Looking Back
Mike Smith
Alene and Graham
Landau Archivist
Chair
S
o, it’
s a warm summer day and you put on
a wool uniform, carry around a 9-pound,
56-inch rifle, eat hard tack and boiled beef, and
sleep in a tent with candles for light. OK, you are
either some sort of nut job or … just maybe, you are
a Civil War re-enactor with a passion for bringing
history alive, well beyond the confines of a book or a
photograph. And, you just might be Jewish.
The Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict in
American history. Military records were very poor
during this era, but the best estimate is that nearly 3
million men served in the Union and Confederate
military, and that nearly one in five soldiers, sailors
and Marines died of battle wounds or disease. An
estimated 8,000-10,000 of these men were Jewish.
Point of interest: Although females could not
enlist in the armies of the North or South, a few
women did serve, masquerading as men. When
burial units did their work after battles were fought,
they would find a few women in uniform.
This was a war that affected nearly every family in
America. This is why — 154 years after it ended in
1865 — Americans are still fascinated with the Civil
War. At times, literally, brothers would be fighting
brothers.
Re-enactments of Civil War battles are thought
to have begun with the 50th anniversary of the
Battle of Gettysburg in 1913, when 500,000 veterans
attended the ceremony and watched some re-en-
actments of battle sequences. During the Civil War
Centennial in 1961-1965, enthusiasm for re-enact-
ing really soared. Today, there are around 50,000
men and women who will spend a few weekends
each year experiencing the life a Civil War soldier on
a campaign. Want definitive proof of the popularity
of Civil War re-enacting? Just go onto the Amazon
website and see the Civil War clothing for sale!
There are also Jewish re-enactors. I found a really
fun, informative article about several Detroiters
passionate about their craft in the July 3, 1998, issue
of the JN in the William Davidson Digital Archive
of Jewish Detroit History. It was accompanied
by a wonderful photograph of Mike Ackerman,
Jim Delcamp, Leonard Steinberg and Joe Pensyl,
members of the 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry,
Company “E,
” which was an actual Michigan unit
that fought with the Union Army.
I still think their hobby is a little bit nuts; however,
as a historian, I really admire their dedication to a
cause. They dive deep into a historical experience
to try to really understand what life was like for a
Civil War soldier, beyond anything we can get from
a book or movie; and then, they also follow a greater
cause of teaching that history to others. This is, to use
a technical term, really “cool stuff.
” I salute them. ■
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives,
available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
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From the DJN Foundation Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
COURTESY LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES
The 1947 registration line for Fresh Air Camp wraps around the block. In 1953, a mail-in registration system was implemented and parents
throughout Detroit sighed in relief!
46 July 4 • 2019
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