I guess I should start by introducing myself. I am David Grimsrud, I live in Southern California; and I have been reenacting about 12 years now. I joined as a private in the 8th Louisiana, worked my way up to sergeant. Shortly thereafter I was asked to join the Confederate staff; I went from a 2nd lieutenant to 1st lieutenant, captain and now I am currently a major and adjutant to the Confederate commander. A few times a year we do go Union, I am a private in the #33rd Wisconsin. Along the way I also became president of the American Civil War Society (AWCS). That’s what happens when you offer to help, remember the old saying, “never volunteer.” That is my military experience; however, as time and age advance, I find it harder and harder to take the field. Therefore I am considering a civilian persona.
I have an aunt that is into genealogy research, and she discovered that my family was mostly from Illinois and Iowa, where they were farmers, teachers or preachers. She also found a branch of the family, called the Cutters, that lived in Wisconsin in 1861, from a town called Cutter’s Siding. Today it is to tiny town of Cutter. I am related to the Cutters, best we can figure they were sawmill owners. The town is just outside of Superior and on the tracks of the Great Northern Railroad. With my ancestors in my mind, I started to work up my civilian role. The more I learned, however, the more I began to feel that using my family history as a model was a stumbling block, instead of a master plan. I also thought of being a Great Lakes fisherman, but documenting that persona was really difficult and it was hard to figure out how I would portray it at a reenactment or living history.
I am currently at the point where I know what I do not want to be as a period person, but am still looking for what my role should be as a participant in a civilian town. I next considered general store owner or other type of shopkeeper. In my position as president of the ACWS, however, I do not think it is right for me to infringe on the current sutlers. So, that was abandoned. I began instead to focus my efforts on clothing; I want something that looks middle class, not like a banker, more like a shopkeeper, tradesman or other merchant. Since I find myself going back to the idea of a shop owner I will do more research, possibly find a product I can sell at reenactments without stepping on the sutlers.
My most recent thought, though, since I am always doing events in California, was to become assayer. This is a person that checks the purity of gold ore from the miners, and converts gold dust to legal tender for the miners. Much more research is needed, but I think that a tent and fly would be my office, with a table with scales and a box of fake chemicals to check the purity, and a stack of ledgers as my basic set up. Period dress would be business attire, trousers, shirt vest, cravat, frock coat and bowler hat. I think that with some more inquiry I may have found my civilian persona.
Although as we age, it may be more correct to leave the fighting to the young. Still, we don’t want to give up the hobby we have enjoyed for so many years. As reenactors we can continue to be involved with the time in history we all love by searching and researching a civilian role. It adds a dimension to reenacting events, and allows us to teach the public about not just the war, but the whole time period. Something not regularly taught in public schools. I am looking forward to my research and development of a civilian impression.
-By David Grimsrud