Graue Mill turns the clock back to 1863

Joe Duran is about 150 years late to the Union victory party, but don’t tell him that.

Fully decked out in his Union blues, wool cap and haversack, Duran, 41, of Carol Stream, believes he missed his true calling in life — to be a Union soldier in the Civil War.

“My family tree goes back to trace relatives who fought for the Union, and I’ve been studying them and learning about them since I was a child,” he said. “The history of our country is fascinating. I’m just a little bummed I miss this period in history.”

Duran was one of hundreds of Civil War buffs to visit the annual Civil War Encampment at Graue Mill and Museum in Oak Brook this weekend.Every Labor Day weekend, members of the 10th Illinois Regiment, a Civil War re-enactment group, don period-appropriate costumes and re-enact life in an 1863 Union military camp, right down to the meals and the utensils they ate them with.Re-enactors show how a soldiers#146; camp was built, what kind of weapons were used in battle, and what role women played at the time.Debra Dellavedova of Gurnee told of the Angels of Mercy and roles nurses played on the battlefield.#147;They had to be educated women and they couldn#146;t be judgmental. If they went out to assist a union soldier and there was an enemy combatant hurt as well, she had to help them both,#148; Dellavedova said. #147;Women played a very important role in the Civil War so it#146;s important to remember them and think about the roles women would have in today#146;s military without these contributions.#148;Not everyone who visited the encampment was a history buff. Some visitors came just to learn something new or share some history with their children.Katrina and Michael Wellemyer brought their twin girls, Elizabeth and Marla, to give them an edge in the classroom.#147;They#146;re starting fifth grade, and I know they#146;ll be studying the Civil War in history class,#148; Michael said. #147;I#146;ve seen this (encampment) posted in recent years but today just seemed like a good time to bring the girls out.#148;The Graue Mill site has a particularly strong connection to the Civil War era because it was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.