Artist / Correspondent for Harper's Weekly and Sergeant, 114th Pennsylvania Zouaves, Jeff Rodriguez

1999 will mark the beginning of my 10th year in reenacting, and I have just as much enthusiasm as I did when I inquired about it as a "spectator" way back when.

I portray four distinctly different impressions which are: a Union private in the 7th New Jersey, a Confederate private in the 9th Virginia, a Union Zouave Sgt. in the 114th Pennsylvania, and an artist/correspondent for Harper's Weekly Newspaper, the last of which I have done with the Society. Being a commercial illustrator off the field of battle (20th Century), I had decided after a few years to develop something that would link my modern day interests more to living history in the 1860's. I put together a general persona of one of the "Specials" from New York, such as Alfred Waud - an artist/reporter who would travel with the Army of the Potomac, sleeping and traveling with the average soldier, reporting, sending dispatches, and like he did, making actual sketches of camp life and soldiering. The artists would make fast sketches of the action accompanied by notes marking "group of soldiers here" or "cannons, trees, and scurrying horses there." Back at the offices a staff of engravers would laboriously copied the drawings on boxwood blocks, several engravers often working on the same picture, one man specializing on background, another on figures and other details. The wood blocks once finished, were bolted together to form a completed picture. An electrotyped metal impression was made for printing on the rotary presses. From the sketch to the print took from three to four weeks. After spending some seasons carrying a musket, on and off I would have some fun walking alongside the columns of soldiers instead of shoulder to shoulder. I would be able to go almost anywhere (within reason), when the fighting started and see all of the action. It would be fun to hear the goodhearted taunts from the men as they yelled to me to "get the story straight this time"! Or "get out of here you damned scribbler"! Not many people today realize the danger these men put themselves in, as they followed closely the movements of the men and how they too, dodged the bullets, shot, and shell.

The best rewards to me from the hobby have been the incredible amount of friends I've made over the years (family really), traveling, and simply experiencing the feel of what it might have been like to live back then.

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Links to web sites related to this topic:
Jeff Rodriguez's Civil War gallery