |
| CSA Uniform | 10/13/2008 |
| Q: I am interested in buying a reproduction CSA uniform. I don't want to reenact so unit affiliation ... A: Gary: I'd go with Regimental Quartermaster, they have always given a quality product at a ... | |
| Frank Leslie Illustrated Newspaper | 2/25/2008 |
| Q: What is the historical significance of these news paper and do they have any value to collectors. A: Lauralyn: It depends on the issue and the time period. Issues that illustrate significant ... | |
| Civil War medical reenacting | 8/8/2007 |
| Q: What are the best sources for information on medical reenacting both for physician and nurse? A: Christine: It really depends on what type of sources you are looking for, print or 'net. ... | |
| musket | 7/14/2007 |
| Q: I have a chance to purchase a 1821 Harpers Ferry musket. It,s marked 1828 at the breech and has been ... A: Jim: Without actually handling the musket it will be difficult to give a good estimation, ... | |
| civil war equipmet | 11/30/2006 |
| Q: what do i need to have to (as in equipment) to become a reenactor of the civil war A: Aaron: It will depend on what you want to portray...be it Infantry, Cavalry, artillery, etc. My ... | |
| what unit? | 11/19/2006 |
| Q: I currently have about 10 people who i have made interested in attending reenactments and it would ... A: Phillip: First, apologies in delay of my response, having computer issues. Basically, you ... | |
| CW surgeon impression | 9/18/2006 |
| Q: Jason, thanks so much! Your answer makes me feel a little more at ease. I would actually prefer to ... A: .I live in Frederick County Md, not far from Gettysburg. I'll actually be doing an impression, ... | |
| CW surgeon impression | 9/15/2006 |
| Q: I just read the e-mail sent to from Jimmy, on allexperts.com. I am in the exact same situation, my ... A: Realistically, I'd suggest you locate Chisolms Manual for Military Surgery, and study the heck out ... | |
| deciding who dies... | 8/3/2006 |
| Q: Hey there. Just doing some research on civil war reenactments and having never been involved in ... A: Bob: Basically, the rule most units follow is, if someone points a musket at you and fires, you ... | |
| The wounded personnel | 6/25/2006 |
| Q: After doing research I found that my great great grandfather was in the Michigan 26th Regiment ... A: Sorry for the delay in responding, computer issues due to weather... :( As far as the wounded ... | |
| musket's | 5/12/2006 |
| Q: Im from Tasmania, Australia. I have an old musket that Im sure would be around 150 years old, what ... A: Phillip: I'd have to ask what type of wording is on the lockplate around the hammer, and what ... | |
| General Information about CW Surgeon Impression | 5/10/2006 |
| Q: Sir, I'm not sure what to ask in particular. I'm new to CW Surgeon reenacting. I've previously been ... A: Welcome to the world of Medical reenacting! First, this impression is one of the most difficult to ... | |
| popularity of the civil war today | 5/10/2006 |
| Q: Mr. Grabill, I was wondering what your take on the fact that the civil war is still such a popular ... A: Deena: I think it goes back to the fact that the Civil War really wasn't that long ago in ... | |
| Civil War | 5/4/2006 |
| Q: My friend has to do a report on the Civil War. One question that we cannot find an answer to is how ... A: Alicia: I dunno....the same way they play it today? Seriously, never heard of too many ... | |
| Civil War enlistment -- upper age limits | 3/20/2006 |
| Q: I should have sent this question to you, as the Civil War expert instead of to Mr. Bell. He may ... A: Yes, it is easily possible that he would have enlisted at that age. Early in the war, it was not ... | |
| possibly recruited for homemaking skills | 3/12/2006 |
| Q: The other day a DHL guy came into my office to deliver a package. I was taking my lunch hour and ... A: Yes, there is ALWAYS a great need for people such as yourself. Many reenacting units actively look ... | |
| Civil War (Vicksburg) Reenactment | 3/2/2006 |
| Q: I am looking for a creative way for a class of about thirty students to either be a part of a ... A: Bethany: It would be difficult to actually integrate all the students into a reenactment ... | |
| starting a unit | 8/9/2005 |
