Ok – so buckskinners aren’t exactly “reenactors” per se, but there sure is a fine line between the two hobbies. We both have a passion for history. We both love to dress-up in funny clothes.

Jonah Begone is the nom de plume of a Civil War reenactor who first published Seven Annoying Reenacting Types back in 1993. A sequel was written by Jeff Hendershott later that added even more personas to this list of annoying folks we see from time to time at our camps.

We all know some of these folks and have even been one from time to time. Not everything fits exactly into our version of living history, but I thought this one was great:

The Authenticity Guru
This is the type who writes very well-researched, very detailed and horribly unreadable articles about minor historical issues. His (or her – can’t let the women off on this one!) interest ranges from “Color, Type and Efficacy of Seam Threads Used in Federal Issue Trowsers of the Trans Mississippi from May 1862 – August 1863” to the somewhat more gut-wrenching “Nineteenth Century Midwifery of the Moosehead River Valley.” Discussions about muskets and edged weapons seem to bring out the most crazed of this type. No matter how boring, however, the Guru’s articles are inexplicably praised to the hilt and almost always introduced in gushing prose by editors who recommend a reading because it will “…help us serious Living Historians perfect our impressions so that we may better educate the public.” Some Gurus have become celebrated for their arcane knowledge, but my interrogation of other reenactors has revealed that as a practical matter they skip the article entirely once they read the author’s name!

Surely we’ve never been guilty of that have we? 🙂