Civil War reenactor Soldier joins the Missouri National Guard

Pvt. James Shipman (Photo by Jennifer Archdekin/Missouri National Guard)

By Jennifer Archdekin
ngmo.pao@us.army.mil

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - One of Missouri's newest Citizen-Soldiers has been serving in the military since the age of 14 as a Confederate Soldier with the 1st Missouri Cavalry (dismounted). James Shipman, a Civil War reenactor recently promoted to captain, is the youngest officer in his 200-man battalion of relic Soldiers.

In reality, Shipman is a private with the Missouri National Guard and enlisted in July 2011. This month he left for basic training at Fort Leonard Wood where he will also prepare to be a military policeman with Detachment 1, 1140th Military Police Company based in Mexico, Mo.

For the past five months Shipman readied himself for the extensive training at boot camp by drilling monthly in the Recruit Sustainment Program based in St. Joseph, Mo. However, he also believes he has yet another edge with 11 years of reenacting experience under his belt.

"The ranks were really easy for me to learn because they have stayed the same," said Shipman. "The only thing that has changed is that they have flipped over -- the stripes point up now. I have a better understanding about rank structure and what's going on. When marching, most the commands are pretty much the same, but I do notice little things like how the position of attention has really changed."

While in the new recruit program, Shipman and other fellow enlistees worked to become familiar with basic marching and movement commands. His reenacting requires him to also work on marching and weapon inspections.

Shipman said he travels all over to participate in reenactments. This summer he took part in the nearby Battle of Lexington commemorating the 150th anniversary. He has also traveled to Pennsylvania to join in the Battle of Gettysburg.

"There were 10,000 reenactors on each side," said Shipman. "That's a lot of guys."

For all of the similarities between the current military, and that of yesteryear, there are just as many differences, such as knowing a battle's outcome in advance. Shipman said most of the time it is predetermined for historical reasons.

"We have a general idea of what's going on," said Shipman. "We know who's going to win and who's going to lose that day. Every once in a while we'll do tactical battles where it's not for spectators, it's just for us and we try to out maneuver the others."

The tactics of fighting have also come a long way in 150 years.

"When we fight we're fighting in a line formation," said Shipman. "As a battalion we're marching, we're firing, we're wheeling. It's a 200-man unit acting as one."

Though the modern battlefield has changed tremendously, Shipman said he still draws from the tactics during skirmishing drills as a Confederate Soldier to help him during more modern exercises which sometimes include paintballs.

"Weapons, obviously those have definitely changed in 150 years," said Shipman. "You go from an M-16 to an Enfield rifle that fires three shots a minute."

Those who stand beside him in the ranks also differ greatly.

"It is all men," said Shipman. "It's period correct and women can sneak into the ranks, but they have to disguise themselves as men. There are some women in the ranks, but they're not normally allowed because of historical correctness."

As a self-proclaiming history buff, Shipman has a plethora of material to work with while serving in two different generations of Missouri military.

"Missouri was one of the border states," said Shipman. "It actually gave the most troops to both the North and South. The third most battles fought in the Civil War were fought in the State of Missouri. I do it for the history. To teach and educate people."

Shipman graduated from North Kansas City High School in 2004 and attended Park University. He owns a martial arts school in Liberty and plans to continue his education.

"I want to accomplish everything," said Shipman. "That's why I joined the Guard."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.moguard.com/blog

At his last drill before shipping out to basic training, Pvt. James Shipman stands with other new Missouri Guardsmen while his recruiter, Sgt. 1st Class Terry Turner (right), looks him over during an inspection. Shipman drilled in St. Joseph for about five months in preparation before heading to Fort Leonard Wood for 19 weeks. (Photo by Jennifer Archdekin/Missouri National Guard)

Pvt. James Shipman (left) stands in formation during his last drill at the Mayes Memorial Armory in St. Joseph before shipping to Fort Leonard Wood for basic training. His recruiter, Sgt. 1st Class Terry Turner, stands behind him looking on. (Photo by Jennifer Archdekin/Missouri National Guard)