War in Wilbur: Civil War re-enactment group takes aim to educate on Memorial Day

May 25-"Take that, you hog farmers!"

"Die, Yankee!"

"Go back to Virginia!"

These were just some of the colorful hostilities exchanged amid musket and cannon fire outside Wilbur, Washington, on Memorial Day.

An annual tradition that spans the entire weekend, the Washington Civil War Association hosted a Civil War battle re-enactment complete with period-accurate clothing, history buffs mimicking beleaguered soldiers and camps of white canvas tents that actors occupy during the dusty nights.

Two rows of soldiers representing Union and Confederate armies faced off Monday to the merriment of a collection of spectators taking in the show as if it was a football game. They fired blanks at each other as pops and smoke from their muskets filled a grassy property near U.S. Highway 2. Around 100 re-enactors took to the battlefield in different roles, relying mostly on research-based improv acting as officers called commands and soldiers fell to the ground dramatically.

While entertaining, the intent of the spectacle is to educate the public on the horrors of war, said Chris Marshall, who serves on the association's board.

"We all feel extremely passionate about living history, it's unfortunate that there's not as much of it being taught in school as there used to be, if at all," she said. "To keep history alive, we need to be here to present it."

After about a half hour of each side making gains and losses, a group of Confederate soldiers scaled a hill to reach a Union cannon. Unable to defend themselves with the Confederates in such close range, the Union surrendered. A re-enactor played taps on his horn and eventually, actors rose from where they'd fallen.

Association Secretary David Tipton read a prayer and held a moment of silence in observance of Memorial Day out of respect for fallen American soldiers.

The Civil War is recognized as America's deadliest war, but there's some disagreement on how many people died. More than 1.1 million soldiers were reported as "casualties" from both sides, according to the National Parks Service, including those who died in battle, succumbed to disease, were wounded and those taken prisoner.

It's important to reflect on the gruesome nature of the Civil War, Marshall said. Though the Union's victory was earned more than 160 years ago, witnessing a representation of the horrors of war is critical for 21st-century Americans in an era when most of America's wars take place overseas.

"Death was so pervasive, we just have no concept of it now. Our wars now have all been fought not on American soil, so we're distanced from that kind of terror and morbidity," Marshall said. "We weren't exposed to it now, like we were in the Civil War; it was literally in our backyards."

She hasn't missed a Memorial Day re-enactment for 25 years, this year assuming the role of a widow in mourning. From her large hoop skirt to her crocheted parasol, she wears head-to-toe black. She's well-read in the ways of Victorian mourning customs; she said widows would be expected to only dress in black for a year after their husbands' deaths and avoid leaving their homes.

Because of the bloodshed, Marshall estimated as many as a quarter of American women would have assumed the mourning ritual. Many would use ink to dye their garments black when money was stretched thin, as it often was for widows in wartime.

A newspaper reporter in Richmond, Virginia, wrote "the whole town reeked of dye pots as the ladies were dying their clothes," Marshall said.

A fascination with history drew many to the re-enactment scene. Some, like Tipton and civilian coordinator Lori Kibbie, are schoolteachers. They admit war re-enacting is a niche hobby, allured by the opportunity to dig deeper into American life during the war and convene with other history buffs.

"Now we've all just kind of become a big family," Kibbie said.

While education is their main mission, association members are also there for a good time. The Memorial Day battle is one of three re-enactments the association hosts annually in addition to a battle in Union Gap on Father's Day weekend and one in Yelm for Labor Day weekend. Each is open to the public.

Event attendees are encouraged to meander through the cavalry camps of each side, where actors hide all objects inappropriate for 1860s America to ensure full immersion. Civilian townships give a glimpse at wartime life off the battlefield.

"I used to play cowboys and Indians, play war when I was a kid ... it's like I still got the little boy in me," said Howard Struve, a Union captain.

When the public leaves and the sun sets, it's time for association members to unwind. Some creature comforts can emerge from their hiding place in actors' tents, but re-enactors pass their time much like one would in 1860s America. Kids play games like ring toss and make fishing poles from sticks and string. Women convene for tea and gossip. Men kick off their boots to smoke around campfires. Friendships extend beyond North-South loyalties.

"We can be enemies in all appearances, but come nightfall ..." Kibbie said.

Sgt. Major Toby Gulley has been in the association since its founding in 1993, part of its first re-enactment. He's a Confederate army officer in re-enactments, but spent time in active duty as a serviceman. The bond built by re-enactors is akin to what he built while fighting in the military.

"It's that kind of bond when you get together and you march and you fight and you live together like we do out here," he said.

Getting grubby in Victorian garb with friends and family brings him "something that's missing in this world now."

"People don't bond nowadays, like they used to. This gives you that camaraderie, you come out here, you have fun," Gulley said.

"It doesn't matter whether you're a lawyer or you're a construction worker or a doctor out here if you're a private in the ranks."

Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.

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