Dress Parade

One of the great unifying factors in military history is the tradition of dress parade, a formal ceremony in which the troops are formed, assessed, reports of roll calls received, and important orders read. Dress parade was a fact of everyday military life during the American Civil War, as reported in many first person accounts, and, in reliving the military life of the time, it is important that we do it as accurately as possible.

the civil war campfire

The center of Civil War company street is the campfire. As the heart of the house is the kitchen so too is the campfire for the company of soldiers. We gather there to prepare our food. We gather in the evening to stay warm and tell stories. Most importantly, we boil coffee there which makes the army run. We continue through the generations gathering around the fire both in peace and in war. Some comforts are perpetual.