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Union and Confederate forces alike were represented Saturday as members of the 12th Tennessee, Company A, Civil War reenactment unit gathered in the wooded area at the "Y" in Atwood to plan the year's events and to welcome interested individuals into their ranks.

Greg Richardson of Atwood, dressed in the navy blue sack coat worn by federal forces, explained it is difficult to field realistic events locally without enacting both sides of the battles.

"It looks kind of bogus," he said, to portray only Confederate forces when "in late 1863 and early '64 Confederates were outnumbered four to one."

The transition between ranks of the northern and southern armies is made easier because both armies wore the same "sky blue" pants. "It's easy to take the sack coat off and put on the grey," Richardson expounded. "We do what we have to do to have authenticity and keep the hobby alive."

Richardson became involved in reenactments almost 12 years ago just before his 13th birthday, though his interest in Civil War history was piqued much earlier. "My folks made the mistake of taking me to my first reenactment when I was five years old and I got hooked," he said. Later, when the West Carroll Boy Scout troop folded, joining the reenactors seemed a natural progression.

Adam Spain, a 14-year-old reenactor from Huntingdon, says he was recruited into the hobby two years ago by his older brother, John Spain, who is first sergeant of the unit. Wearing the short, more tapered "roundabout" jacket of the Confederate Army, he admits, before joining the unit, "I basically thought the tactics (used employed during the Civil War) were just to get in lines and shoot until one is left standing." Now, he is more aware of the advanced techniques used, like darting behind trees for cover. "It's a lot of fun," he says.

Wearing a long, grey, warmer and more dressy frock coat of the well-dressed southern soldier, 17-year-old Payton McCollum of Jackson says he got into reenacting after meeting a reenactor on a scuba diving trip two years ago.

McCollum, along with Richardson and Jonathan Howe of Memphis, in September 2002 attended a reenactment in Sharpsburg, Maryland, an event attended by some 12,000 of their peers to reenact the battle known by Confederates as Sharpsburg and by federals as Antietam. The September 17, 1862 battle is remembered as "the bloodiest day of the Civil War".

Says Richardson, "People get into this because they have a love and passion for history; it's a very rewarding hobby."

McCollum agrees, "I get to step back in time for a little while and live like the time and see what my ancestors went through."

"It gives a greater appreciation for what they went through for a period of four years," adds Richardson, "the hardships and the trials (they endured) and it also gives us a chance to travel some; see new places and meet new people."

Reenactors come from all walks of life, he says, from plumbers and electricians to doctors and lawyers: "That's how vast it is."

The group encourages anyone with an interest to join the group for their next two events. March 19-21 the group travels to Greenwood, Mississippi to reenact the battle of Fort Pemberton. April 16-18 they will participate in the140th anniversary of Fort Pillow in Henning, Tennessee.

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