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Civil War re-enactors defend Confederate flag through controversy

 
Reenactors portraying Confederate soldiers march across a mock battlefield at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation shortly before the start of the 26th annual Brooksville Raid battle reenactment. [Times (2006)]
Reenactors portraying Confederate soldiers march across a mock battlefield at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation shortly before the start of the 26th annual Brooksville Raid battle reenactment. [Times (2006)]
Published July 2, 2015

Gary Newman spends each winter traveling Florida, dressed in authentic Civil War-era gear. He has participated in hundreds of battle re-enactments.

The 62-year-old Hudson resident often portrays Southern fighters and said he uses the Confederate flag for historical accuracy.

"The Confederate flag — the battle flag — was what soldiers followed into battle," he said. "That is entirely appropriate."

Debate over the Confederate flag intensified after the mass shooting in Charleston, S.C., last month. The man charged in the killings, Dylann Roof, flaunted the flag in pictures before the massacre and spoke of wanting to start a race war. The Confederate flag that flies at the South Carolina State House may be taken down after public outcry.

President Barack Obama addressed the issue last week, calling the flag a "reminder of systemic oppression and racial subjugation." Amazon, eBay and Walmart have removed flags from their stores.

What does this mean for historical Civil War re-enactors who regularly use the flag and other Confederate insignia?

Newman, a retired Air Force combat engineer, said re-enactors put themselves in first-person roles, moving back in time to the 1860s. They dress in full uniform, brush dirt on their faces and grow beards and mustaches. Civil War Traveler, a website that keeps track of re-enactments and other historical events, has more than 60 Civil War battle re-enactments from Pennsylvania to Florida on its 2015 calendar.

Most importantly, Newman said, they stay in character.

"It's a symbol, but it can be used in a lot of different ways," he said. "You have people that use a symbol in any depraved manner and twist it around. That's not right."

In Brooksville, the Hernando Historical Museum has taken down the state Confederate flag that usually flies outside of its building.

The museum plans to still host the Brooksville Raid Re-enactment, an annual event that attracts thousands who dress as Confederate and Union soldiers. The first Brooksville re-enactment was held 35 years ago, said Ron Daniel, president of the museum's historical association.

The next event is slated for January and will use the Confederate flag.

"Our mission is to portray the way things were during that period," he said. "We're not taking sides. We're a historical organization."

Daniel said he has also heard complaints about a Confederate statue in front of the Hernando County Courthouse.

People say the museum should get rid of everything related to the Civil War, he said, but the re-enactment serves educational purposes and brings large crowds to the city.

"It's just something people are interested in," Daniel said.

Not every re-enactment group is on the same page.

In Pennsylvania, the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg hosts a Civil War re-enactment every summer. Seminary spokesman John Spangler said they'll no longer allow any Confederate flag with a hateful connotation, which includes the famous battle flag.

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The discussion has been ongoing for a while, he said, especially because the Ku Klux Klan often uses the battle flag. After the Charleston shooting, the choice was clear: The seminary wouldn't allow the flag on its grounds, even in re-enactments. It is now only on display in the seminary museum.

"We got a lot of unhappiness from some re-enactors," he said. "Others have understood very clearly."

Chris Ackerman is manager of the Regimental Quartermaster, which is also in Gettsyburg. The store stocks Civil War relics including Confederate flags.

Ackerman has seen store sales triple this month, he said.

"For us, there's no controversy," he said. Re-enactors want to keep history alive, he said.

"Every flag I carry in this store is historical," Ackerman said. "We're carrying the flag, period."

Newman said re-enactments serve a valuable purpose, and the flag plays a role in that.

"We're not preaching hate toward anybody," he said. "You're trying to teach real history, not sugarcoat it."

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Contact Ayana Stewart at astewart@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8913.