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War Reenactors
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: A bunch of people simulating famous battles and wars, especially (if American) the American Civil War or (if English) the English Civil War. A character already known to be a history, military, or weapons geek will probably be in attendance. Sometimes they'll be the descendant of a famous general. Given their place in the world of subcultures lies somewhere between Nerds and Geeks and socially acceptable study of history, their fictional depictions vary — from living history hobbyists and patriots, through enthusiastic but harmless geeks who just pay attention to actual history behind their SCA fantasies, all the way to Born in the Wrong Century obsessive types.

Compare and contrast Society For Creative Anachronism, LARP. These are pastimes that are superficially similar, but have a different image in public consciousness and are not always appealing to the same mindsets.


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  • In Sweet Liberty (1986) Alan Alda plays a historian who also heads a War of the American Revolution reenactment society. His book on a local episode of said war is then turned into a movie, in which he serves as an advisor and the reenactors as extras. He becomes incensed as the movie makers restage the battle so it is more cinematic, throw in a fictional love story between a local woman and the British commander, General Tarleton, and change Tarleton's uniform from the historical dark green to the more iconic scarlet. That he also becomes infatuated with the actress playing the female lead (Michelle Pfeiffer) does not help.
  • Night at the Museum had a whole exhibit of Civil War soldier mannequins that would come to life each night and start fighting each other.
  • The titular Two Thousand Maniacs! are having their own little reenactment with our poor heroes.
  • The protagonist's father in Sweet Home Alabama is a reenactor.
  • Many films set in the American Civil War make use of reenactment societies as readily equipped extras, e. g. in Gettysburg and its prequel Gods and Generals. One notable drawback is that the soldiers in the battle scenes tend to be on average older and more well-fed than their historic counterparts. Historian Gregory Urwin even founded a reenactment group from among black students from the University of Central Arkansas to play part of the 54th Massachusetts in Glory.
    • Just for the record, it's not in the slightest limited to the American Civil War.

  • Appears in Discworld, though of course here it is largely a spoof of English Civil War re-enactment societies like the Sealed Knot (Corporal Nobbs is a member of the Peeled Nuts, aka the Ankh-Morpork Historical Re-creation Society).
    • Also, a famous "ambush" in which Dwarfs and Trolls supposedly both set a trap for each other and fought so hard that the Disc cracked and flooded and all participants were swallowed up into the crevices. From then on, every year, almost all Dwarfs and almost all Trolls gang up on each other to fight in a sort of reenactment...but more like an actual war. It turns out that the two sides were actually trying to negotiate lasting peace and were simply caught in a flash-flood, eventually settling down to die together during a nice game of Thud.
  • Most of the characters in War Game by Anthony Price are members of a reenactment society specialising in the English Civil War; the novel begins with one of their officers turning up really dead during a mock battle. Some of the reenactors find the plot eerily echoing their "game" roles.

    Live Action TV 
  • NCIS's Tony DiNozzo senior did Civil War reenactments and gave Tony DiNozzo junior the job of carrying around a bucket for the reenactors to use as a toilet. A childhood of being called their "little poo-boy" gave him a slight phobia of reenactors in general.
  • The Batley Townswomen's Guild's Reenactment Of The Battle Of Pearl Harbour (A group of women covered in mud, going at each other with their handbags in some field) from Monty Python's Flying Circus.
  • Psych: A murder occurs during a Civil War reenactment. Lassiter (weapons geek) was role-playing as a Union officer that he claims to be a descendant of.
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation came across the corpse of a Civil War reenactor in one Cold Open. The framing device was a conflict between two reenactors, one of whom strongly identified with his persona, while the other was more laid-back.
  • That Mitchell and Webb Look had a sketch about reenactors of the English Civil War, who attempt other wars which goes poorly for them.
  • Micael Moore's TV Nation had a civil war re-enactment troupe re-enact other battles, like "Battle of Hiroshima" (model plane flies overhead, everyone stares and point up, then drops dead) and "Battle of Los Angeles" (Rodney King riots).
  • A reenanactment of the English Civil War coincides with the awakening of ancient Sealed Evil in a Can in the Doctor Who serial "The Awakening". Its baleful influence turns the reenactors more violent than it otherwise would have been (and comapnion Tegan is almost burnt at the stake).
  • In an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, Frank is joining an old friend for reenacting the reenactment of the battle of Gettysburg. In an obvious case of They Just Didn't Care, this is taking place in Long Island, in the middle of winter. For those not in the know, Gettysburg is a town in Pennsylvania, and the battle took place in July.
  • In an episode of Family Tree Harry is visiting his relatives in America and one of them is a very active Civil War re-enactor. Harry is invited to participate and gets to witness two Abraham Lincoln impersonators beat each other up since only one of the is needed and they cannot agree on which one was supposed to stay home. Harry is later considered to have been killed and does not really take to the idea of having to play dead for an hour. Finally he makes a faux-pas by asking the man acting as the Confederate general if it is harder to re-enact the side who was in the wrong.
  • Time Team makes a lot of use of these guys, having had them act out Roman, English Civil War, and even WW2 Homeguard activities over the course of the show. Usually with Phil Harding joining them just for a laugh.

