Confederates, Union face off in West County this weekend

DUNCANS MILLS — The quaint, rural town of Duncans Mills will be
anything but peaceful this weekend when a Civil War re-enactment
takes place.
Casini Ranch Family Campground will be transformed into the
fields of Virginia in 1863, with horse-drawn cannons, and soldiers
and civilians dressed in period clothes during the true-to-life
event hosted by the California Historical Artillery Society.
“We provide a scene that is right out of the 1860s. When you
come in, there’s nothing modern about it. You can immerse yourself
in the feel of the 1860s,” said Alan Ginos, military commander of
the CHAS. “You can talk to President Lincoln; you can see military
tactics, firing demonstrations and battles. You can experience the
life of the solider and the civilian,” he said, noting, all of the
re-enactors dress in character and many talk to the public in
character.
In addition to soldiers, there will be merchants, tradesmen,
blacksmiths, musicians, farmers, and ordinary townspeople among the
700 to 1,000 re-enactors participating in the local event, expected
to draw between 3,300 and 4,000 attendees.
Settlers under canvas tents will be selling everything from toys
for children to period clothing, Ginos said, noting this part of
the event resembles a flea market, rather than a battlefield, but
looks like the 1860s. Food vendors will also be on site.
Ted Miljevich, president of the CHAS, referring to Civil War
Days as a “two-day living history experience” in an online article
said: “This period of horse-drawn wagons, hoop skirts, lanterns,
blacksmiths, and black powder rifles and cannons was also a time
when differing views of American government existed. Preservation
of the Union, slavery, and states’ rights were ideas that moved men
to engage in a war that took 600,000 lives and ultimately redefined
our country.”
Civil War Days in Duncans Mills started 11 years ago with a
desire to have an event in the North Bay, according to Ginos, who
said participants in the local re-enactment come from all over the
United States.
Ginos said he has always liked history, but didn’t get involved
in re-enacting until 1993, a year after he attended a Civil War
re-enactment with his wife.
“I was really impressed seeing horses pulling canons on the
field, like in the civil war,” he said, noting, the local CHAS unit
is “the only one west of the Mississippi” that has horse-drawn
artillery.
“When I started in ‘93 they put me on horses, which I hadn’t
ridden since I was a kid, and I got a hook deep in me. I loved
doing it. Then I started enjoying showing other people what this is
about,” he said.
Civil War Days is intended to educate the public, and really
aims for young people who are going to study the era in American
history, Ginos said.
Civil War Days will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., this
Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, in Duncans Mills. Admission
is $10 for adults; $5 for children 6 to 12; and free to children 5
and under. Parking cost $5 per car.
For directions and/or more information about the event, go to
www.civilwardays.com or
www.warhorse.org, or call
922-5901, or 831-751-6978.