Gary Pierce and Jeff Morton wait with their regiment as cannons take the battlefield prior to the infantry at a re-enactment in Gettysburg, Pa. Mr. Pierce says artillery groups would begin nearly every battle in the Civil War while the majority of troops waited in the woods nearby.

Harnett Extension Agent Relives History At Gettysburg

David Anderson, Jr.
Reporter for The Daily Record

History is still alive and well for more than 200 North Carolinians who spent their Independence Day holiday in Gettysburg, Pa., re-enacting the monumental turning point of the Civil War.

Gary Pierce, a horticulture agent with the Harnett County Cooperative Extension, was among those who made the 370-mile journey to revisit, and relive, the past.

"You understand something a lot fuller if you do it yourself," Mr. Pierce said. "You can read about things, and people tell you about things and so forth, but when you actually do it, you understand. You put on that uniform and you stand out there in that heat and that humidity and that rain, and you've got a totally different perspective of what they went through and the decisions that they made."

Above, Confederate troops from North Carolina march near the back of a formation preparing to take the field at a historic re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. Nearly 15,000 people participated in the event this year over the Fourth of July weekend.

Mr. Pierce has been participating in re-enactments for 15 years. He said this year's battle at Gettysburg was one of the largest he has participated in, with nearly 15,000 participants registered. He described the unity and organization of the re-enactors as one of the most impressive aspects of the event.

"They've never rehearsed it," Mr. Pierce said. "In order for it to turn out like it did in the past, they've got to know how it happened. It's really an amazing feat, and the only reason that it's successful is because each one of those individuals there is a history enthusiast - an amateur historian - and they do their best to represent history well."

The group from North Carolina portrayed the 26th North Carolina Regiment of the Confederate Army, which lost approximately three-fourths of its 800 troops on the first day of the battle in 1863.

Mr. Pierce said this loss, coupled with the enduring determination expressed by the North Carolinians who continued to fight despite the grave outlook, gave the regiment its nickname: The Bloody Sixth.

The re-enactment marked the 145-year anniversary of the actual Gettysburg battle. Major re-enactments are typically carried out over a five-year timeline, so that the entire war is recreated in chronological order.

"We follow the war exactly like it happened," Mr. Pierce said. "Averasboro was at the end of the war, so when 2010 gets here, that will be the end of the 145th series."

During the three-day battle, re-enactors fully immerse themselves in history. Everything from the clothes they wear to the tents they live in are crafted to 19th-century standards.

Mr. Pierce said a full set of gear, including a rifle, can cost a re-enactor up to $1,500.

He said the price tag shouldn't keep interested people from participating, though. His group, the Carolina Legion, offers newcomers an opportunity to attend an event using gear borrowed from other members, so they can experience the battle before committing to the re-enactment financially.

Mr. Pierce said re-enactments offer those interested in history a priceless opportunity.

"You get a perspective that you won't soon forget," he said.