A Civil War buff has his own battle

What does it mean to be a musical celebrity on the Civil War preservationist circuit? Kyle Thompson can’t believe he knows.

More than eight months ago, the 42-year-old Orange County man began putting into motion his dream to raise as much money as possible to save Civil War battlefields and to do it by recording folk songs he’d written about a war three of his forebears had fought in on the Confederate side. The catch: He had to do it fast. Diagnosed at age 37 with Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Thompson has seen his arms and hands atrophy and his throat muscles weaken.

Thompson’s story touched National Park Service superintendents throughout the East, who let him record at historical sites after hours. Backed up by four friends, Thompson recorded “From the Fields,” hoping to persuade a few parks to sell it in their gift shops.

But things went a lot further.

The Civil War Preservation Trust said Thompson’s CD has raised $1 million. About $258,000 came in a fundraising drive the trust did using his story. A foundation that works with the group matched that figure, and government funds will match the half-million.

“A lot of people are touched and moved that I wanted to do this when I could very easily lay here and not do anything,” Thompson said.

“I hope to a certain extent above and beyond the ALS portion that the poetry of the lyrics moved them.”

Thompson recently moved from Yorba Linda to Arizona, where he and his wife could afford to build a home that would accommodate his growing special needs. What was the most interesting thing he saw in his journey making the CD?

“When I was reexamining the photos from the trip for the CD, there is a ghost on one [at Dunker Church],” Thompson said. “There is the face of a soldier in one of the windows. I enlarged it more and more and all of a sudden this guy’s face comes out, with a uniform and a mustache. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.”