| Q: I was living in TN now im in VA . Im wanting to start my on unit but do not no how can you help me. ... A: Starting your own unit can be a difficult and sometimes painful process. First, I'd try and decide ... | |
| Psychological Warfare | 12/19/2004 |
| Q: I am a researcher and I have to prepare a research about samples of psychological warfare that have ... A: You might try the US Army psychological warfare center, it should be on line. There is not much ... | |
| war | 10/21/2004 |
| Q: I am doing research on war and would like to know ur opinion about the following question Is war ... A: Haq: War is simply a part of the human condition. Mankind has been warring since the dawn of ... | |
| Reenactors in Alabama | 7/1/2004 |
| Q: I am looking into getting into Civil War reenactment. I live in Montgomery. AL. and i know there are ... A: Henry: I did a 'google' search (www.google.com) using 'reeancators Alabama', and came up with ... | |
| How to start a Reenactment | 6/30/2004 |
| Q: I am working on an internship project on developing tourism at Charles Fork Lake in Roane County, ... A: Daniel: I 'googled' reenactor West Virginia (www.google.com) and it came up with several sites ... | |
| Civil War | 6/23/2004 |
| Q: I have a poem that was hand written by a family member in the 1800's entitled "Blue and Grey." I am ... A: Lisa: No, sadly, I'm not familiar with it. Its very possible a member of your family wrote it ... | |
| Civil War Reinactors in Southern Calif | 3/18/2004 |
| Q: I was wondering if you know of any groups that do Civil War reinactments in the Los Angeles/Orange ... A: Tammy: I found a few websites of various CW groups out around you, but I do not know how good ... | |
| Cival war | 2/26/2004 |
| Q: I live in Ct and I also want to know fi you could direct me to a military reenacting unit. Thanx ... A: Drew: First, different units have different policies in regard to juveniles taking the field as ... | |
| civil war training musket | 10/25/2003 |
| Q: Jason, I am wondering about a training musket a guy has in his gun shop. I am looking for an old ... A: Dave: "Real" musket prices being what they are, (around a grand to start, goes up from there) I ... | |
| Getting Started in Medical Re-enacting | 6/8/2003 |
| Q: I was a re-enactor for many years, starting way back in 1976. I dropped out in the mid 90's for ... A: Rob: The medical side is very interesting. Its also very, very expensive. Probably one of the ... | |
| schedule | 5/27/2003 |
| Q: I have seen reenactments before but I just happen to be there at the correct time. Is there any ... A: Gary; There is a monthly newspaper called "Civil War News" that publishes a nationwide schedule ... | |
| Rosters | 5/7/2002 |
| Q: I've tried search engines and even the New York State Archives (took my three dollars and gave me ... A: Patrick: Give this a try, if you haven't already, use the Google Search engine with just the ... | |
| reenacting at school | 4/25/2002 |
| Q: my name is Christine Koch, and I'm a middle-school social studies teacher in Louisiana. My ... A: Miss Christine: I think what you are trying to do is great! And, a neat idea to boot. Sorry for ... | |
Historical/War Reenactment
Answers by Expert:
Jason Grabill
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Civil War Reenacting, how to start, what to buy, how to find a good unit (Union or Confederate), publications and books to read. Also Medical reenacting; same as above.
Experience
Began reenacting in 1996 with the Stonewall Brigade as an Infantry Reenactor, transistioned to Medical in 2000.
Organizations
Co D 27th Virginia Volunteer Infantry (Stonewall Brigade) CSA
Society of Civil War Surgeons
Publications
Wrote 2 Battlefield Tour Guides for Antietam and Fredericksburg for the US Marine Corps, currently in the Warfighting labratory in Quantico.
Education/Credentials
Extensive study on the arms, equipment and daily life of the Civil War Soldier; have a personal library of over 200 books, and the "Official Records of the War of the Rebellion" on CD. Also have numerous books on Civil War Medicine, including period books. Currently a volunteer at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Md
Awards and Honors
27th Virginia Infantry "Infantry Rookie of the Year" 1997
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