Civil War re-enactors enjoy bringing history to life
GETTSYBURG – Ninety-degree temperatures didn’t stop them from wearing wool pants and coats. Big booms, reverberations, bolting horses and smoking guns are part of their action-packed skirmishes. Most of them didn’t even mind sleeping on the ground.
The real attractions for local Civil War re-enactors, however, seem to hinge on three key components: history, camaraderie and, yes, food cooked over an open fire.
“This is what we like – living history,” said Barry Harvey of Connellsville, who was in Gettysburg for the 147th Civil War Reenactment held Friday through Monday. Harvey and Debby Dull of Scottdale do “living histories,” creating and performing scenarios, vignettes and mini-plays at schools, events and historical sites. While at Gettysburg, the two also participated in cannon-firing demonstrations and living history reenactments at Gettysburg Campground.
“We do write our own little scenarios,” said Debby Dull, who teaches at Bullskin Township Elementary School.
Dressing in period costumes, she has portrayed a woman whose son was killed and performed in a vignette about Civil War spies. Debby Dull said she is often asked about the clothing she wears for the portrayals – everything from hoop skirts and hats to undergarments.
Harvey Dull said he gets questions about cannons.
“They ask me a lot about artillery,” he said.
A “love for history” also prompted Brownsville resident Bob Mammarella to take up reenacting as a hobby 10 years ago. Mammarella, president of the Brownsville Historical Society, participated in the Gettysburg anniversary reenactment with Knap’s Pennsylvania Volunteers, an artillery unit based in Greene County.
Another member of Knap’s Battery, Richard Birch, a former Marianna resident who now lives in Pittsburgh, is interested in the historical aspects of reenactment. An official re-enactor since age 18, Birch said he was exposed to the hobby at a much earlier age.
“My father did it, and I went along,” he said, adding that the camaraderie among re-enactors appealed to him.
That same aspect attracted one of the younger members of Knap’s Battery.
“The crew seemed nice,” said Dalton Smith, 19, of Rostraver Township.
Smith, who was originally involved in World War II reenacting, shifted his focus to the Civil War after hearing one of the battery’s members give a presentation. After an opportunity to participate and assist with firing the cannon, Smith said he was hooked.
“There’s only one bad thing,” he said. “I didn’t like the cold at night.”
Despite the 90-degree daytime temperatures at this year’s anniversary battle reenactment, the nights were cool.
The camaraderie extends to forged friendships and family bonds. There’s a sense of brotherhood on the battlefield and an air of domesticity in the camps.
Brian Shaffer of Rices Landing and his son Zachary, 12, were on hand for the Gettysburg reenactment. Zachary carried the flag onto the battlefield. In previous years, other members of the Shaffer family attended. Daughter Katie made her first appearance in camp shortly after her birth. She made her bed in a wicker clothesbasket.
Stories are told and memories shared in the re-enactor camps. Recipes and patterns are exchanged. A wooden set of checkers is arranged on a barrel top, while modern-day game players quiz each other with questions from a Civil War trivia book.
Attempts to maintain authenticity prevail on the battlefield and in the re-enactor camps, but there are varying degrees. Based on historical authenticity, re-enactors are sometimes grouped in three general categories. They can be “farbes,” a term with various possible origins that refers to “polyester” re-enactors who pay little regard to the fabrics, weapons and technology available during the historical period; mainstream re-enactors, who make their best attempts to remain historically accurate; or hard-core re-enactors, sometimes called “thread-counters” because they adhere to details that include fabric thread counts and stitches-per-inch in hand-sewn clothing.
Portable bathroom facilities are necessities at reenactment sites, but other modern conveniences – sleeping bags, plastic containers, flashlights – are hidden from sight during reenactments. Store labels are peeled from fresh fruit in straw baskets, and plastic bags are stuffed in wooden boxes.
While many Civil War soldiers sometimes had to depend on hardtack, a long-lasting basic biscuit, for their dietary needs, re-enactors tend to be well fed.
Birch, who listed history and camaraderie as two reasons he became a re-enactor, added a third – “the food.” His favorite camp cuisine is “anything Nicky (Eckerd) makes. The quality goes when she’s absent,” he said.
Eckerd, of Fredericktown, accompanies her husband John and plans meals for Knap’s Battery during reenactments. With the help of Pat Walko of Waynesburg, Beverly Santella of Uniontown and others, Eckerd cooks ups campfire delicacies that make spectators’ mouths water. Some even stopped to photograph her chickens as they roasted on the spit.
“You should have seen when I did the turkeys,” Eckerd said. “People were asking if they could have samples.”