Civil War reenactments are surprisingly popular in Germany, where Civil War
battles are staged outside of Berlin.

By Caitlan Carroll

(This story was originally covered by Public Radio International's The World
- URL below)

On a warm spring morning about 50 miles north of Berlin, Union troops and
their Confederate rivals prepare for battle. They are camped out for the
weekend at a Wild West theme park in Templin.

About 60 people, mostly Germans, are dressed head to toe in 1860s-period
clothing. Women wear hoop skirts. The men are in handmade uniforms with lots
of colorful piping and brass buttons. A few young soldiers swing their
bayonets.
"I'm a simple soldier, a private," said Tobias Melchurs.

Melchurs, 21, is a business student. But this weekend, he is fighting on the
side of the North in two battles -- the bombardment of Fort Sumter and the
first battle of Bull Run.

Melchurs belongs to one of the several German groups that engage in American
Civil War reenactments about once a month.

Like many of the participants here, Melchurs feels a personal connection to
the war.

"There were about 200,000 who had German roots that fought in the Civil
War," Melchurs said. "I think it is important for our history."

Every person I speak with mentions this number: 200,000. Many of the
participants actually model their characters in the reenactments after one
of these German immigrant soldiers. They say it helps them feel closer to
the history.

But a lot of the bloodier and more tragic parts of the war seem glossed over
– like the punishing number of deaths and the issue of slavery. Ute Frevert,
a historian, and head of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development,
said this sometimes happens when people try to re-live history.

"It is more about fantasies," Frevert said. "That's fair enough; life needs
fantasies."

And Frevert pointed out that the fantasy of war is not often indulged in
Germany. After World War II, any talk of military glory became socially
taboo here.

"As a German I have to be hesitant in the post-1945 culture, because wars
are not something that Germans are used to finding fascinating and kind of
exciting and appealing," she said.
So for those at the reenactment, it is appealing that the U.S. Civil War
took place in another country, in another time. It is safer, even romantic.
A lot of fantasies have built up around the Confederacy, thanks to the
movie, "Gone with the Wind;" it is a staple of German popular culture.

For rest of story :
http://www.pri.org/world/germans-love-reenacting-the-american-civil-war4157.html
Jon Kukla
________________
www.JonKukla.com <http://www.jonkukla.com/>

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