A Sutler was any type of vendor who set up to do business adjacent to a military encampment. Sutlers provided everything a soldier wanted, needed, or was able to pay for. A photographer who set up shop and sold tintype portraits to the soldiers was a sutler. It was not uncommon for sutlers to sell to both sides. Technically they were neutral.
This blacksmith made this period correct horse drawn forge and workshop from scratch. His specialty was making the forged iron supports you put over your fires to hold your cooking pots. But, if you needed it, and it was made from iron, he would fabricate it.
This man fabricated this wagon from scratch. He transported it from reenactment to reenactment., Inside the back of the wagon was a set of vintage tools and dies for making tinware. Using the vintage tools he would manufacture ultra high quality tin lanterns, plates, cups, coffee pots and a wide range of other tinware.
A really nice older couple.. While they traveled in a modern looking trailer, their specialty was hand making and tailoring of period clothing. I ordered a pair of wool pants from them. It took a few reenactments for them to be finished, but they fit perfectly and never did wear out.
Some reenactors preferred to take on the roles of professionals or physicians. Here is a union doctor in his tent. During the battle reenactments he would man the “Field Hospital” and tend to the “wounded”…..
And here is a gentleman in the persona of a Confederate doctor. Note the vintage medicine bottles in his tent. It was all about the bling.
Civil engineer by day. Civil War Union engineer by weekend.
All good things come to an end, time for a beer as a reward for a weekend done well!
