Muster up! Civil War re-enactors line up to fight again

As the sound of gunshots popped and cracked around him, Maurice Imhoff tore open a packet of gunpowder with his teeth and poured it into his musket.

Tossing the paper to the ground, the young Civil War re-enactor finished loading his gun, braced himself on a concrete abutment and fired a shot across the bridge connecting Island Park to the rest of Grand Ledge.

It was a noble effort, but not enough to stop the Confederate troops' advance. When the skirmish ended moments later, Imhoff and other Union soldiers laid motionless and "dead," as victorious rebels war-whooped their way across the bridge.

The Grand Ledge re-enactment earlier this month was the first of many Civil War events across Michigan this summer as re-enactors mark the 150th anniversary of the war's end in June 1865. Those who participate say the events are fun and help keep history alive.

"It's a great thing to be out here and to represent the only colored troops from Michigan," said Guyler Turner of Detroit, who along with Imhoff is in the 102nd Regiment United States Colored Troops. The 102nd is among the many re-enactor regiments observing Memorial Day this year by re-enacting battles at Greenfield Village in Dearborn.

Some gatherings are small. Civil War Days in Port Sanilac on Aug. 1 and 2 is expected to draw perhaps 500 to 600 people total. Others are vast. The Midwest's largest muster takes place in Jackson Aug. 22 and 23, with 1,000 to 2,000 re-enactors and more than 30,000 spectators.

Why do it?

"The Civil War is the most significant event in the 19th Century, arguably in American history," said Jeff Pollock, administrator at the Sanilac County Historical Village and Museum.

And there's the fun factor: "It's really probably our best family event as far as having stuff to do all weekend," Pollock said.

Battles are marquee events at Civil War encampments, but there's plenty else going on, too.

At the Jackson Civil War Muster, an evening ball will allow re-enactors to strut their finest 1860s garb, dancing reels and jigs to period music. There will be food and shopping, including authentic Civil War supplies such as hard tack and lye soap. Visitors are encouraged to talk with the re-enactors and ask questions about what life was like in camp and at war. There also is a music festival throughout the day on Saturday.

Jackson's event also will include a number of people doing impressions of historical figures such as President Abraham Lincoln, confederate president Jefferson Davis and Union general Ulysses Grant. Characters who will appear this year in Jackson also include Michigan governor Austin Blair and his wife. Blair, when asked to supply four regiments of soldiers at the war's start, sent seven.

The Civil War muster is a way to celebrate Michigan's contributions to the war effort, said Kim Conant, president of the Jackson Civil War Society. Many war-bound Michiganders mustered out of a camp in Jackson.

"Jackson was huge, Michigan was huge in the Civil War," she said.

Lincoln actually said "Thank God for Michigan" when volunteers from the state arrived shortly after the attack on Fort Sumter started the war in April 1861.

Michigan troops were strong, healthy, motivated and used to cold weather, she said. About 90,000 Michiganders served during the war and about 14,000 died, some from battle wounds but many from disease.

Imhoff, 16, of Jackson, didn't necessarily volunteer for the 102nd Colored Troops. He visited the Jackson muster last year with his grandfather, Raymond Imhoff. They started chatting with the re-enactors in the unit.

"I walked up to the camp and wound up in a uniform somehow," he said.

A student at Northwest High School, he said he enjoys interacting with visitors and learning more about the war.

"I love the history behind it," he said.

So does William Tacker, a re-enactor with the 8th Arkansas infantry regiment.

"I found out I had a relative who was at Vicksburg during the siege," he said of the spring, 1863 battle in Mississippi. He has been a re-enactor for about 15 years, but wasn't sure at first whether he wanted to represent Union or Confederate forces.

He wound up with the best of both worlds: The re-enactors in the 8th Arkansas also are enlisted in the 13th Michigan Regiment, mustered in 1862 in Kalamazoo. They choose to represent one regiment or the other, depending on the gathering.

In Grand Ledge, Tacker camped and spoke with guests as a Confederate, but at the last minute swapped his gray coat for blue when the Union side came up short of soldiers.

Guyler and Lorie Turner of Detroit bring their daughter, Samantha, 16, along with them for 102nd events and make it a family affair.

While Guyler Turner rallied troops to prepare for the 2 p.m. skirmish, Lorie and Samantha and their friend, Dorothy Rushing, were concerned with what came after the fight: dinner.

They had just finished a pot of potato soup, cooking in cast-iron pots over a wood fire for "dinner," the main, midday meal. Next, they would prepare some stew for "supper," the evening meal.

Some women were commissioned by the Union Army to cook for troops. Others followed soldiers in their families, Lorie Turner said. Living in a camp with improper sanitation and short rations of food could prove almost as dangerous as fighting.

"Thousands of African American women and children died out there trying to follow soldiers," she said. "It's hard work. A lot of people died from dysentery and infection."

Lorie Turner said the re-enactment weekends help her de-stress from her day job as a nurse manager at Henry Ford Health System.

