Historic Replicas

Few events have shaped the course of American history more than the Civil War. It is virtually impossible to imagine what would have happened if the South had been able to secede or forced the North adopt their ideology. In an age where virtually all of our country’s battles are fought thousands of miles away, it is difficult to comprehend the schism that years of internal fighting created.

Evidence of the Civil War’s indelible impact on our society is still manifest throughout the country. At various locations where infamous battles were fought there are still staged reenactments featuring Civil War replicas. Although these displays offer us insight into the battles and historical perspective, it is impossible to grasp the amount of bloodshed and sacrifice that the War necessitated.

When people think of the ancient western world, the two societies that come to mind most often are Greece and Rome. This association makes sense, as much of the culture and traditions between the two civilizations were quite similar. While the Greeks are often considered the founders of modern thought thanks to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the Romans also contributed greatly to the world that we live in today.

From our art and literature to our vary language, much of what we take for granted today was made possible via these cultures. These societies also made significant advances in math, science and various other technologies and areas of study. Most of the original artifacts from these cultures have been destroyed, but there are still accurate Greek and Roman replicas to be found.

When many people hear the term “chain mail” it conjures up images of inbox spam and annoying chain letters. In actuality, chain metal is an ancient form of armor that is constructed of small metal rings that are linked together. These rings formed a mesh pattern that protected soldiers from a variety of medieval weaponry.

While today we refer to this armor as chain mail, the people who actually wore it as early as in the 4th century BC referred to it simply as mail. With the significant advancements in weaponry, there are few—if any—areas in the world where chain mail is still a viable option for protection. Most of the medieval chain mail on display today is found at Halloween parties and Renaissance fairs.

This is a continuation for our last blog entitled Ancient Japan…

Between the 9th and 12th centuries, Japan was engulfed in an ongoing war for land between the three ruling families:  the Minamoto, Fujiwara, and the Taira clans.  This epic struggle for control of the Japanese islands produced the samurai; astonishingly, they resembled the European knights in practically every way.  Both rode horses, wore elaborate japanese armor, and used exquisite, ceremonial historical weapons - samuari swords.  Both swore allegiance to a landowner (in Japan, they were known as Daimyo), and were eventually given land of their own.  The most remarkable similarity, though, was in the behavior; the knights had their code of chivalry, the samurai, their Bushido, or “Way of the Warrior”.  Bushido will be the topic of our next blog. 

Medieval Europe and Ancient Japan were a world apart.  From the early days of its culture, Japan was a closed society that shunned contact with other civilizations.  The earliest recorded contact with Europe was in 1543, when a Portuguese trading vessel brought the first guns to the Japanese weapons arsenal.  In fact, it’s entirely possible that Europe and Japan were unaware of each other’s existence until that time.  Amazingly, both cultures developed a similar class of professional warriors:  Europe had knights, and Japan its samurai.  We talked about the knights a while back, and if you read that one, you’ll recall that they were specially trained, highly respected fighters, sworn to obey a king.  Land ownership meant power, and was the ultimate sign of status; to be a landowner was to gain entrance to a special ruling class, the nobility.  In return for their services, they were granted small landholdings of their own to rule over.  From the 8th century onward, Japanese culture was much the same. (to be continued…)

Hindsight, as they say, is 20-20, so it’s hard to believe that the Union and Confederate troops originally predicted a quick, neat end to the American Civil War. For their part, the rebels assumed that if they showed enough willingness and determination to break away from the United States, the North would accept that choice. The Union underestimated the South’s steely resolve and well-disciplined fighting force.

Any pretenses about the war ending early came to a screeching halt during the First Battle of Bull Run – known in the South as the Battle of Manassas – which took place in summer of 1861. Just a few months after the Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter, the Union was feeling overconfident. Several generals decided to march on Richmond and secure a quick victory. When the smoke from the cannons and Civil War guns cleared, several thousand troops on each side had been killed. The prospect of a short, tidy war vanished with that smoke.

Looking back now, so many decades after the fact, it’s easy to find irony in President Woodrow Wilson’s claim that World War I would be “the war to end all wars.” At the time, the major participants called it the Great War. They never imagined that another conflict would come along just 35 years later and that the casualties and consequences would be even greater.

By the end of World War II, the world had been virtually rid – however temporarily – of a great fascist threat. It didn’t take long for movies to romanticize the conflict to the point of obscuring many of the facts. There’s no denying that World War II was one of the bloodiest, hardest-fought in all of history. WWII guns represented physical proof of just how far military technology had advanced during the 20th century.

Those interested in cultivating a new hobby would be well served by checking out historical reenactments. This pastime is especially popular among veterans who yearn to honor the warriors and tacticians who came before them. For instance, a Vietnam vet might be reticent to talk or think too much about his experience overseas. Some things just hit a little too close to home. But what about reliving the thrill of a Civil War battle?

The Civil War has become known as the campaign that eventually saved our union from becoming divided in two. Exhaustive histories have been written, and every principal participant has earned at least one biography. Re-enactors dedicate a special level of realism for their Civil War battles, utilizing replica Civil War swords and other convincing armaments. This is a hobby that commands respect as well as dedication.

In ancient times, just as in modern times, the outcome of battles was often decided by which foe had the superior weaponry. In the Age of Steel, soldiers, knights, and warriors wielded medieval swords made from steel. While the weapons were all made with the same blacksmithing techniques, the length and width of the blades differed greatly. The effectiveness of a blade often depended on the foe it went up against. A long blade, for example, would be suitable for cutting down several enemies with medium length blades. The tradeoff with a long blade was its weight, and the effort required to swing it. If the first swing missed with a long blade, an opponent with a short blade might be able to close the gap to strike before the long blade wielder could swing again. With medieval swords, most blades were about 24-28 inches in length. A short blade would be 12-16 inches, and a long blade would be in excess of 36 inches.

Armies of soldiers clashed wielding these blades, and the outcome of many battles was decided by the technique of warriors and the quality and length of their blades.

Throughout history, war and religion have often been closely linked.  The Ancient Romans and Vikings both believed their Gods compelled them to attack and conquer neighboring peoples, and while the idea of a religiously motivated empire state can seem primitive and outdated, many more modern cultures have had a similar attitude.  America has always been a religious country, and American politicians and religious leaders have often described us as God’s “chosen people.”  They pointed to the vast country they’d been given to inhabit, a “new Eden,” as it was sometimes called, and the abundance of natural resources that lay within its borders. 

In 1845, a newspaper columnist named John O’Sullivan coined another phrase, “manifest destiny,” to describe the role of the American people in human affairs.  The phrase has meant different things over the centuries; at best, it implies a sense of responsibility to other peoples and an obligation to use our nation’s power and influence to ensure their well being.  To most Americans, this meant encouraging the spread of democracy and the God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as well as the spread of Christianity in order to save souls of more primitive peoples.  Unfortunately, those noble goals could be used to justify almost anything.  It basically meant that Americans believed their values and way of life were superior to all others, and that they had a right to impose these things on other people.  This was how the government defended turning its western guns against the Native Americans, which is great evidence that religion and politics don’t always mix.