Daniel Walker wears wool in August.
A 24-year-old history major at Tennessee Temple University, Mr. Walker is a regular at Civil War re-enactments across the South.
He is known to his battle buddies as Pappy O’Daniel. Others in his crew go by Bubba and Rufus.
About twice a month, Mr. Walker gases up his Pontiac Sunfire and travels to battlefields in places such as Saltville, Va., Wildcat, Ky., and Sequoyah Caverns in Valley Head, Ala.
His gear includes a Confederate uniform and .58-caliber Springfield rifle. To pay for his trips, he saves money from his job in the Tennessee Temple cafeteria.
Mr. Walker is part of the 23rd Tennessee Infantry, made up mostly of Knoxville families — including wives and children — who enjoy Civil War role play as a hobby.
“Usually, I forget about reality,” the McKenzie, Tenn., native says of his weekend adventures. “I’m back in the 1860s. I’m not thinking about school. I’m not thinking about bills. I leave my troubles behind.”
Two years ago, one of his co-workers at a former job at Sam’s Club introduced him to the hobby. Now, he gets so excited talking about upcoming re-enactments that his body literally trembles.
There are estimated to be more than 50,000 Civil War re-enactors in the United States, and some of the major “battles” draw thousands. The Chattanooga area is a hotbed of these staged events, and spectators are welcome.
It’s easy — but probably mistaken — to assume that all the re-enactors are impassioned by the politics of the Civil War. Actually, most of the re-enactment units have both blue and gray uniforms and alternate representing Union and Confederate units.
For his part, Mr. Walker said he enjoys the camaraderie and family atmosphere of the encampments, not to mention pork chops and bacon cooked in an iron skillet. The dynamics of 19th-century American politics rarely enter his mind.
“It’s not about what you believe,” he says. “It’s about honoring our ancestors.
“When a battle is over, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, present arms and salute American veterans, God and country.”
Mr. Walker says he isn’t a Civil War buff. In fact, he isn’t 100 percent sure that any of his West Tennessee relatives even fought in the war.
He sees re-enacting as a hobby, like camping or golf. He even uses it as a networking tool to meet interesting people.
“Unless you ask, you never know if the guy next to you is a $300-an-hour lawyer,” he said.
Being part of the hobby has been a life-changing experience, he said. It even convinced Mr. Walker to change his college major to history.
“This is who I am now,” he said. “It’s impacted my life in a positive manner.”
You could say Pappy is happy.
Kennedy is the content editor of the Times Free Press Life sections and writes the “Life Stories” column. Previously, he was the first Sunday editor of the Times Free Press. Before Chattanooga’s newspapers were merged in 1999, Kennedy was the coordinating editor of the Chattanooga Times, where he had previously been an education reporter, feature writer and team leader. His first newspaper job was as sports editor of the Cleveland (Tenn.) Daily Banner. Kennedy’s human ...
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