History repeats itself with family of Civil War re-enactors

Editor's note: This article is being reprinted because portions of it were mistakenly omitted from some editions. It originally appeared in Monday's Neighbor section.

Paul Wood of Wheaton remembers feeling a connection with Robert E. Lee when he was just 9 years old.

Nowadays, he impersonates the famous Civil War general.

"Fortunately my hair turned the right color at the right age," Wood said.

He dons the general's persona not only for weekend re-enactments, but in pageants, movies, cemetery walks and living history plays with his family.

His wife, Sally, and their children Karen, 25, and Matthew, 23, have been active Civil War re-enactors for 14 years.

"Years ago we took the kids out to the 130th re-enactment of Gettysburg." Paul Wood said. "I could see in my 9-year-old son's eyes that he'd really like to do this. Then we went to an event in Rockford. We were just teasing ourselves -- how do you get involved?"

They were walking down a gravel path, met a soldier, and asked him. He directed them to a recruiting person in the woods. He asked two questions: "Do you want to be North or South and which branch: infantry, cavalry or artillery?

"To be in the cavalry you need a horse." Paul Wood added. "To be in the infantry you have to be able to walk and I had just had my knee replaced. Artillery is the cheapest way to get involved. All you need is a uniform."

Three weeks later the Wood family joined the "federal artillery" in Davenport, Iowa.

"They said, 'Just come out, bring some food and bedrolls,' " Sally Wood said. "I scrounged and found long skirts, boots and blouses for Karen and me. They supplied a tent and a uniform for Paul."

Karen, then 11, was not enthusiastic. She complained all the way to Davenport.

"When we pulled into the encampment, Karen was swarmed by girls and boys," Sally Wood said. "That was the last time we saw her for the rest of the day. Kids make newcomers welcome.

"All the way home she asked, 'When can we do it again?' "

Sally Wood added, "The beauty of this is that the kids travel in a pod. They become friends. They are safe because they know not to leave the encampment. They have to use their imaginations to entertain themselves. It gets them away from computers and television. One time they stayed up until 2 a.m. playing pickup sticks by candlelight, laughing and giggling, just being kids."

Paul Wood said his family still sees many of those same kids today and when his kids finished college, they came back. Katie, Matthew's new wife, has joined the Wood family's hobby.

"At first we borrowed stuff," Paul Wood said. "Then I bought an artillery uniform. That was a real commitment to the hobby. It is important to do it correctly. If you wear glasses, you get antique glasses. You buy the type of boots worn at that time. If you don't, the impression suffers."

Sally Wood added, "We've become pseudo-purists. We now have everything we need. We still have to be accepting of new people. It takes time and money to improve."

People called "sutlers" in the camp sell patterns for clothes, socks, corsets, tin cups, silverware. Simplicity has a new set of patterns because of movies released including "Cold Mountain" and "Gettysburg."

In order for a woman to dress accurately, her clothing would be either cotton or wool and use hooks and eyes rather than a zipper.

"I wear a corded petticoat that holds the dress out but is far more flexible than a hoop," Sally Wood said. "A hooped skirt is difficult to wear in camp, especially with the Porta Pottis. One of the hardest things is wearing a corset. By rights, I should wear a corset all the time, but when it's 90 to 100 degrees outside, I cheat. I do wear pantaloons for comfort and modesty."

Paul Wood added, "If a soldier takes his coat off, he puts a vest on, otherwise he is considered to be in his underwear."

After the family spent 10 years as federal artillery, Paul Wood said he always wanted to be a Confederate soldier because they could do more with their uniforms. So now the family is Confederate and Paul Wood has five uniforms, and Matt Wood has six or seven, both Union and Confederate, artillery and infantry.

Primarily, Paul Wood portrays Gen. Robert E. Lee and Matt is a second lieutenant with the 26th North Carolina. Paul has his uniforms custom made so that the hat, coat, suspenders, boots and spurs cost about $2,000. He also carries a saber or sword.

As a general, he sleeps in a "wall tent" as opposed to the A-frame tents used by regular soldiers.

Sally Wood does not portray Mrs. Robert E. Lee because she was an invalid during the war and that would require her to use a wheelchair.

The re-enactment season spans April through October. Their unit is based in Plainfield and enacts the battles according to a script.

"It has to be scripted because of safety," Paul Wood said. "We decide who will win on Saturday and who will win on Sunday so no one's feelings will be hurt."

He added that each unit has a safety officer and they use real cannons, which fire one pound black powder.

"You cannot go onto the field if you haven't drilled that morning. If we do it wrong, someone could lose an arm. If people get hurt, it could ruin the hobby, and we would be shut down completely. The government keeps a good watch on re-enactors. They have photos of each of us.

"It's a military operation. We do drills and tactics; we use real guns."

Sally Wood added, "The early morning bugle calls and drums send chills down my spine. The spectators don't see this. We say that the fun begins when the spectators go home. Every event has a ball. They have ladies' activities like fashion shows, teas, or demonstrations on how to make or dress properly."

The re-enactments even have a commissary sergeant who does the cooking for their unit as well as a man who does an impression of a preacher and leads a non-denominational service with a sermon and songs each Sunday morning.

"We've learned in our 14 years that re-enactors are the kindest, most honest people we know," Paul Wood said. "It's their hobby. They are lawyers, doctors, mechanics, carpenters. They come from all walks of life. During the winter, we spend time together. They've become like family. We are always looking for new re-enactors."

For details, contact Sally and Paul Wood at pswood123@yahoo.com and label the subject "re-enactment."