  • There is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy play about English Civil War re-enactors where what the re-enactors did on the eve of the re-enacted battle affects events on the field. For instance, one of the Royalist officers goes spare after he discovers his girlfriend cheated on him with a Roundhead artilleryman the night before.

    Video Games 

  • Parodied in Dresden Codak with the Historical Pre-Enactment Society, who (pre)enact battles that have yet to happen, with lasers and such.
  • Also parodied in this strip of xkcd, with real-time reenactment.

    Western Animation 
  • Parodied in Family Guy when the Griffins live in a backward Southern town. The local reenactors put on a short play which goes as follows:
    Lee: "Ulysses S. Grant. You invite me to lunch, then show up late and drunk?"
    Grant: "I was lookin' for your wife, to give her the old...(does crude gestures)"
    Lee: "That does it. This, sir, means war. (pushes Grant down)"
    Grant: "I am vanquished."
  • A few times on The Simpsons:
    • To save money for a nanny, Homer resigned from "the Civil War Recreation Society I love so much."
      • For added humor, Homer was playing Ambrose Burnside, inventor of the sideburns. We also get this gem:
    Barney (as Abraham Lincoln): But I'm not too crazy about our Stonewall Jackson.
    (Apu emerges from the bathroom in an Indian military uniform.)
    Apu: The South shall come again!
    • Homer must've rejoined, because in a later ep he takes part in a reenactment, which was inaccurate (according to Principal Skinner).
    • Springfield Elementary tried to sneak peeks at a reenactment during a field trip, because they didn't have the money to pay to get in; the soldiers (both North and South) chased them away.
    • When Homer becomes head of the Stonecutters he hits upon an idea to help the community:
    Homer: I'll get a bunch of monkeys, dress them up, and make them reenact the Civil War.
    Lisa: Dad, that doesn't help people!
    Homer: Couldn't hurt...unless the monkeys start hurting people. Which they almost certainly would.
    • Also occured during the first act in "The Sweetest Apu" when Principal Skinner sponsors a Civil War reenactment which ends up inaccurate.
  • South Park: Cartman as General Lee leads the South to victory to win a bet with Stan and Kyle. He accomplishes this mainly by keeping the reenactors constantly bombed out of their minds with s'mores-flavored Schnapps.
  • Parodied in SpongeBob SquarePants with a large group of fish dressed in pseudo civil war era uniforms, one army in blue and one in red, reenacting the Battle of Bikini Bottom. Towards the end of the episode there's a rather unnecessary and hamhanded Take That towards actual enthusiasts.
  • On American Dad!, Stan and Steve participate in a Vietnam War re-enactment on a golf course. Steve takes it too seriously and starts acting like a Shell-Shocked Veteran.
  • On Futurama, the crew takes part in a Sith-il War reenactment. They dress in blue Union uniforms with fake laser rifles while their opponents use lightsabers.
  • One episode of DuckTales had Launchpad called in to a reenactment of a battle which his ancestor fought in (single-handedly costing his side victory). It turned out that some of the soldiers (now ancient) who Launchpad's ancestor lead to defeat are in the area, and draft him in a plan to win the reenacted battle and regain their honor.
  • Rocky and Bullwinkle ended up getting the Wassamatta U football team to reenact the Civil War on the football field - during the game. This somehow enabled them to win the game.
  • The New York City of Ugly Americans has an annual apocolypse pre-enactment, which is a cherished part of demon culture. In the episode it's featured in Lily thinks it's slipped into Not a Game but that's only because he didn't read the script.

    Real Life 

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