February 24, 1999
Civil war enthusiasts meet
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The Civil War, the War Between the States, the War of Yankee Aggression.
Depending on where you are and who you talk to, the spin changes as you visit Civil War battlefields around the country.
Civil War enthusiast Neal Breaugh, a veteran of many battlefield tours - large and small, famous and obscure - described his experiences and gave tips and tricks for people to create their own tours to a packed meeting of the Grand Traverse Pioneer and Historical Society Thursday evening at the Government Center. More than 80 people listened with rapt attention as the Elmwood Township resident discussed resources, web sites, organizations and different touring styles, from a single battlefield to a whole campaign.
"No matter what you do, the most important thing is to have fun," said Breaugh, a member of the Civil War Society and the Sons of the Union Veterans. "Don't forget to just walk around the site in awe, you're on sacred ground. Pause and think what happened here and the sacrifice those people made."
Breaugh also discussed the units from Michigan who fought in the war and where to find monuments and markers depicting their contribution. He has visited the site where Jeb Stuart was killed by a Michigan man and the battlefield where Jefferson Davis was captured and two Michigan men were killed by friendly fire.
Sometimes the smallest battlefields are jewels to find, places few have ever heard of such as Wildcat Mountain or Cynthiana in Kentucky. These sites often have well-preserved sites and stacks of information about the battles and people who participated. Other sites are on private property or have been developed, so a plaque marks under a freeway or on the grounds of a shopping mall is all that remains.
"These sites may be small and insignificant compared to larger sites, but they are very, very important to the people who live there," said Breaugh. "You'll be surprised at the material and information they will send you."
Breaugh sees a revival of interest in the Civil War, especially in the past few years. More people are taking the time to visit battlefields, especially the major ones that have been well preserved like Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh Mountain and Vicksburg. Preservation began early in these places and now extensive national parks have been created around them.
"We all have a little nostalgia phase, it is coming up strongly in this decade," said Breaugh, a retired English teacher from Traverse City Central High School. "Maybe people are looking for heroes they can look up to; whether they were from the South or North, there were many great leaders during that time."
Ron Tousain is a self-described history nut who has had a long interest in the Civil War. He has traveled to many battlefields after starting out at Gettysburg years ago. Before going he reads about the site and its history beforehand to make it come alive.
"When you see men fighting against men for a cause, knowing going in that they are going to die but doing it anyway, that's amazing to me," said Tousain, owner of Re/Max Bayshore Properties. "The battlefields are an emotional thing, it just sweeps over you. If you're there and have done little reading, it grabs you by the soul."
After hooking up with a fellow Civil War devotee three years ago, Tousain helped organize an informal discussion group that meets monthly to discuss the Civil War, watch videos related to the war or sponsor speakers on different topics. The group meets the third Monday of every month at Tousain's office. For more information, call him at 941-4500, extension 109.