John Cornelius, a Hempstead stableman. Cornelius was wounded at Chancellorsville in 1863 and recuperated in time to fight at Gettysburg two months later. If a Company H veteran were to return, he'd feel right at home in the ranks. Their obsession with accuracy is most evident in the re-enactors' uniforms and weapons. Like most re-enactors, Lennon, who portrays Merrick farmer John Carman, has been fascinated by the Civil War since childhood.
Many members collect Civil War artifacts.
So he studies diaries and journals. He made a pilgrimage to Maryland to learn how clothing was made in the 19th Century so he could make his own shirts and overcoats. Don Effinger of Deer Park, who portrays Joseph Denton, a farmer and bayman from Hempstead, is a student of Civil War cuisine. Effinger's hardtack is fresh, therefore softer, and he occasionally stretches authenticity by adding historically inaccurate flavorings such as garlic. The re-enactors are so passionate about the war that many go to more than a dozen events a year to play soldier.