"It's relaxing," she said. "I'm not on my cell phone, I'm not looking at television. I'm out in the air, and I appreciate the history."

Guyler Turner said he thinks it's important to keep the spirit of the original 102nd alive.

"If you asked most of the freed slaves during that time, they would say, 'This is for our cause,'" Turner said. "They were doing something important and worth fighting and dying for."

Michigan Civil War events

Among the encampments, lectures, museums and other events you can attend this summer are:

• Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall and Museum, 224 S. Main St., Eaton Rapids, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, May 30 and July 4; also 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 3 and 10, July 1 and 8 and August 5 and 12. The current special exhibit is about Memorial Day. Learn more: garmuseum.com/.

Mooresville Living History and Battle reenactment, June 5-7, 19631 County Road 687, South Haven. Private property owner has built a mill-type building, covered wagons, a chapel, headquarters, and a covered bridge.

• Sesquicentennial Civil War Concert, 2 p.m. June 6, Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing. Performed by the Fifth Michigan Regimental Band; free.

• Civil War Encampment, June 6-7 in Lexington. Fashion show, street skirmishes, living history, firearm demonstrations, drill, and cannon firing demonstration. Learn more: lexingtonmichigan.org/civilwar.htm.

• Days of the Civil War at Gordon Hall, June 13-14 at 8341 Island Lake Road, Dexter. Military and civilian encampment including a quartermaster wagon's setup will be established on the grounds with artillery fire and period bands playing. Flag sewing, minstrel music, meals and tea will be available. Learn more: www.dextermuseum.org.

• Turkeyville Civil War Reenactment, June 20-21 at Turkeyville, 18935 15 1/2 Mile Road, Marshall. Free to the public, but donations appreciated. Battles, grand ball Saturday night, night artillery firing, ladies tea and fashion show, and pie eating contest. Learn more: www.turkeyville.com.

• Civil War Reenactment, June 26-28 at Sandy Pines Wilderness Trails, 2745 136th Ave., Hopkins. Activities will include a battle on Saturday and Sunday, fashion show, period dance, and night artillery firing. Info: www.sandypines.com.

• Seminar: 7 p.m. June 30 at Sunfield United Brethren Church, 8436 West Grand Ledge Highway, Sunfield. Ben Cwayn will present: "South Carolinians in Lee's Army: Gregg/McGowan's Brigade."

• Underground Railroad Days, July 11-12, Vandalia. Guided tours of Underground Railroad sites, information booths and displays, tours of the Bonine House, Civil War encampment, a replica of a Ramptown cabin for storytelling and song, as well as presentations on various aspects of the Underground Railroad in Cass County. Website: www.urscc.org.

• Charlton Park Civil War Muster, July 18-19 at 2545 S. Charlton Park Road, Hastings. Confederate and Union infantry, cavalry, and artillery units. Shop on Sutler Row, play parlor games. Two battles on Saturday, one battle on Sunday. Admission is $5 adults, $3 kids ages 5-12. Learn more: www.charltonpark.org/news

• Ice Cream Social, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. July 25 at Pine Grove Museum/Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society, 405 Cesar Chavez Ave. Pontiac. Lectures by historical figures, period exhibits, tours of the Greek Revival mansion and grounds belonging to Colonel Moses Wisner, the 12th Governor of Michigan. Learn more: www.ocphs.org.

• Talk: 7 p.m. July 28 at GAR Memorial Hall and Museum, 224 S. Main St., Eaton Rapids. Shirley Hodges will discuss the role of women during the Civil War and their importance to the troops and the home front.

• Civil War Days, Aug. 1-2 at Sanilac County Village and Museum, 228 South Ridge Street, Port Sanilac. Union and Confederate encampments, skirmishes, artillery, notable Ppersons, and a Grand Ball. Learn more: sanilacmuseum.org.

• Return of Loomis Cannon to State Capitol Lawn, Aug. 8 at the Capitol. When the Capitol was built, two cannons from the Civil War's six-gun Loomis Battery werer displayed on the east lawn. It is believed that these cannon were contributed to a scrap metal drive during World War II. Two replicas will be installed in their historic spots.

• Chesterfield Civil War Days, Aug. 8-9 at Chesterfield Historical Village Park, 47275 Sugarbush Road, Chesterfield Township. Living history encampments, drills, battle skirmishes, cannon firing demonstrations, and special appearances by the 102nd US CT. Learn more: chesterfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

• 31st Annual Jackson Civil War Muster, Aug. 22-23 at Cascades Falls Park, 1401 S. Brown St., Jackson. Battles Saturday and Sunday, military ball Saturday night, night artillery firing.

• Civil War Days, Sept. 11-13 at Historic Fort Wayne, 6325 West Jefferson, Detroit. Tactical demonstrations both days, battle reenactment, vintage baseball game, civilian camps, ice cream social, civilian activities, special impressions. Learn more: historicfortwaynecoalition.com/cwdays.html.