The Civil War Moment

By
Keith Miller
aka
The Old Horse Soldier

The Civil War Moment what is it? Is it dejavu? Is it the Spirits of the dead? Does it mean that you are crazy. In my case that may be the case. I believe that a Civil War Moment is anytime that you have a spiritual connection with the past. When I first became involved with Civil War Reenacting I heard term Civil War Moment. I didn't think to much about it; because I was having too much fun. Then one evening sitting around a campfire in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California I had my first “official” Civil War Moment. I was at a reenactment held in Grey Eagle, California. We were far from the bloody Civil War battlefields of the East. It was a most beautiful site in an alpine meadow surrounded by mountains that were purple in the failing light of dusk. A group of us, both Union and Confederate were sitting around the campfire singing old Civil War songs. A wave of emotion swept over me that brought me to tears. I felt as if real Civil War Soldiers were sitting there with us with their voices raised in song. My Sargent looked over at me and said you just had a “Civil War Moment” didn't you?

I have had several of such experience's since this time and actually some previous that I didn't realize at the time. Though not all of them Civil War. I have had World War II moments, Indian War's Moments, and Even Western History Moments. I have a rather strange heritage. My Fathers People where from Texas, and my Mothers were from New York, by way of Kansas or Utah. My maternal Grandmother's People were Mormons that settled Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, who came west in 1847. My maternal Grandfather's people were from Kansas and before that New York.

My Fathers people were in Texas at the time of the Texas War for Independence from Mexico.
My Father is retired from the U.S. Air Force so I had opportunity to live overseas as a child. When I was quit young probably six or seven my Father took us to Corregaidor Island in the Philippines. I have a Great Uncle on my Fathers side that was a Prisoner of War on Correigador during World War II. As my Father explained the history and recounted stories of Uncle Frank, I got a very clear picture of what it might have been like their in 1943.

I again experienced this feeling a few years later at the Alamo, in San Antonio, Texas. For those of you that are not familiar with American History I will explain. The Alamo was an Old Spanish Mission, that served as a Fort on more than one occasion. In the Spring of 1836, 130 Men, Including Davy Crockett held of the Army of President General Santa Anna of Mexico for 13 terrible days. When the Alamo fell General Santa Anna left none of the defenders alive. While at the Alamo I also felt a connection with the men who died their.

My first true Civil War moment occurred in 1986. I was living in Savannah, Georgia, and was able to go to the Fort Pulaski Monument. Fort Pulaski was a Fort built to defend Savannah, Georgia from attack from the sea. At the start of the Civil War it fell into Confederate hands. It was soon taken back by the Union. The Fort had been designed to with stand bombardment from smooth bore cannons, with the advent of the new rifled cannons at the start of the Civil War things changed dramatically. After just a short battle the Confederates surrendered because the rifled cannons punched through the wall and were in danger of igniting the powder magazine. While there a National Park Service Ranger dressed me in the accouterments of a Union Infantry Man. A wave of emotion swept over me and I got the Civil War bug that day. I was hooked on Civil war History.

I had a similar experience in the Lava Beds of Northern California. This was the site of the Modoc War. The U.S. Army had a standoff their with Modoc Indians in the winter of 1872. Many died on both sides more from the harsh Northern California winter than from enemy bullets. I was there as a leader on a Boy Scout winter camp. I got sick on that trip and was running a fever. With the help of a good friend, who was a Veteran of the first Gulf War, I managed the short hike to the Cemetery at the U.S. Army Camp known as Gillams Camp. When we arrived in the Cemetery we both found us in tears for the good men on both sides who died there in the cold winter of 1872-1873.

I am not psychic, or anything like that, I just have a strong sense of history. I hope that you may have many, many Civil War moments.