Visitors to the Lee's Lieutenants camp can meet photography pioneer Mathew Brady, aka Wayne Ritchie, who travels with a darkroom wagon, camera and field accoutrements. LEE'S LIEUTENANTS

Gen. Robert E. Lee (Al Stone) looks on with his officers at a Lynchburg ceremony honoring Lt. Gen. Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson. LEE'S LIEUTENANTS

A bevy of ladies accompany their Lee's Lieutenants husbands into the field, portraying civilians, wives, refugees and spies. Skilled in crafts, many make their own costumes and camp flags. LEE'S LIEUTENANTS

Chaplain Alan Farley of the Re-enactor's Missions for Jesus Christ leads a prayer at the base of the Confederate Monument in Lynchburg. LEE'S LIEUTENANTS

Lee's Lieutenants has on its rolls re-enactors who portray Gens. Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, 'Stonewall' Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart and others, include their staff members. LEE'S LIEUTENANTS

Civil War re-enactment group strives for the most realistic portrayals of key Southern figures; by Michael Aubrecht

Date published: 9/22/2007

By MICHAEL AUBRECHT

THE DICTIONARY defines a re-enac-tor as "a person who re-creates a character in a historical event such as a battle" or "a person who portrays history as a pastime." This is true.

Unfortunately, however, these two definitions don't even begin to describe the contribution to the preservation of American history that re-enactors provide.

With reverence for their characters beyond that of any actors preparing for the stage, these men and women dedicate their lives to educating the public while maintaining the honorable memories of those whom they portray. In essence, as "living historians" they themselves are the attraction. Theirs is an expensive hobby, but its benefits are priceless, because without them, the stories of our nation's heroes would inevitably be forgotten.

Without question, the most popular re-enactments are those depicting the American Civil War. Since their inception in the early 1900s, hundreds of re-enactor groups have been chartered across the country, each portraying a brigade or company. Some units are better than others, but all of them strive to look and act the part.

To my knowledge, no other organization embodies its characters better than Lee's Lieutenants. Christened the "Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia," this group was formed in 2003 to promote and teach the history of the war for Southern independence.

To date, the group boasts ultra-realistic portrayals of Gens. Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart, George Pickett, Jubal Early, Lewis Armistead and others, including several members of their staffs, along with civilians. Some members have appeared in TV documentaries, while others have been captured on canvas posing for renowned Civil War painter Mort Künstler.

Horses, spouses, troops and children round out the group's complete cast. Most impressive is the absence of any Hollywood illusion. There are no fake beards or facial prosthetics in this group. These generals look just like the men they portray. In fact, they are so uncanny that attendees at their events sometimes feel as if they actually traveled back in time, if only for a moment.

David C. Trimble, an attorney in Lexington, Ky., who has been re-enacting since 2003, portrays his collateral ancestor, Maj. Gen. Isaac Ridgeway Trimble. When not depicting Gen. Trimble, he rides as a cavalry trooper in the 4th Kentucky Cavalry. Al Stone, born in New York, now resides in West Virginia. He has portrayed Gen. Robert E. Lee for more than 10 years. In 2004, Stone offered more than 100 presentations to more than 60,000 people. He has also appeared with such notables as artist Mort Künstler and Virginia Tech historian "Bud" Robertson. Chaplain Alan Farley lives in Concord, near Lynchburg. The founder and director of the Re-enactor's Missions for Jesus Christ, he has been on the re-enacting trail for more than two decades. The Farley family travels more than 30,000 miles a year, conducting revivals and services at Civil War re-enactments nationwide. Jessie Reter-Choate lives in Spotsylvania County on a small ranch that rescues horses and trains them for living-history events and battles. Like her character, a "refugee schoolteacher," she is a teacher. Reter-Choate works at King George High School teaching English, debate and journalism. She is also the school's debate coach. Wayne Ritchie lives in Rocky Mount, N.C., and works for SE&M construction company. He has been appearing and taking photographs as Mathew Brady for four years now. Ritchie became interested in Civil War re-enactments in 2000, and began actively participating in 2001 after going to more than a dozen events and places. --Michael Aubrecht

Date published: 9/22/2007