Camp Companion - Georgia Sharpshooters

Lady's Camp Companion

written by Nikki Hughes

Welcome to Reenacting. We understand that when you are first starting out in this hobby it can all be a bit overwhelming. It generally takes a re-enactor years to become knowledgeable about her impression, and some never learn all of the points mentioned in the Companion. This companion is merely a source of information and it is not required for anyone to learn everything in the book to re-enact with any unit. In the 2nd Georgia we have like a “big brother / big sister” program set up and the more experienced ladies of the unit are more than happy to work with new comers to help with their impression as long as they are willing to learn. Please feel free to ask any questions that are not answered. We are all here to help each other. We are all family here.

Welcome to our camp!

Table of Contents

A Lady’s Place

Know Your Place

The Lady’s Trousseau

Proper Etiquette

Children

Company By-Laws

Activities for Ladies in Reenacting

Recommended Sutlers

Resources

Quick Guide

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A Lady's Place

     A woman’s life in the 1860’s was ruled by the class system. You were born into a certain class and you rarely left it. These classes were ruled by wealth. There were three basic classes, Elite, Middle, and Low. The elite class was made up of the one percent of the population that owned plantations and had over twenty slaves. They were the landowners. The middle class consisted of most of the population. This class was made up of the merchants, doctors, and factory owners among other jobs. The lower class was made up of farmers, factory workers, and those out of work. Then, of course, there were slaves.
      A woman’s social status depended on the social status of her male relatives. If a woman’s husband was a doctor then she was in the middle class. Women of this time period had no status of their own. Women were second class citizens. They had no voting rights and could not own land. Most of the time a woman’s role was that of wife and mother. Few women worked outside the home.
      However, during the Civil War women took on a new role. With the men going off to war women were forced to take their place in the working world. Some women even did the work of slaves as most had been freed or had run away. The roles of women in the Civil War consisted of wives, mothers, nurses, volunteers, and, to a lesser degree, soldiers. Women worked with organizations like the Sanitary Commission and the Soldier’s Aid Society to bring relief to soldiers in the field. They raised their children and protected their homes from invading soldiers. Women were finally allowed to be nurses and cared for wounded soldiers both on and off the battlefield. A few women followed their men into battle and fought along side them until they were discovered, due to injury or giving birth, or until the war was over. Some women became refugees as the army marched through their towns and destroyed their homes. These women were likely to follow the army becoming washerwomen, cooks, or providing other services such as mending to the soldiers. Some women followed the army to locate male relatives after the loss of their homes. Some women fell from grace and became “soiled doves” today known as ladies of the evening or prostitutes. Women were forced to do what was necessary to survive during this troubling time. Out of this difficulty would come women’s suffrage and many other new rights for women.

Know Your Place

Before you spend a great deal of money on dresses decide what you want to portray. For instance, an elite woman would not need a work dress and a lower class woman would not have the money to buy several fancy gowns. It is generally a good idea to base your impression on what you can afford. Like in the 1860’s upper class clothing still costs a good deal of money. Most ladies start reenacting at a lower social status and move up if they desire.
Every woman wants to be upper class. Most new women reenactors get “Scarlet Fever”; they want to be Scarlet O’Hara at an event. However most women leave this behind the more they reenact. There are several things to consider when you are choosing a role to portray. Many people decide to create a biography before they choose a role. Some things to think about when you are forming your biography are:

YOUR NAME, If you have a period appropriate name, such as Sarah or Heather, feel free to use your own. Or you could portray an ancestor from the period. If you have a modern name it will be necessary to change it. You can choose a period correct name by asking a more experienced re-enactor or doing your own research. Be prepared to back up your name with documentation if you choose an unusual one.

WHERE YOU ARE FROM, First decide: Are you from a rural community, a town, or a city? Have you lived there all your life or are you a recent resident? Then do reading about the area from the time period to learn important facts about your home. Did you flee your home during the war? Why did you flee? What type of house/livelyhood did you have before you fled?

YOUR OCCUPATION, Note: Occupation does include being the Victorian Housewife. If you choose to have an occupation outside the home, read diaries and letters of the period to find an appropriate occupation for yourself and family members. Then you can research the occupation to portray it or discuss it with the public. Remember you’re your occupation would be influenced by your education level and age. Also, many occupations of the 19th Century were not available to women, especially prior to the war, and not all occupations were popular in all areas.

