I was having a conversation this evening with one of my friends, and he was telling me about a customer that came in to his store and began talking about Civil War history. My friend was impressed with his vast knowledge of the war. And it reminded me of all the people I have encountered that have amazed me with their Civil War history knowledge. And it also reminded me of how many times I have told someone that I am a reenactor, and they have automatically assumed I am an expert on the war. Quite frankly, I’m not.

I love history, and the Civil War period fascinates me from all angles, especially how it ties into my own family history. And indeed I carry around alot of knowledge about the war in Missouri, and around Springfield. I’m also continuously dissecting in my mind the events that took place on May 18, 1864 in Ava, MO, then known as Militia Springs, and the battle that day that took the life of my great-great-great grandfather and many others. But that’s a discussion for another day.. maybe a book…

I’ve been grilled about my knowledge of the Civil War, almost quizzed to death, to the point where I’ve wanted to yell “Uncle!” and run for my life.

For me, reenacting is not about knowing all there is to know about the war and being able to provide a dissertation about it at a moment’s notice. There are many friends of mine in the hobby who do have that kind of knowledge, and I marvel at what they know. But that’s just not me, not why I’m there.

I like getting deep into the personal perspective of the war experience. When people are walking through the camp asking questions, I want to share with them the personal side of being a soldier in the war. If I find people who are willing to play along, I’ll line them up and grill them like they are new recruits (boys around 8-14 are usually perfect for that). When I’m teaching a class of school kids about the war, I’m talking to them from a very personal perspective, about what the soldier really went through. And when our battalion is lined up and getting ready to go into battle, I’m thinking about what it would have been like to have been standing there, waiting, during the real thing.

If you’ve read Volume 1 of my series of books about reenacting, called Cooter Up, you know that the narratives are told from a very personal perspective. I might have a little history in there, but it’s mostly about what I saw, what I heard, what I felt.

This coming year, I’m going to bring about some changes in my regiment, the 3rd Missouri Dismounted Cavalry, to hopefully enhance each man’s experience on the field and in camp. I’m going to try to add enhancements to camp life that bring the war closer to the hearts of the men, and hopefully improve their experience.

Soon I will be posting the schedule for this year’s events, and with any luck, I’ll be able to initiate a new website for the regiment. I’d like to invite you all to a battle this year, as there are a few very close by, one in Hartville, one near Greenfield. Come see us, come watch the fight, come visit the camps. Hopefully you will catch some of that personal feeling I speak of.

Names and dates and locations are important and worth noting. But what went on inside the heart of every man on the field, and every woman either left at home or following the army as a refugee, is where the real story lives.