}ULASERJET}.mt 10 .hm 3 .pn 1 .h1Grayson Enterprises Ltd. First NA Newspaper rights .h220 August 1989 Copyright 1989 .h3Page #. 1,061 words     WAR GAMES : NOT FOR MEN ONLY   Written by June Grayson Photographed by Richard Grayson   Suppose they gave a war and everyone came - military,   civilians, women, children, and spectators. Purchase your   front row seats through Ticketron. Choose your weekend battle   sites through glowing ads in national publications.  Load the family in the station wagon. Pack the tenting   gear, the ice chest hidden in an antique trunk, and several   costume changes including a $300.00 ball gown and wool uniforms   in blue or gray. The family that slays together stays together.  So goes the world of Civil War Reenactors.  "Everyone in the hobby has a different reason for enjoying   it," Joyce Trahan of DeKalb, Illinois, thinks. Joyce assumes the   role of a "sutler" - a civilian who follows the army and sells  π03 Š provisions to soldiers. She and her husband, Bob Trahan,   run their sutlery as a sideline business, attending a different  encampment every weekend. Sutleries, the forerunners of the  army px, were licensed by the army.  If you see an ad on television about the Freedom Train,   sponsored by the state of Illinois to promote tourism, look for   the costumed Trahans among the other actors. "That was the   biggest thrill the hobby has brought us so far," Joyce says.  Karen Eisele portrays the wife of a pompous Civil War   politician at weekend encampments. "We are transplanted   southerners and think the wrong side won the war. We are going   to keep doing this until it comes out right," she teases.  Laura Gates is an obstetric nurse at Copley Hospital,   Aurora. Her husband fabricates heating equipment. "Civil War Reenacting is a wholesome activity that families can do together,   another variation of outdoor camping. Yet you can learn about   history and understand your country better. We look forward to   seeing old friends on our weekend outings."  They began reenacting in 1978 and attend several encampments   every summer. She has made all of the costumes for herself, her   husband, and their three children. The antique trunks that hide   their ice chest and tent supplies serve as coffee tables in their   living room during the week. Authenticity is an important word to reenactors. "At first  π0- Š some men were hostile to women entering the hobby. They said   that women weren't involved in the Civil war and didn't belong on   the battlefields or even in the camps.  "Now that we have been doing our own research, we realize   that women were important in the Civil War effort," Gates  continues. "We request information through the National   Archives in Washington, D. C. Unpublished family records and   women's diaries - when we can find them - contain helpful   information. Each war seems to further women's quest for   equality."  Army camps had women cooks, laundresses, and "women of ill-  repute." Volunteers served as nurses behind the battle lines.   Clara Barton, known as the "angel of the battlefield," organized   the first army nurse corps, an agency to obtain and distribute   supplies for the relief of wounded soldiers. Barton went on to   found the American Red Cross in 1881. The South had few trained nurses and was ill-equipped to  care for its wounded. Unorganized volunteers, midwives, and   mountain "healing women" did what they could.  Laura Gates has joined the Society of Civil War Surgeons,   Inc. for medical professionals interested in reenactment.   Because of malpractice concerns, however, they do not give real   medical care during battles or encampments. The host   organization must contract for service with outside medical  π0- Š emergency companies.  Almost 400 women fought as soldiers in the Civil War.   Called "vivandieres", meaning female provisioners in French, they   joined a regiment to be with a husband or boyfriend. They served   as nurses, cooks, flag bearers and drummers. They marched in   regimental parades in uniforms of their own design - sometimes   bright velvets with short skirts or baggy bloomers.  These women knew how to use the gun and the sword. They   not only took the place of fallen comrades in battle but taught   their skills to other soldiers and civilians. Kady Brownell was a vivandiere with the First Rhode Island   Infantry at the battle of Bull Run. She saved the lives of her   troops by rushing out in front of the battle line with the   company's colors. The southern soldiers were too gallant to   shoot at a woman.  When Colonel Turchin of the 19th Illinois regiment became   seriously ill, his wife took command of the unit and gained the   respect and admiration of her men.  Gates does not want to be a soldier. "I want to do what   women did and build on that." One of the rules of the hobby is   that you can only reactivate a unit known to exist, you can't   start a new one. In addition, women have not been able to get   into reenacting except through a male relative already involved.   Gates thinks she has found a way around that dilemma through  π0- Š the discovery of a woman's society in Virginia which served as a   soldier and veteran's support group. She has prepared an   invitation to other women to join the society (which has only   three members so far):  "The Rockbridge County Ladies Sewing Society is looking   for a few good women to take part in the Glorious Cause.   You will roll bandages and make and repair uniforms. You   can bring comfort to the soldiers in nearby campgrounds by   supplying knitted items, letter-writing supplies, and other necessities of life." New members will do their own research, make or buy their   costumes and equipment, and attend encampments with the group at   their own expense. The Society will offer to provide classes and   demonstrations for spectators at encampments. Even wars, evidently, have to get bigger and better to   entice participation. How about this for a fun-filled weekend? Daily battles, Battalion Drills, Formal Military Ball with live   period music, refreshments, and backdrop of lighted waterfall,   Fashion Show, Church Service, Choir Concert, Arts and Crafts   Show, Museum Tour, Children's Games, Full Dress Parade,   Courtmartial, Nagging Contest, Lemonade Social, and a surprise   visit from President Lincoln.  Any way you look at it, this beats a real war any day.  π0- Š   #####  The 125th Anniversary Reenactment of the Battles for Atlanta   will take place in Adairsville, Georgia, this coming weekend   August 31-September 4, 1989, under the auspices of the American   Civil War Commemorative Committee, Inc. The event begins on the   anniversary date of the fall of Atlanta. _____ troops are   expected to participate and ____ spectators have already made   reservations. Some television coverage is planned.  #####Uf Manuscript sέ3΄πe΄-„ „Œ ”œ €(#¬&πϋ€DANSRPT "€DECK 0€ERNST (€ESCOBAR €FORWARD GIFT H€GIFT WS H€HSI