LIVING HISTORY
Individual
characterizations to aid in presenting a first person impression
One who never tires of physical skills. He is always ready to wrestle, foot race,
throw logs or any other activity involving strength and competition. He is easily mislead by gamblers and drunks
for their gain. He is not a bully, but
will not back down from anyone. He is
thoroughly knowledgeable of period games including horseshoes and baseball.
Barber
One who attends to the appearance of troops. He usually stakes out a makeshift chair and
practices the art of hair butchering and throat cutting. Although all complain of his practice, he
still manages to have most customers return.
He often is a good storyteller as well and can perform minor doctoring
skills.
Beat
One who does his best to get out of all work. He makes himself hidden in a crowd and
volunteers for nothing. He voids work
like the plague and if given something to do, will take his time and probably not
do the job well. He is a likely
prospect for camp punishment and, because of his slothful ways, is usually
sought after and must be closely watched in combat.
Bully
One who delights in picking on the weaknesses of
others. He is full of bravado (false or
otherwise) and is constantly in trouble for fighting. He mixes well with gamblers and usually keeps the lid on card
games.
Checker Player
One who enjoys fleecing others through the most simplest
of games. He is a good talker and
delights in the game with a good crowd.
He is likely to also be a whittler and carve handy objects. Even his game pieces are made by him.
Clerk
One who handles all company paperwork. Works closely with the sergeant of the guard
for passes and with recruitment. Checks
morning reports and lists missing for sergeants to run down. Usually better educated and exempt from most
camp duties.
Commanding Officer
One who tries to maintain control of the various
characters listed here. He must be able
to deal fairly but firmly with all. He
must do his best to weld these individuals into one cohesive body.
Cook
One who supervises the preparation of meals. He controls KP and has the same power as a
sgt. in running the cooking. He need
not be present for preparation of every meal, but it is still his
responsibility that the menu is carried out.
Only group meals are his responsibility.
Doctor
One who attends the physical welfare of troops. Although referred to as a sawbones, most of
his practice is concerned with treating boils, blisters, cuts, diarrhea, and
fevers. An occasional toothache or serious
disease such as typhoid may interrupt his dull routine ills. He is a respected man contrary to the jokes
at his expense. He becomes a feared man
when he must deal with serious injuries.
Drill Sergeant
One who delights in exercising power of rank. He enjoys putting men through their paces
and freely uses voice volume and insults to gain his point. Yet a compliment, no matter how mall, from
him is better than gold to any man’s pride.
He is gruff on the outside but soft inside and cares for his men as a
mother for her children. He believes
that "to spare the rod spoils the child."
His job is to make soldiers from rank amateurs.
Drunk
One who spends his time in search of, procuring or
drinking alcoholic spirits. He is a
crafty individual who tries to stay one step ahead of his superiors. He will go to any length to get liquor for
himself or others but once in possession he becomes careless and is often
caught with the goods. Sober, he is a
good soldier.
Evangelist
One who has been enlightened through religion. He believes fanatically in the virtues of
religion. He enjoys quoting scripture
and is quick to enjoin upon others the worthiness of his salvation. He encourages and sometimes leads a prayer
meeting and makes a point of scolding sinners.
He is often the butt of jokes and sometimes misused cruelly by the
gambler and drunk. Yet he often turns
the tables by exposing the wicked for camp punishment.
Fireman
One who is expert at building various types of fires and
keeping them going. He is totally in
control of the flame and no one dares to use it without his consent. His appetite for wood is insatiable and he
is a tyrant in regard to wood detail.
He is the cook’s right-hand man.
Forager
One who constantly searches for the necessities and
comforts of life. This man is able to
find water in a desert and food on a barren plain. He is greatly in demand and his services can come expensively
high. Yet he does not disappoint anyone
in what he can provide. He usually gets
more than his share of passes especially when providing for officers. Although night is his best time to work, he
uses daylight as a challenge. He is a
somewhat fearless individual who is protected by his messmates.
Gambler
One whose total concern is gain. He should be thoroughly familiar with period
card games, dice games and wagers. This
person is always on the lookout for soldiers to fleece (including other
gamblers) of money, food, clothes, privileges, etc. as well as constantly
avoiding officers and certain non-coms.
