Membership
Interested or curious about Civil War reenacting in the Artillery branch? Our recruiting office is open year-round. We have military and civilian memberships and are family friendly. The 5th Ohio was established in 1992 and continues today. Reenacting is a combination of work, sweat, learning about history and having fun doing it all. Civilians - there are no age restrictions. Your Impression is what your appearance and personality presentation is when you dress in 1860's period clothing. Some like to study about and portray themselves as an actual person or relative from the period. It's fun with lots of learning. Our current civilian members are always happy to help you get started with your civilian impression. Some of our members make their own clothing, but attire is also available from Sutlers; modern reenacting stores that set up at events.
Military - Enlisted memberships are open to men and women with certain age restrictions (See the Training section below). Enlisted members work various duties on the cannons with occaisional volunteer duty as infantry support. Interacting with the public is constant as they are always interested in how and what Civil War artillery did. Camp life in the artillery is not as regimented as other service branches but the battles are still exciting to be a part of.
Training
Since Civil War artillery employs large amounts of gunpowder, safety is the highest priority of our unit. The 5th Ohio has been in existence since 1992 and we are proud to state we have never had any injuries as a result of working on the guns. We owe this to our training progam and continued vigilance by our members, NCO's and officers. All members or prospective members of the 5th Ohio are strongly urged to complete our artillery School of the Piece which is conducted yearly. It is a one day course with two-year certifications issued by our training officer who is the Ohio Region III Inspector, certified by the National Civil War Artillery Association.All students and prospective members must be at least 16 years of age to serve on any of our guns. Students under 18 years of age will require parental consent and successful completion of artillery training.Artillery school is also open to members of other Civil War artillery reenacting units or interested individuals. Propspective unit members who join after yearly artillery school can receive certification by arrangment with our training officer.Contact us for more information.