AGE, This will help you research what life events you remember. An example, if you were born in 1832, you would remember the War with Mexico which occurred in 1846. It will also strongly influence how you dress. Women usually dressed in the same style that was popular when they were in their 20’s. After marriage and children keeping up with the fashion trends was not as important.

MARITIAL STATUS, Are you married, single or a widow? This influences how you dress and interact with others. A married woman with children would not move within the same social circles as an unmarried woman with no children. A widow would dress differently and, a least for a time, would not be out and about with friends. If you have children that will be re-enacting with you or you plan to talk about them at events you should portray a married or widowed woman.

EDUCATION LEVEL, This will be influenced by your age and where you live. Can you read and write and if so how much? If you have an education, where did you receive it? How long was your education?

FAMILY MEMBER NAMES, Again use period appropriate names or even names of ancestors. You can make the family as large or small as you like! Many people tend to stick with how large or small their ancestor’s family was at the time. If you can’t find an ancestor than just have fun (within period guidelines) and make up your family ties!

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ISSUES OF THE PERIOD, such as Abolition, the war, the President, women’s suffrage, etc… ? Reading period diaries, and letters can help you form opinions and ideas. Remember that even though women were not overly involved in politics they still had their own opinions about the issues of the time.

RELIGION, Church had a profound influence on the lives of the Victorians. Your choice of religion will influence your circle of acquaintances and also your feelings on period events. The most popular religions of the time period in the north and south were Methodist and Baptist. In the north Quaker was also a religion although not very popular and, among Irish troops especially, Catholicism was also around. Church services are available at nearly every event but attendance is not mandatory. Please understand that no re-enactment group will force anyone to choose to portray any religion. However, this aspect of your persona is very important to the lifestyle you have chosen to portray through re-enacting.

     Women of an elite or upper class most likely would not be in the camp of a Civil War army. If you choose to portray a lady of this status be prepared to spend much of your time at Sutler’s Row and little time in camp. Also please note that if you have children this is probably not a class you would wish to portray. Elite women most likely would still be on their plantations or would have fled to another state during the war. Women of this class had nursemaids to care for their children and did little motherly duties themselves. Women of the upper class would have worn the most clothes. A properly dressed elite lady would have had on around thirteen layers of clothing. These layers were socks, pantaloons, chemise, corset, corset cover, petticoat, crinolines (hoop or cage), another petticoat, shirt, hoop skirt, and jacket. The hoops of an upper class lady would have been large, around six bones. Upper class women would probably have had the money to be able to afford jewelry and other niceties even during the war. They would have been able to have nicer fabric such as polished cotton and silk. Their dresses would have been made of more expensive prints as well such as large checks. This was because prints such as this took more fabric to match the pattern. Ladies of this class would have been able to have extravagant ball gowns made entirely of silk. Elite women were not use to having to do a great deal of work. Their families usually owned over twenty slaves. They were pampered their whole lives. Women of this status would have had the equivalent of a 7th grade education. After completing this schooling their families would have sent them to finishing school. This is the class portrayed by the O’Hara family.
     Women of the middle class were more likely to be found in a camp. These women would have been the ones that would most likely have lost their homes to the invading armies and became refugees. Several of these ladies visited the army if they were camped near by during winter. Many women would travel short distances to spend time with their husbands if they discovered they were camped near by. While in camp the women would take on jobs such as cooking, mending, and washing. Women also would make items for the soldiers such as knitted or crocheted scarves, socks, etc… These are the women that we portray the most in the camp of the 2nd Georgia. If you choose to portray a middle class woman and you plan to spend a great deal of your time in camp please be prepared to be actively sewing, knitting, crocheting, cooking, or washing. All materials we produce that are not for a specific person will be put into company stores to be used by new members. Women of this class were more likely to have their children with them and be caring for them. These ladies would have worn almost as many layers as an elite woman. They would have worn socks, pantaloons, chemise, corset (for special occasions), corset cover, shirt, crinolines (hoop or cage), hoop skirt, jacket, and possibly one petticoat. The fabric of their dresses was not as fancy. Usually they would have used plain cotton for a majority of their dresses and the print would be small. Small prints take less material to match. They would have been able to afford a few nice dresses including possibly a ball gown of cotton or partly of silk. They were not usually able to afford extravagant ball gowns made entirely of silk. Most of the time their ball gowns were cotton. Women of this class would have more modest jewelry and possibly would have had to sell some of their jewelry during the war to support their families. Middle class women may have been required to work to help support their families even before the war. Their families probably owned few if any slaves. Women of this class would have had the equivalent of a 7th grade education without the benefit of finishing school afterward. This is also the class of woman most likely to become *nurses or **soldiers.
     Women of the lower class would also have been found in the camps. These women would not have had a farm to stay with. They were the sharecroppers. Most of the time these women were working along side their men even before the war. They would have followed the armies out of necessity performing jobs such as washing clothes, mending, cooking, and even becoming ***prostitutes, which they may have been before the war. There is little difference in portraying a lower class woman and a middle class woman in camp. They would perform the same jobs, except for possibly the prostitute, and both would have had their children with them and be actively taking care of them. Again please know that if you choose to portray a lower class woman and you plan to spend a great deal of time in camp that we ask that you be actively engaged in an activity such as sewing, washing, cooking, etc… The differences would be that a lower class woman would wear clothing more functional than fashionable and would have had no jewelry except for possibly a wedding ring which they may have had to sell during the war. Their clothes were made of cotton and wool. Women of this class would have had no use for any fancy gowns such as a ball gown. If they did attend a party it would have been with other lower class citizens and she would have worn her best dress. Even at her wedding she would not have had a new gown. Most of their clothing would have been remakes from older fashions. Women of this class had little to no education. They would have been lucky to learn to read and write. This class would not have owned any slaves. They were barely above slave status themselves.

