Reliving Civil War Life as It Really Was

Carl A. Clink is not sure if he believes in reincarnation, but the first time he put on a Civil War uniform and fired a musket, he felt like he’d found himself.

He was 17 years old and had recently joined the now defunct Civil War Assn. of Southern California. Outfitted with replica uniforms, weapons and accouterments, members of the group gathered at Fort Tejon in Kern County to step back in time.

“I remember the first time I fired the musket and smelled the black powder, I was just in hog heaven,” said Clink, a 35-year-old Huntington Beach resident who now leads the 50-member, 100th Pennsylvania Infantry reenactment group. “I was so jazzed because I’d always wanted to do this. I’ll never forget that first time.”

He has since taken part in battle reenactments throughout the United States and toured many of the Civil War battlefields. Last September, he was one of 16,000 “soldiers” who encamped at Sharpsburg, Md., where the Battle of Antietam resulted in the nation’s greatest loss of life in a single day. A staggering 4,800 soldiers were killed and another 18,500 were wounded on Sept. 17, 1862.

“There are people who do a lot of reading and can tell you exactly what happened at the Battle of Antietam, but there’s nothing quite like walking around on the actual battlefield.

“I’ve marched; I’ve slept in the rain and the snow; I’ve eaten salt pork and hardtack. I’ve done everything I can to emulate the life of a Civil War soldier as closely as possible, to try and get the feeling of what it was like to be there.”

Clink, who is also president of the Huntington Beach Historical Society, has made a business out of his avocation. After years of working in the television and film industry as a model designer and set builder, he started Hired Guns in 1993. Using members of Civil War reenactment groups, he has staged battle scenes and provided technical advice for numerous television shows and films, including Steven Spielberg’s recent release, “Amistad.” Clink coordinated the battle scene at the end of the movie, for which he provided 250 authentically outfitted actors.

As a technical advisor and Civil War scholar, Clink is committed to authenticity. But in the entertainment business, he’s learned, historical accuracy is not always the top priority of directors.

“Amistad was well-made, and it was a story that needed to be told to the American public, but it was also saturated with artistic license. First of all, John Quincy Adams never met with the slaves. And when they show the slaves approaching him, he’s standing in front of the nation’s Capitol. There was no dome on the Capitol at that time, but in the movie, the dome is there.

“As a technical advisor, my job is to tell the director how things were done during a particular time period. The director either takes my advice or he doesn’t, but either way I’ve done my job. That’s show business.”

It’s a business he understands. His father was a movie and television stuntman for 30 years, and his mother is a storyboard artist for Walt Disney Studios.

In April, Clink and about 40 members of the 100th Pennsylvania Infantry will be in full dress at the Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda, another exercise in “living history” in which the “reenactors” will interact with the public.

Clink is also trying to win permission from the Huntington Beach Community Services Commission to stage a Civil War battle reenactment this September in the city’s Central Park, something he’s done three times before.

“The city is balking because they think the artillery might be a little too loud, so we’re trying to work it out. We’re not allowed to have horses, and I can understand that. But to do it with no cannons would be tough. The artillery is 50% of the show.”

Clink and other Civil War enthusiasts recently formed the Orange County Civil War Roundtable. The fledgling group held its first meeting last month, with future meetings planned for the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Community Center at the Huntington Beach Center shopping mall. Clink is the founding president of the group, whose meetings are open to the public.

“The object of the round-table is for people who have an interest and a passion for the Civil War to get together and talk about it. It’s more than just a war. It’s what made us the United States. You have to understand the Civil War if you want to understand the United States.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Profile: Carl A. Clink

Age: 35

Hometown: North Hollywood

Residence: Huntington Beach

Family: Single

Education: Graduated from Ulysses S. Grant High School in Van Nuys; apprentice training in movie set construction

Background: Descendant of a Civil War Union soldier; began studying Civil War history at age 10; joined first Civil War battle reenactment group at age 17; served in the U.S. Marines for eight years, becoming helicopter crew chief; movie and television technical advisor on Civil War battle scenes since 1986; model builder for television shows, 1989-90; movie set construction work since 1990; movie and television acting and extra work since 1990; started Hired Guns in 1993, providing authentic-looking actors and equipment for battle scenes from all eras; second year as president of the Huntington Beach Historical Society; executive officer of the 100th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company K, reenactment group; gives classroom presentations on Civil War history; founding president of the newly formed Orange County Civil War Roundtable

Movie work: “Amistad,” “Immortal Beloved,” “Wild Bill,” “Ghost Brigade,” “Wyatt Earp,” “GreyKnight,” “Gettysburg,” “Tombstone,” “Glory”

Television work: “Everyone Loves Raymond,” “Foot Soldier,” “Civil War Journal,” “Unsolved Mysteries,” “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” “The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.,” “Quantum Leap,” “North and South Book II”

On reenacting history: “We go to an event, establish a camp, and for that weekend, we live the lives of the soldiers of the 100th Pennsylvania Infantry. We do living history. We are soldiers from the 1860s, trying to bring the public into our world.”

Source: Carl A. Clink; Researched by RUSS LOAR / For The Times