The Columbia Rifles

The Columbia Rifles is a living history organization dedicated to providing a more historically correct, research-oriented environment for Civil War reenactors. The Columbia Rifles (CR) typically portrays a company of Federal infantrymen.

About the Columbia Rifles:
Most members of the CR started reenacting in so-called "mainstream" organizations but desired living history experiences that could provide a more historically accurate representation of the life of a soldier in the ranks. In April, 2000 over forty men with this philosophy banded together to form the CR. The CR is committed to maintaining a high set of standards and actively supports Civil War preservation causes. The CR is a non-profit corporation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is a Federal 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit educational corporation.
The Columbia Rifles’ Philosophy on “Progressive” Living History:
When applied to reenactors, terms such as “hardcore”, “progressive”, “campaigner”, and others mean different things to different people. The CR generally eschews such labels because we believe that how we compare to other reenactment groups is unimportant; what matters to us is the historical record.

The CR is a group of men who are constantly striving to learn and improve. We serious about our impression and we require adherence to relatively strict “material” standards (uniforms, kit, &c.). However, the CR places equal emphasis on the “methods” (how the material goods are used — such as drill, rations, camping methods, military procedures, &c.) and “man” (i.e., first-person) aspects of living history. Further, the CR is a place where good friends get together to learn about Civil War history while having a good time together.

Who the Columbia Rifles Are:
Many members of the CR hail from the same parts of the country where the original Army of the Potomac was recruited over 140 years ago, including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, and Michigan, as well as Virginia, North Carolina, Ontario, and New Brunswick. The Columbia Rifles is affiliated with the Potomac Legion battalion.

The minimum age for membership in the CR is 17 (functional musicians may be age 13 and up), and all members must be in good condition and physically capable of being an infantryman on the march. The basic requirements for membership in the CR are the desires to reenact in a manner consistent with the period, and to engage in research that will result in a constantly improving impression. The CR generally presents a military impression and does not currently have a civilian contingent.

The Columbia Rifles' Impression:
The CRs' living history impression is dictated by the event and scenario and therefore members' portrayals change from event to event. When a specific
portrayal is not dictated, the CRs' basic impression is that of infantrymen of the Army of the Potomac in the mid-war period (i.e., spring, 1863). CR
members adapt their uniform and kit to suit either early-war (1861-1862) or late-war (1864-1865) periods and military theatre (i.e., Eastern or Western
troops) as required.

While the CR often portrays soldiers on campaign or on picket duty, the unit also participates in garrison-style events where its uniforms, kit, rations, military procedures, and other impression aspects reflect the scenario and unit portrayed. Depending on the scenario, the CR may bivouac outdoorswithout tents, or in an organized camp of company streets using either shelter tents, common or "A" tents, or Sibley tents as required, or inbarracks.

About this Website:
If you are seeking to join a research-oriented living history group or if you are looking for information on the life of the common Union soldier of the Army of the Potomac, we invite you to tour this website via the links below. Some of the more popular pages on this website are the CRs' informative authenticity standards, our "after action reports" that describe our events in detail, and the "Columbia Examiner News" page that supplements our bi-monthlynewsletter The Columbia Examiner with the latest information on upcoming CR events.This website also includes a page with links to several "how-to" articles.

Glendale-Malvern Hill Preservation Event 18-20 April 2008

Contacting the Columbia Rifles:

The following individuals are CR Board members and serve as our regional points of contact. Membership in the Columbia Rifles is by invitation so, if you are interested in joining our ranks, please contact the Board member nearest you. Potential members should read and understand the CR Mission Statement, Membership Information, Authenticity Standards, and other information contained on this website. The Columbia Rifles' Board of Directors to serve until the April 2008 annual meeting are:

President: Charles Heath
Vice President: Jeff Henion
Secretary/Treasurer: Steve Tyler
Board Member: Pete Smith
Board Member: Brian Luscombe
Web Master: Bill Woodhams