Buffs Reenact Civil War Battle
Charlie Oldham tugged on his wool infantry hat, wiped a thick layer of sweat from his forehead and limped back onto the battlefield in Moorpark on Sunday.
In real life, the stocky 47-year-old works as a building inspector in San Jose, but over the weekend he joined nearly 500 Civil War buffs to engage in a reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.
“We’re hard-core people here,” Oldham said as he clutched an antique rifle that he used to fire blank rounds. “Our goal is to feel like we were really there.”
The epic battles and several skirmishes were part of a two-day history festival at the sprawling Tierra Rejada Ranch. The event, sponsored by the Moorpark Rotary Club, was expected to raise $20,000 for local charities.
On Friday evening, participants set up Civil War-era campsites at the Moorpark Road ranch and prepared to present one of the war’s bloodiest fights, which occurred in 1863 in Gettysburg, Pa., and involved 200,000 soldiers.
On Saturday and Sunday, about 3,000 people watched mock clashes between Union and Confederate troops, met impersonators of historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln and bought souvenirs.
During Sunday’s show, Oldham was still nursing a badly sprained ankle he sustained in a fall two months ago. He said the injury wasn’t enough to keep him from “living the life of a soldier.”
Oldham assumed the identity of Pfc. Lance Willis, who was a real-life Confederate who served in the 10th Regiment of Virginia.
Like other soldiers, Oldham took his role very seriously. He slept in a spartan Civil War-era tent near the battlefield, wore a realistic war uniform and carried a realistic rifle.
To further the event’s spirit, he ate the same kind of military rations--salt pork and hardtack--that were consumed by soldiers of the era.
During the display Sunday, 14 artillery cannons let out thunderous booms as soldiers on both sides cheered.
As Union soldiers fiercely fought to stop a charging brigade of Confederates, festival-goers hooted from the sidelines while others sat and sipped cold beer and ate hot dogs.
“We are students of this time period in history. It’s very educational,” said Doug Mroczek, a narrator at the event, who lives in Los Angeles.
Participants, who came from throughout the county and state, said they are avid collectors of Civil War memorabilia and concerned about accurately reenacting the battle in great detail.
Perched on his sweaty horse, Smokin’ Logan, Thousand Oaks lawyer Ed Mann fired off a round from his pistol before racing away from the front line.
Mann, the event’s organizer and a longtime participant, portrayed a colonel who served on the staff of Gen. Robert E. Lee. On Sunday, he fought for Little Round Top, one of several skirmishes during the Battle of Gettysburg.
After the battle, Mann said he was happy the show had gone on because other reenactments throughout the state had been canceled or postponed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Organizers of the local event agreed that the best way to honor Americans in war was to continue to educate the public about people who have served in past conflicts and relive history on mock battlefields.
“There were issues about continuing and about whether it was a good time right now,” Mann said, “but like the president said, it was time to get back to doing what we do. This is a hobby, but it’s also a calling.”