Beer Recipe: Air and Exercise — Rattleskull

“Air and Exercise” = being whipped with a Cat-o-Nine-Tails. Prior to the arrival of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, American officers often imitated their British peers. In a rather startling example, George Washington once lobbied congress for permission to allow 500 lashes — “Air and Exercise”– as punishment to maintain discipline the Continental soldiers! Congress …

Historical Tidbits

When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. March 15, 1783                 Newburgh Address General George Washington, having learned that his officers planned to meet to discuss a fiery petition to mutiny if Congress failed to provide them …

Basic Colonial Brewing #4 — Minding your “P’s” and “Q’s”

Which weighs more, a ton of lead or a tun of feathers?  Sounds absurd today but in the 18th Century this is actually a legitimate question.  How many feathers can you pack in a 256-gallon cask?  A lot more than 2000 pounds!  In Colonial America, minding your “P’s and Q’s” isn’t about etiquette, its about …

Historical Tidbits

When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. March 5, 1770                    Boston Massacre In 1767, in an attempt to recoup the considerable treasure expended in the defense of its North American colonies during the French and Indian …

Defending the Empire: Being a Reenactor with the 43rd Rgmt of Foot

If you want to start reenacting or just want to explore the hobby, my advice is to join one of the better Revolutionary War regiments. Whether you choose to be Contential, Militia; or, for the stout of heart, British is more about who you are and what you want to learn. For me it was …