COLUMBUS, Ohio — To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War in 2011, thousands of Americans will visit battlefields and other historic sites to view re-enactments. Hobbyists, known as re-enactors, are the dedicated individuals who recreate these battles and the grueling lifestyle the American Civil War Soldier endured.
"We try to be as authentic as we can in bringing the life of a Civil War Soldier to the spectators at our events," said Bob Minton, who has been re-enacting since 1993 and leads Ohio's largest re-enacting group — the Army of the Ohio. "We don't bring the lice, disease or rancid food, but we do try to present as much as possible what it was like in the Army of the 1860s."
These enthusiastic re-enactors spend their weekends sleeping under the stars, wearing hot, wool uniforms, drinking out of canteens or tin cups, cooking over fires and drilling in Civil War tactics; rather than drinking out of pop cans, eating pop tarts and candy bars and sleeping in campers so they don't give the impression that it was easy to be a Civil War Soldier. These dedicated individuals are more than men and women in period clothing, they are living historians.
One of these living historians is Tech. Sgt. Brian McNamara, a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft crew chief assigned to the Columbus-based 121st Air Refueling Wing, who is also a member of the 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a re-enacting unit from Northeast Ohio.
McNamara, a 20-year veteran of the Air Force, got involved in re-enacting in 2010 at the urging of his son, Conner. "At one of the events he convinced me to give it a try and I've been hooked ever since," McNamara said.
Since then, Conner has also recruited his brother and grandfather into the ranks. "It has been great learning and experiencing what it was like to be a Civil War Soldier with my sons, and I think that it has helped all of us have a better appreciation for what the Soldiers went through," McNamara said.
Like so many other re-enactors, McNamara, a Mount Vernon, Ohio, resident, has a great love of American history and finds the Civil War a very important part of that. "So many things changed in this country because of the Civil War and that makes it so interesting to study," he said.
McNamara said re-enacting has given him the opportunity to do more than read about the history — he can live and experience it. He recalled a time when his company marched onto the battlefield and started to engage the Confederates. "Our company performed just as we had trained, maneuvering and firing volleys at the advancing Confederates, when all of a sudden, the Confederate cavalry flanked us and captured us," he said.
While he admits it was not a shining moment for his unit, it was at that point that he started to understand what the Soldiers in the Civil War went through. "In battle, the only thing you think of is loading as fast as you can and the commands from your officers," he said. "You are so focused on that, that you do not even realize what is happening around you."
He said people are fascinated by the hobby and want to know more about it when he tells them about re-enacting. "It really is a lot of fun and not difficult to get involved in, I would recommend anyone with an interest to find a unit and check it out," he said.
The best part of re-enacting is having the opportunity to do it with his sons, he said. "As a parent there are not a lot of things we can participate in with our kids as an equal, and this has turned out to be one where we are equals," he said. "That is, as privates."
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