A staff of petty crooks as observers, shills, etc. could also be
employed by him.
General
One who considers himself an expert on military affairs
and who thinks he could solve every military problem if only asked. He constantly expounds on military solutions
and is a profuse complainer. He is also
a good storyteller and occasionally tells the truth. He is welcomed for his tales but usually avoided by the initiated.
Invalid
One who makes a point of being sick or injured whenever
appropriate to his needs such as during fatigue duties, drill or other tiring
activities. He is a constant resident
of sick call and amuses camp doctors with strange concocted maladies previously
unknown to man. When trapped in a duty
he will perform but grudgingly, always reminding all of how they will be
responsible from his inevitable demise.
Sleep is his ally and he is the epitome of the saying "misery loves
company" as he is often among a crowd.
Jonah
One who seems always to bring misfortune to himself or
others. He is clumsy and oafish. He means well but is calamitous
nonetheless. He is tolerated but at a
distance.
Poet
One who is well versed in literature. He is greatly appreciated and sought after
by common men. He is an actor who
provides welcome entertainment. He also
can read and write. He is capable of
reciting epic poems at length and serves to remove one from the horror and
boredom of the real world.
Prankster
One who goes out of his way to get a laugh usually at
the expense of a victim. He enjoys
rumors and delights in teasing others.
He is brave in that he will pull his tricks on anyone regardless of rank
or power. He also is enjoyed for his
antics of mimicking minstrels and doing campfire skits for which he usually is
rewarded.
Profane Griper
One who complains about everything usually in colorful
period language. Although profanity of
the 4-letter word variety is in his repertoire, it is self-created swearing
that makes his reputation. Contrary to
his complaints, he is a good worker.
Yet, don’t expect him to work quietly.
He amuses all and his insults are taken lightly.
Quartermaster
One who controls unit property and sees that its issue
and return is controlled. He is usually
very particular such that he acts as though each item is his own personal
possession. He has no mercy on those
who abuse company property. He is also
easily bribed and usually makes a side business of this trait. He could be in collusion with gamblers and
he is often guilty of favoritism to avoid problems with officers and non-coms.
Reader
One who constantly tries to keep up-to-date with
newspapers, magazines, etc. He delights
in sharing news by reading aloud from local and northern papers. He occupies his time with books including
the bible and assists with letter writing and reading.
Recruit
One who is new to everything. He usually does his best at being a bother with constant
questions. Always volunteers and denies
not knowing anything when questioned himself.
He is eager for combat and full of false bravado. He is worthwhile for taking details of
others.
Recruit Sergeant
One who actively seeks to swell the ranks with more men. He is generally soft-spoken and deceptive as a spider to a fly. He promises anything and uses any devious trick to gain another man to join. He can be as tough as a drill sergeant but he generally maintains a low profile. He is most noticeable at reenlistment time or in neighboring towns. Although unacknowledged, he generally carries a carte blanche from the commanding officer for his tactics.
Scribe
One who does writing for those incapable of same. Does much service as a letter writer (and
reader) as well as master forger for passes, etc. Although his service in the letter area is usually free, his
forging qualities are strictly for profit.
Singer
One who is familiar with many period songs -- patriotic,
religious, love and humorous. He is a
welcome visitor to any mess and is often paid for his services with food or
other comforts to keep him around. He
often leads others in familiar songs.
Possession of a musical instrument is a bonus. Guitars, banjos, mouth harps and harmonicas were common.
Stalwart Soldier
One who serves as the epitome of the Confederate
fighting man. He is a good ladies man
and is usually the best outfitted soldier of the lot. He is well used by the recruiting sergeant and he is capable of
talking anyone into joining.
Storyteller
One who delights in entertaining others with tales,
either fiction or non-fiction. He
usually has a good repertoire of jokes and is in great demand along with the
singer. He is a good teller of local
(North Carolina) history as well as unit history on a personal level.
Tinkerer
One who seems to be able to build anything from nothing.
He is the engineer of the company and
is capable of working out easy solutions to difficult problems. He is sought after by officers and men and
usually occupies a supervisory position.