Descriptions of a lady’s role in the 2nd Georgia’s Camp:

Many times the women of the 2nd will switch the roles we portray at each event in order for everyone to have an opportunity to try each role at least once and portray the roles they like best at different events.

Officer’s wife: This role should be portrayed only if your husband is actually an officer of the 2nd Ga. and will allow a little more attractive apparel. Your impression will be that of a typical elite class wife. Chances are you still wear a hoop and may even have a servant along with you. Underpinnings, hair, accessories will all be traditional “lady” style. You may bring needlework to do, books to read, or other items of leisure. Please be aware that if you choose to portray an officer’s wife this DOES NOT give you ANY authority over the other women in camp. The women are all equal regardless of the persona we portray.

Camp follower/refugee: These ladies were of the middle or lower class and would have followed the military for a variety of reasons. Mostly it was because they had nowhere else to go. You may include your children in this role, since many women had to drag their entire families along. We ask that refugees also portray one of the roles below.

Laundress: They were women of the middle to lower class generally women trying to support themselves or were traveling with a male family member. Your attire will be work clothes, traditionally a long plain skirt and blouse, no crinolines, no corset or corset cover, hair netted in a snood or in a simple style such as a bun, apron, large bonnet (slatted or full brimmed) are an option for weather protection, no long fingernails, and try to roughen up your hands; remember you work with your hands. You should have tubs and soap and scrub boards as well as clothes to be washing.

Cook: These were ladies of the middle to lower class who were following their men or trying to support themselves and their families. Attire would be work clothes, plain skirt and blouse, no crinolines (crinolines are dangerous around the camp fire); corsets; or corset covers, hair should be netted in a snood or in a simple style such as a bun, aprons are a good idea as well to keep your clothes clean (cooking can be a messy business!). The company has a great deal of cook wear that is considered Co. property and can be used by any one. However, if you have your own period cook ware that you would like to use feel free to bring it along as well! Be prepared to cook for the whole mess all weekend (usually 3 meals).

* Nurses would have been employed by the army and thus would not have been in the camp of the 2nd Georgia.

** Women disguised as solders were relatively undocumented in the Civil War. Therefore if you wish to portray a soldier in the 2nd Georgia please provide documented proof that a woman actually served as a soldier with our unit in the battle you wish to join in on. Please also be aware that if you choose to portray a soldier in our camp with proof you will be a soldier the entire weekend. This means staying in disguise all weekend. You must act like a man. Please do not plan on portraying a soldier during the day and lady at the ball.

