I’ve debated sharing this tweet for a while but it has popped up a few times over the last few weeks so it may be worth sharing as an “on again, off again” living historian.

A thread: How writers can use reenactors or living historians to help better understand their subjects.

Put aside the notion that because you have some letters behind your name, you are superior to reenactors. In many cases, they have spent the majority of their lives researching their roles and collecting or making their impressions. Historians and writers have to be teachable

Second, understand that they may have insights into things you may not immediately recognize. It’s easier to look at a march route and downplay the distance and environment when you’re in shorts and tennis shoes. It’s a different world in a full kit.
2

The attention to detail that these fellow historians have for their impressions is impressive. A woman’s dress from the 17th century is vastly different in construction than one made in 2020. To capture someone’s appearance, you have to understand how they dressed
3

The same can be said for military reenactors from any conflict. There is a massive number of Civil War reenactors in the U.S. There are exceptions to this, but among those ranks are men and women that have a more intimate knowledge of primary source material than researchers!
4

They have chosen their period for a wide variety of reasons but however they came to it, they have dedicated themselves to getting every detail right. They have a brilliant understanding of material culture and their input can be invaluable in your writing.
5

I firmly believe that some of the best historians I’ve ever met were not in classrooms or lecture halls but around campfires, dressed in a documented uniform with proper construction, and eating a meal made from rations drawn from research on commissary reports.
6

On a personal side, you never know who you might meet in conducting this field research. Living historians come from every walk of life. They can be teachers, doctors, pilots, members of the Armed Forces, students, plumbers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and even CEOs.
7

Living historians are an incredible resource for understanding a time and place. So step away from the computer and find a well respected group of historical reenactors, visit with them, and really get to know, at an intimate level, what you’re talking about.
8