Civil War Historical Society helps to educate Americans

Monday, Nov. 3, 1997 | 10:57 a.m.

When members of the Southern Nevada Civil War Historical Society don the blue and the gray, they attempt to breathe life into a chapter of American history.

"We step into the role of the soldier and try to educate people about what it was like to have lived in the 1860s," said Jim Hinds, a former Nellis Air Force Base staff historian, who participates in the group's Civil War re-enactments.

"All of us play either role -- Confederate or Union -- so we have to be somewhat knowledgeable about that era."

Hinds, a great grandson of a Union soldier who fought for the Illinois Volunteers, will be one of four participants in the firing squad for the dedication of a Civil War monument Saturday at Woodlawn Cemetery.

It is not uncommon for the organization to participate in such programs, though it probably is better known for its performances at Spring Mountain Ranch.

"We follow the military manual of the Civil War to make these events as authentic as possible," said Dave Evans, president of the local Civil War Historical Society.

Evans, 37, a descendant of Civil War veterans who fought on both sides, says he first got interested in that nation-splitting conflict 20 years ago. He also plans to be one of the participants in Saturday's ceremony.

Hinds, 60, has long worked to keep alive the memory of the Civil War. He taught at the Community College of Southern Nevada and has done much research on the subject for other organizations.

"Our uniforms are replicas, but they are made of materials that existed back then and are patterned after the actual uniforms -- no polyester," he said.

Nevada is nicknamed the "Battle Born State," because it entered the Union on Oct. 31, 1864.

The Southern Nevada Civil War Historical Society was organized in the summer of 1985 -- 120 years after the war ended. It has been recognized by similar groups throughout the country for its research, authenticity and eye for detail.

The organization, which also is available for parades and lectures, can be reached at 228-2924.