By John A. Miller

Every year, thousands of families will drive to a historical site to learn about the rich history our great nation has to offer. Here in the Tri-State area, there is a unique type of Civil War history that one would not expect. For example, the Catoctin Furnace has hidden Civil War ties. Or maybe it’s the towns themselves, such as Thurmont or Emmitsburg with their surprising Civil War history. Whatever the case, the Civil War affected a great deal of areas within the Tri-State. Within the last decade, many towns, cities and other historical sites have done some type of Civil War based event(s) to honor this part of their history.

Many folks will hear about it and if they are a reenactor or a living historian, they will be asked to participate in the event. And in most cases, even though these events are small, they will bring out history hungry people who are eager to learn. While, I, myself have enjoyed these smaller living history events, there are a few things that I have observed in the past that could present a danger or possess the potential for injury.

One major tool to a living historian or reenactor besides his uniform is his musket, and rightfully so, it’s the most costly tool in your interpretive tool box. Everyone wants to see the musket fired or people want to hold it to understand the feel of the gun. This is where potential danger lurks on both sides of the aisle. I have witnessed first hand, spectators at New Market, Virginia jumping into the reenacting field to take photographs. I’ve seen guys who portray a general jump out from the crowd waving his saber to a battalion of reenactors who are already at the command to aim. These types of incidents present very dangerous situations to both reenactors and spectators.

I am a Historic Weapons Safety Officer for the State of Maryland. During my classes to become a safety officer, we watched several videos of things that went wrong with a black powder firearm or weapon. All of these accidents could have been avoided if the historical firearms safety standards or procedures were followed. Every historical site should have some type of historic firearms safety procedures adopted, but many of the regional parks, museums, or historical sites do not. If that is the case, then safety falls upon the individual(s) or unit(s) participating.

During a living history or interpretive program, the demonstrator should always maintain possession of the weapon. Children and adults are excited about seeing this weapon being fired and afterwards they want to hold it. This is where a lot of accidents resulting in head injuries occur. When you take a hunters safety course, the first thing they tell you as a responsible weapons owner is to treat every gun as if it was loaded and never aim nor point a weapon at a human being, even if you do not believe it is loaded. This important information is also taught during the historic weapons training at our state facility.

Sometimes children as well as adults forget that reenactors and living historians carry real weapons that can be potentially dangerous. That is why the first thing, and the most important thing you should tell a person or a group is that what you are carrying is a real firearm. Give them a safety talk or overview at the beginning of your demonstration. Explain to them that one could hunt or target practice with this weapon. When firing a weapon, you should also give a safety message about the loud noise it creates and have people stand behind a safety barrier. For those who have hearing aides, just simply tell the crowd they might want to turn them down for this aspect of the demonstration. Always have a clear firing range of fifty yards.

For units who are doing a group demonstration, make sure everyone in your unit is already trained in the manual of arms and the school of the soldier. At least one individual of your unit should be explaining to the group and educating them on what is being done. This person is also the eyes and ears of your unit. Sometimes people like to jump out in front while a group is about to fire and take a photograph of the demonstration. Safety is always important for you, your group as well as the public. Don’t be afraid to stop the demonstration if people are outside of their safety zone. Again, people don’t realize that the weapons of a Civil War reenactor or living historian are real firearms.

For the musket itself, make sure that your weapon is clean from previous use. Make sure that the gun is unloaded by sliding the ramrod down the barrel, this is another way to see if the gun is clean. Make sure that at half cock, the trigger can hold the weight of the weapon without falling back on the cone/nipple. Make sure there is no corrosion at the end of the barrel, or surrounding the cone/nipple. Make sure there are no cracks in the wooden stock or rifle barrel itself. The bands of the musket should be tight and not loose, or able to slide up or down. All of this should be done prior to any demonstration/reenactment. Typically mainstream reenactments or living history groups conduct a safety inspection.

During a group or individual demonstration if the musket fails to fire, make sure you hold the gun in firing mode for at least ten seconds in case there would be a delayed spark. During a misfire, never go back to order arms and reload. After ten seconds, reprime the weapon and resume ready, aim, fire. If it still fails on the second try, again wait ten seconds and then pick the cone in case it is obstructed, reprime it again and go through the same motion. If your weapon still fails, repeat the previous step. After a fourth time and waiting another ten seconds, bring your firearm to recover arms and announce "misfire." If you are doing an individual firing demonstration, apologize to the public, dismiss them, go into a safe area and use a Co2 small arms discharge unit and blowout the powder charge. Never worm or use a ramrod/cleaning rod to extract charges. I have seen a video of an interpreter at a historical site have a hang fire and after that person realized the gun misfired, that person automatically brought the weapon down while it was still leveled and the charge went off with in five seconds. This person was very lucky that the charge did not do any damage to the school group he was giving the demonstration to since the musket was leveled to eye level of the children.

Check cartridge boxes to see if the tins are in use. While checking cartridge boxes make sure there is nothing but cartridges in it. I read a story that happened at a reenactment about a guy who asked for a cigarette during the night and his partner reached in his cartridge box and some how gave his friend a blank cartridge instead of the requested cigarette since he carried them in his cartridge box. When the guy tried to light what he thought was a cigarette, the cartridge exploded in his mouth. I know, this was dumb, but it still happened and that is why a cartridge box check is necessary to ensure that only cartridges are carried in it.

When dealing with the public one on one, never hand over any weapons to anyone. If someone wants to see and hold your musket, you can hand it over, but maintain possession by holding onto the sling, or the fore end of the musket with your fingers locked around the center band. This is a good way for you to ensure safety and control how far the weapon can be picked up, or to keep it standing straight without the individual intentionally leveling the weapon. Children have a tendency to grab hold and automatically point the gun without being aware of who is around. This is a good way for another small child to get clunked on the head or for a person to be injured. So maintaining possession is very important. Another way for a person to get the feel for the weapon is to take them out of the group of people, and with the interpreter still holding onto the sling, they can level it without worry of injuring someone close by, and you can be sure they are pointing it in a safe direction. Again, always treat each weapon as if it was loaded.

Never fix a bayonet to a musket and have someone level the rifle. This is something that I have witnessed many times and it is extremely unsafe. Reenactors and living historians think they are doing something special that might spark an interest in Civil War history for that small child, but this leaves open several scenarios that might not play out how you think. Also never unsheathe an edged weapon, regardless of what it is.

If you take all of the steps that I mentioned into consideration, you will have a safe event that can be enjoyed by all. The main thing to remember is that safety is your responsibility and you are responsible for conducting a safe and educational program whether it is a living history or at a reenactment. Always be aware of your surroundings and if you see something that could be a potential danger, don’t be afraid to stop the demonstration. If someone next to you that is part of the demonstration/reenactment is unsafe, talk to that person’s group leader. If that person is in your unit, then make sure you explain to that person what it is that he is doing wrong. Show them the correct way in order to eliminate any future mishaps. Interpreting the Civil War is a fun way to educate the public, it should be a safe one also.