Civility usually wins out as reenactors stage battles of historic proportion

Screaming into the acrid clouds of blackpowder smoke floating through the pine woods, Yankee soldiers grit their teeth and charge, firing off rounds against their Rebel foes.

Cries of the wounded fill the air. Cannons boom.

"Move up, dammit!" yells one Union sergeant as the front line begins to sag in the middle during a Confederate counterattack.

That’s when Capt. Jack Eaves of Hardaways Alabama Artillery detonates a blackpowder charge, taking out Lt. Col. Steve Kerns, commander of the federal brigade.

"We blew the colonel right off his horse," Eaves says to no one in particular, then adds, "Hope he’s not mad."

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Not in the least.

After all, they are all members of the Reenactors of the American Civil War gathering near Yreka, Calif. In addition to battles on Saturday, the dusty soldiers will engage again at noon and 3 p.m. today.

Admission is charged, which is a fund-raiser to purchase state and national flags for local schools.

"I got taken out," Kerns says with a laugh while walking his horse, Copper, after the skirmish.

Besides, the biologist from Shasta County will tell you the Union won the battle.

Each reenactment battle is scripted but, like many things military, they don’t always go according to the best-laid plans.

"We know how we’re going to start it, how it’s going to end and the in-between part is just made up as we go along," Kerns says.

The point of the reenactment is education, he says.

"Knowing our history is important," he says. "This is really about education. It’s not about a bunch of guys firing off guns.

"But it’s also a way to say thanks to veterans," he adds.

It’s also a way to have a little fun, offers Capt. Jerry Miller, 53, a retired truck driver from Grants Pass who serves as the executive officer for the Hardaways unit.

"I like to hear the cannons go ‘boom!’ I love the artillery," he says.

He and Eaves, 59, of Eureka, whose civilian job is demolishing buildings, are charged with detonating pots containing small charges of blackpowder during the battles.

"We blow up both sides — we’re not choosy," Eaves says. "They tell us who wins."

"As they shoot the cannons off, we get to decide who dies," Miller interjects.

They watch closely which cannons are fired, then use a device which employs a radio signal to trigger a pot of powder in the field.

Both sides are armed with artillery pieces firing blanks. Many of the southern troopers carry muzzleloaders but the Union’s Sharpshooters are armed with 1859 breech-loading Sharps rifles which would have fired a 57-caliber bullet.

"Reenactors are typically people who like American history," says Joe Allison, an Army veteran who is commander of Company F, 1st U.S. Sharpshooters.

"There is also a little theatrics involved. And it’s all family-friendly-themed dirt camping."

Allison, who is a deputy district attorney for Siskiyou County as well as president of the Yreka Rotary Club, which is helping organize the event, has a bandage around his left hand.

A red badge of courage from the battle?

"I hurt myself setting up the event this morning," he says.

Pvt. Kit Barlow, 49, of Eagle Point, a member of the 1st U.S. Cavalry, is fascinated by the living history.

"I’ve always had an interest in history, especially the Civil War," he says after the Yanks trounce the Rebs.

His ancestors fought on both sides during the war between the states, he adds.

Joe Bloom, 62, of Grants Pass, who served in the Marine Corps in real life, recently joined the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters.

"I watched the Ken Burns series on the Civil War about 15 years ago," he says of a PBS program. "I was hooked."

History also brought James Williams, 52, of Chico, Calif., a U.S. history junior high school teacher. The private in the 37th North Carolina Company A is wearing patched wool pants.

"I’ve worn them out and patched them like they would have," he says during a lunch break after the battle. "The supply situation was pretty bad in the Confederate Army. They tended to get not enough food or not enough clothing."

Williams stops talking to build a campfire.

"We try to cook, eat and sleep the way they did," he explains.

"There’s one sweet potato left," he says, pointing to a partially burned spud in the coals. "We’ve got a couple of roasting ears and some sausages we’ll throw on the fire."

Looking at the meager fare is unit 1st Sgt. Mark Hoffman, 34, a police officer from Paradise, Calif.

"This is a chance to come out and get a brief taste of the life of an American soldier during the 1860s," he observes.

For more information

Anyone interested in joining the local Civil War re-enactors unit of the Cascade Civil War Society should call Kit Barlow at 601-3562 or check out the Web site www.ccws.us.

A reenactment is planned June 18 and 19 at Lake Creek.

Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at pfattig@mailtribune.com