Robbinsville High School welcomes re-enactors
Robbinsville – The Civil War came alive Monday inside the Robbinsville High School auditorium, as re-enactors Austin Walls, Carol Hensley and Annette Hensley shared both their knowledge and extensive collection of artifacts with students and teachers.
Austin Walls welcomed each class with a brief overview of the Civil War, touching upon topics ranging from technology to strategy; flags to fabrics.
“In my opinion, North Carolina had the best uniforms,” said Walls.
Opinions aside, this state certainly had the most uniforms. As a hub of textile manufacturing, North Carolina had the means to produce high quality uniforms in even greater quantities than the war required. The surplus eventually saw use as prisoner-of-war uniforms during World War I. When state troopers were commissioned during the Great Depression, the Civil War uniforms were used once again. Today’s state troopers uniforms still reflect the historic colors of gray and black.
While Walls has taken part in Civil War re-enactments since he was a boy, Carol Hensley has been involved since 1974. Dressed head-to-toe in Confederate uniform, Carol said, “I first became involved when my stepfather took me to shooting competitions.”
After attending his first re-enactment in Flat Rock, Carol was smitten.
“I just wanted to learn more about the Civil War,” Carol stated.
Carol described the appeal of re-enactments as “getting the feel of what these guys actually went through, getting to relive that life even just for a weekend. Being able to live in the 1860s takes you away from the real world and puts you in a place where your imagination can take over.”
Spurring that imagination is the Carol’s extensive collection of Civil War era artifacts and recreations, including weaponry, flags, cavalry equipment, uniforms and other clothing. The display spanned the breadth of the school’s auditorium, but Annette said this only represented one-fifth of the family’s total collection.
The uniforms included both Confederate and Union items, as re-enactors are often called upon to serve on both sides of the battle.
Annette serves on both sides in another way: she suits up as a male soldier to ride with the cavalry, then changes into a gown in time for the dance. As students inspected the collection of antebellum-style pantaloons and other undergarments, Annette explained her involvement in re-enactments.
“Some women like to stay by the sideline, which is how they did it back then, but I do it a different way,” she said. “I wear camp skirts around camp, then I dress in a soldier’s uniform to ride into battle, then I put my on my hoop skirt when it’s time for the ball.”
Annette then helped girls into the circa 1860s wardrobe, while Carol fitted boys with uniforms and weaponry.
The re-enactors’ lectures and demonstrations lasted throughout the school day, as students cycled in and out of the auditorium for both Walls’ lecture and the hands-on experience of dressing up in period clothing.
“We just want to help everyone remember that these things did occur,” Carol said. “This is something our ancestors really went through, on both sides.
“Our goal is to keep history alive.”