Improvement to our reenacting impression should be an on-going process. Members are highly encouraged to upgrade their clothing and equipment as promptly as their circumstances allow. Although attitude is more important that equipment, an increased attention to correct construction and materials is both instructive and necessary in order to achieve the look of the soldiers we attempt to portray.

The philosophy of the CR's and 122nd can be summed up as follows:

• Safety is paramount.
• Attitude is more important than stitch counting.
• Everyone's impression has room for improvement.
• Incorporating new ideas and information into one's impression is part of the joy of reenacting.
• Research! Research! Research!
• Civil War history is well documented. Ignorance should be no excuse for shoddy practices or goods.
• Always hold the light of recorded history up to the status quo.
• Never let your own good time spoil someone else's "moment".
• One's impression must change to meet the needs of the scenario.
• Galvanizing is not a dirty word.
• Because we seek to honor the men of 1861-1865, aiding historic preservation efforts is our highest duty.

We are people to whom the past is forever speaking. We listen to it because we cannot help ourselves, for the past speaks to us with many voices. Far out of that dark nowhere which is the time before we were born, men who were flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone went through fire and storm to break a path to the future. We are part of the future they died for; they are part of the past that brought the future. What they did-the lives they lived, the sacrifices they made, the stories they told and the songs they sang and, finally, the deaths they died-make up a part of our own experience. We cannot cut ourselves off from it. It is as real to us as something that happened last week. It is a basic part of our heritage as Americans.

1. Modern Eyeglasses - Certain death to any living history impression.
2. A Crummy Hat - Rolling the brim like a baseball cap, excess decoration, and/or wearing a cap made in the form of a shapeless feedbag. Steamed fedoras, limp unfinished hat-blanks, and anachronistic headgear will not cut the mustard.
3. A Bad Attitude - Being drilled to perfection, well-read, physically fit, and having a perfect kit is no excuse for being a prima donna, chronic whiner, stuffed shirt, or all around jackass. This includes non-period quips at inappropriate times.
4. Being Grossly Overweight - Bad for your impression and bad for your health.
5. Holding Non-functional Rank - Non-commissioned officers who cannot or will not do their jobs are just as bad as commissioned officers without troops.
6. Wearing Your Traps Around Your Knees - Sure, Jimmy Page looked cool doing this but he had a guitar.
7. Cigarettes - Try a pipe, you may like it.
8. Too Much "Neat Stuff" - Even campaigners can get the "too much stuff" disease. Keep your kit simple and lightweight.
9. The Tailored Look - For most of the war, uniforms were issued in four sizes, period. How you managed to make it fit was your problem.
10. Modern Clothing of Any Kind - Tee shirts, bandannas, sweat socks, etc. are guaranteed to ruin your impression.
11. Modern or Excessive Jewelry - Earrings and other piercings were extremely rare in the 1860s. Wristwatches were non-existent.
12. Non-Period Foods or Packaging - A "Cheez-It" box can be spotted from 100 yards in an otherwise authentic camp.

A quality historical impression will concentrate on more than just "kit", and even the casual reader of these standards will notice the attention paid to non-material items. The reenactor who is dedicated to authenticity will divide his efforts between three facets of equal importance: man, methods, and material culture.

"Material Culture" refers to all the physical items that are part of the reenactor's impression: weapons, uniforms, equipment, food, personal items, etc. The importance of high standards in this area is fairly obvious, since its elements can be seen at all times.

"Methods" answer the question, "How were things done?" By showing how the material culture was actually used, reenacting transcends a historical fashion show. Drill is probably the best example, but there are many other methods that deserve consideration: how the soldiers cooked their meals, how they made their camp, how they cleaned their weapons, issued their rations, and passed the time. There are plenty of guys with nearly-perfect kit, but very few who are nearly-perfect in the "methods" category.

Attention to the "Man" element is a hallmark of the highest-quality reenactors. "Man" relates to the person in the uniform: his thought patterns, speech, mannerisms, and physical condition. The recent activity known as "first person impression" is an example of attempts to round out the historical presentation by creating a 19th-century social environment.