*** Due to the family nature of our unit we request that prostitute impressions not be done in our camp.

The Lady’s Trousseau

Under garments

Chemise

The chemise was worn under most of the other layers of clothing. It was used to protect the body from the corset and crinolines and to protect expensive clothes from touching the body. While sutlers and costume shops offer chemises for sell you can find an inexpensive substitute at your local Wal-Mart or Target. A plain cotton nightgown works just fine! Be aware that the neck- line of these nightgowns may not work with your ball gown top however there are ways to work around that!

Pantaloons

Pantaloons are the closest thing to underwear that was around in the 1860’s. Pantaloons were worn under the chemise and most of the time were crotchless. Don’t be shocked, when you have on up to eleven layers of clothing having crotchless drawers makes it easier to use the restroom! They were long, falling to about knee length and helped protect the legs from chaffing and again to protect expensive clothes from touching the body. Sometimes they would have decorative lace or ribbon around the bottom but this is not necessary. Again, an inexpensive substitute can be found at a Wal-Mart or Target in the form of white Capri pants! However, it is a good idea to move on to more period correct pantaloons as soon as possible as the Capri pants are hard to get off when worn under a corset which makes it difficult to go to the rest room.

Corset

The corset was used to make the waist smaller. The fashionable look of the era was a small waist. While it is true that corsets can be uncomfortable they can also be comfortable if worn properly. The ladies of our acquaintance do not lace their corsets as tight as the ladies of the time period probably did! When our corsets are laced tight we can still take deep breath. The boning of most corsets is a weak plastic or steal. It is very important that a corset fit correctly. While the best place to buy a corset is a good sutler corsets, and stomachers, can be found at places like Victoria’s Secret and Wal-Mart. However, these substitute corsets do not breathe as well and are HIGHLY flammable. We cannot stress enough the necessity of a properly fitting corset! While wearing a corset is correct and it will help in achieving the look of the period this is not a necessary first buy. You can survive a couple of events without one while you are shopping for a good one.

Corset Cover

A corset cover did just what its name implies, it covered the corset! The purpose for this garment was to hide the boning of the corset from showing through the outer shirt. Corset covers can be made out of several different garments such as camisoles and even cotton tank tops. A cover such as the one shown here, one that has the neck to fit a ball gown, can be purchased at a sutler. Again, this is not a necessary first buy. Some of us have gone years without a corset cover!

Crinolines

4-bone hoop skirt Flounced hoop skirt

6-bone flounced hoop skirt 6-bone hoop skirt

Caged Crinoline Corded Petticoat

Petticoat

Crinolines; also known as hoop skirts, cages, corded petticoats, and petticoats; were worn over the pantaloons, chemise, corset, and corset cover and under what was actually called the hoop skirt to make the dress more full. This was done to make the waist look small. The hoop skirt of the period was made of whalebone inserted into the fabric. Today these “bones” are made of plastic and are very flexible. The flouncing on some hoop skirts is to hide the boning so it will not show through the skirt. This can also be accomplished with a petticoat. Several petticoats can also be worn to get the same effect as the hoop skirt although this is not recommended as it gets very hot. The cage will also make the skirt full however most cages are not flexible and thus are harder to move around in and harder to store. When wearing a hoop or cage drawers are MANDATORY unless the wearer deliberately wants to give a show. When wearing a hoop it is very easy to bend over the wrong way and show all your assets! The wind can also accomplish this feat. Period correct undergarments not only protect our bodies but our modesty as well! A modesty petticoat can also be worn. Corded petticoats do not make the skirt as full and where usually worn by middle to low class women. The higher your class the more bones your hoops had. A six-bone hoop is the most fancy and is the largest. If you portray a middle class woman it would be most appropriate to wear this hoop to the ball. If you portray a lower class woman then this size would not be appropriate to wear. Be aware that these hoops are DANGEROUS near the fire! They easily brush the fire and can catch on fire. Please if you are going to be in camp and around the fire wear either a four-bone hoop known as a work hoop, a corded petticoat, or no crinolines at all. Work hoops would be more appropriate for a middle class woman to wear during the day. If you portray a role like a washerwoman, a cook, or a mill worker you would not wear any crinolines during the day. Especially in the mills hoops were forbidden. This is due to the fact that they got hung on the machinery and caused a great deal of damage, injury, and death. Most hoops are one size fits all and have a drawstring tie in the back. Crinolines can be purchased at a sutler. Shop around for the best price. This is another piece of wardrobe that is not necessary right away. For some impressions they are not necessary at all unless you are planning on attending the ball in a proper ball gown.