When women say they love a man in
uniform, do they mean a thick, wool reproduction of a Confederate Army uniform,
complete with gold braid and flattened-pancake hat? After chatting up a few
soldiers at Saturday’s Civil War reenactment at Letchworth State Park, my vote
is a wholehearted “yes!”
Enthusiasts
crowded the yellow tape that separated them from the battlefield (aka
Letchworth’s Highbanks Recreation Area) and Confederate General Isaac R.
Trimble (aka Lee Hauser of Clifton Springs) electrified the people with tales
of historical derring-do. In the field, soldiers were hunkered down behind
wooden barriers, assembling the cavalry, prepping the heavy artillery.
As
a New Yorker, you knew you ought to
be rooting for the Union, but listening to General Trimble, you kinda hoped the
Confederacy would at least put in a good showing. Two p.m. (regularly scheduled
battle time) drew near, and everyone was breathless.
Suddenly
(as planned), a shot rang out. Ladies in hoop skirts stopped picnicking.
Barefoot children in calico stopped romping. The Civil War rumble was on!
A
word to the wise: In the presence of cannon fire, cowardly dogs will beat a
hasty retreat. Pull the troops back (to the car), drive around until the battle
is over, and reconnoiter in the reenactors’ camps to make friends with women
cooking beans in cast-iron pots. Look for General Trimble. He’ll answer all
your Civil War questions.
Years
of service?
Twenty-five.
I started as a private out in the field, but I’ve been the General for 10
years.
Cost
of General Trimble’s uniform?
$2,000
to 2,500.
What
keeps you coming back year after year?
The
people. I start talking Civil War history, and get going so that my wife has to
cut me off. She’s also involved in reenactments — she comes to most of them
with me.
Acknowledging
that there are “no stupid questions,” do onlookers ever ask stupid questions?
My
favorites are, “Why were all the Civil War battles fought in national parks?”
and “Why aren’t there any bullet holes in the monuments?”
— Meg Devine
This article appears in May 26 – Jun 1, 2004.
