Christopher Lee Schreiber, co-founder and captain of the 3d Alabama, Co. D, reenacting unit, died Oct. 24. He was 52.
Mr. Schreiber and a few reenacting friends formed the 3d Alabama in 1982, and he was its captain for most of its history. In addition to his leadership role in the 3d Alabama, Chris served double duty as a major and executive officer of the Provisional Army of Virginia (PAV), a new Confederate battalion formed in 2001.
"Chris was the true spirit of the whole reenacting activity, with a knack for making everyone around him very comfortable", said PAV Lt. Col. Bob Abraham. "I can still picture the day during the 2001 Gettysburg reenactment, when the Federals stalled their advance. Our battalion was hunkered down along a slight ridge, and Chris stood up and started taunting the Federals by waving the unit’s flag. Soon there were plenty of advancing Federals coming our way. All Chris said then was, ‘Well, I guess I stirred the pot a little too much.’ We all fell into laughter. I’ll never forget that day".
Chris Schreiber was best known in the reenacting community for his talents as a shoemaker and leatherworker, having produced scores of brogans, kepis, knapsacks and superbly crafted leather goods.
While many in reenacting call themselves "living historians", Chris truly "lived" the history, totally immersing himself in his craft and the history surrounding it. He worked as a shoemaker at historic Richmond Town on Staten Island and Old Bethpage Village Restoration on Long Island, N.Y.
Many museums, including the Smithsonian, Gettysburg National Military Park, Colonial Williamsburg and Pam-plin Park commissioned him to produce sets of accoutrements for displays in museum showcases. While his greatest love was the Civil War, he also crafted authentic accoutrements of the Revolutionary War and World War I periods. He was commissioned by the Smithsonian to craft a number of leather briefcases matching one once belonging to George Washington.
As a consummate craftsman, he carefully examined remaining artifacts and studied the methods used during the period. In his quest for knowledge and historical accuracy, he sought out antique shops for the actual machines and tools of past eras, and used these same tools, methods and materials to produce goods accurate in every respect to the originals.
So detailed was his study, and so discerning was his eye, that he could examine an artifact and point out by the angle of the awl holes and the pattern of the stitching that the original craftsman was left-handed. And he referred to that original craftsman as "he",as if he knew the man as a friend. But Chris’s skills as a craftsman went way beyond making a beautiful cartridge box.
In 1994, Chris Schreiber was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors gave him five years to live, and he fought hard to prove them wrong. He carried that fight into every aspect of his life. Throughout his illness, he continued his work at Arimed Prosthetics in the metropolitan New York area, where he made artificial limbs for amputees and braces for persons with disabilities. His talents gave veterans the ability to hold a knife and fork, and allowed other cancer survivors to walk again.
One mourner at his funeral services was a young wheelchair-bound woman who came to pay her respects to a man who was dedicated to making her walk with braces several years ago. She remarked that when she was 13 years old, doctors and therapists told her that it would be impossible for her to stand up and walk.
With an important religious ceremony coming up in her life, she dreamed of walking on that day. Chris Schreiber refused to allow her to give up on her dream, and he made braces to accommodate her disability, and convinced her to keep trying until she could walk. To the amazement of all, she succeeded in accomplishing her dream, and attributes it not only to the skill of his craft, but to the dogged determination driven into her by Chris Schreiber.
Long-time friend and fellow craftsman C.J. Daley remarked, "Chris’s love for history was equaled by no one I know, and he convinced me there was more to ‘living history’ than just conveying facts to the public. He was the first to jump out of a car and run over to a monument on a battlefield.
"We bailed out of the Gettysburg reenactment in 1995 because Chris wanted to cross the field of Pickett’s Charge, at the exact location, on the exact day, and at the exact hour they did. But he had to stop halfway across when he was overcome with emotion, and asked if we could turn back. He said "‘The fathers taken from their sons, sons taken from their mothers, and comrades lost on that day won’t allow me to keep walking towards that [Cemetery] Ridge.’ He couldn’t reenact something so close to his heart. To him, visiting a battlefield was a spiritual quest".
Fellow reenactor John Stillwagon says that while Chris was known as an incredibly skilled craftsman, he was also "... a generous teacher and a good friend with an amazing sense of humor. He was always happy to share his incredible knowledge and talents with anyone who was interested, and always do so with a modest smile and a sparkle in his eye.
"One thing we learned from Captain Schreiber was that while our hobby is fun and often irreverent, we should always treat the sacrifices of these who came before us with respect and dignity. At the 135th Sharpsburg event (to Chris it was Sharpsburg, not Antietam), we partied late into the night.
"In the pre-dawn, before the ‘Cornfield,’ we were still in high spirits when Captain Schreiber stepped in front of the company. He reminded us what really happened in Miller’s Cornfield, and to please take a few minutes to listen and quietly contemplate the events of Sept. 17, 1862. No one who was there will ever forget that moment".
Mr. Schreiber also taught art part-time at Wagner College where he met Ingrid, one of his students who would become his future wife.
With news of his passing, phone calls and e-mails have been coming in from around the world, including Germany and even Moscow. Many came to pay their respects at Chris’s funeral services, which included an honor guard with muffled drum by members of the 3d Alabama. As a fitting tribute to their departed comrade, they placed their battleworn 3d Alabama flag in Chris’s casket.
He is survived by Ingrid, his wife of 14 years, and their two sons, Christian, 9, and Alexander, 7. Members of the 3d Alabama are planning to raffle a set of leather accoutrements next year, crafted by two of their own, Jim Stephenson and John Greenfield, both of whom apprenticed under Chris Schreiber in recent years.
Proceeds will be earmarked for a special fund created in the memory of the 3d Alabama’s fallen captain, with all funds going to his family. Anyone wishing to contribute towards this special account may send donations to The Chris Schreiber Memorial Fund, c/o 1st Sgt. John Greenfield, 140 Westervelt Ave., Hawthorne, NJ 07506.
Greenfield said: "I know we all have a little piece of Chris in us and we are all better for it. The hole I have inside from his passing is filled a little bit by knowing what he taught me made me a better person. For that I will be forever grateful".
1st Lt. Frank Gatlin, who assumed leadership of the 3d Alabama this past season due to Captain Schreiber’s illness, commented, "Chris was not only a true gentleman, but truly a gentle man".
He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
