Blue, Gray Do Battle on the Green

Taking aim at the Confederate line less than 100 yards away, Union Pvt. Tim Kiernan suddenly fell to the ground, an early casualty in Sunday morning’s battle reenactment by Civil War enthusiasts.

Later, when shouts of “recall” brought the blue and gray casualties back to life on a grassy field in Huntington Central Park, Kiernan explained his quick demise, minutes after the rifle and cannon fire began.

“My weapon was acting up. I couldn’t get it to fire, so I took a hit early on and dropped out of the battle. Stuff like that happens sometimes,” he said.

Sunday’s reenactment attracted about 1,000 spectators, who saw the Union troops defeat the Confederates with steady rifle fire followed by a charge that pushed the rebels off the battlefield.

About 200 Civil War buffs from throughout California put on the weekend exhibition. Each side had its own campsite where many of the men and field nurses slept in tents Saturday night.

Kiernan, 36, a Milford, N.H., native, was assigned to the 2nd New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment. Kiernan, who lives in Camarillo and works as a shipping clerk when he is not fighting the Civil War, has been participating in reenactments for 15 years.

“I do this because of my love of history, and this gives me a chance to honor the men from New Hampshire who answered our country’s call,” he said. “My regiment helped preserve the Union. It fought at Gettysburg, where we took horrendous casualties. Three men from Milford died in the Civil War.”

Most members of Kiernan’s New Hampshire regiment are “stationed” outside California. “For now I hang around with guys from the 2nd Vermont Regiment, a good New England unit. The Vermont boys are scattered throughout Southern California, and our captain lives in Riverside,” he said.

Reenacting Civil War battles is not cheap. Kiernan said he has more than $2,000 invested in his wool uniform, equipment and rifle. The weapon, a .54-caliber single-shot breech-loaded rifle, is a reproduction that cost $1,000, he said.

“I also pay for my travel expenses. Being single helps, but sometimes my girlfriend complains because I use up my weekends fighting Confederates,” said Kiernan.

In recent years, Kiernan said he has participated in as many as nine reenactments annually.

After the battle, representatives of the Confederate and Union sides mingled with the spectators, hat in hand, asking for donations. A woman took out a $5 bill and said she wanted to make her contribution to the Union side.

“Put it in here, Ma’am. It all goes to the same pot, blue or gray,” said a Confederate trooper.

As the smoke cleared from the battlefield, Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by William Truman Peck, recited the Gettysburg Address to a large crowd that gathered around him.

The Union troops, who also gathered around their commander in chief, offered a brisk salute.