MILTON -- Standing there in her tank top and pink shorts, holding a lanyard attached to a Howitzer, 14-year-old Camille Kreisher looked nothing like a Civil War soldier.
But the "BOOM" and plume of gray smoke produced by the small cannon after she yanked on the lanyard were pretty authentic.
"That was so cool," said 15-year-old Mary Challman after she took her hands away from her ears.
Lying in the grass in Rick Benshoff's backyard, the force of her pull having knocked her to the ground, Camille looked up and smiled.
"Some groups are up there in years," said Benshoff, first lieutenant of the Davison Flying Artillery unit. "But once you pull that lanyard, it kind of sucks you in."
With four teenagers manning the gun during Sunday's artillery drill, and Benshoff's 9-year-old son Reece serving as the unit's "powder monkey" (a young boy who carried the gunpowder to the soldiers), the Davison unit is one of the youngest around.
"I always had an interest in history. I've always been interested in the Civil War," said Mary, who's only been a member for two weeks. "I felt like definitely reliving it could help me realize how they felt, the soldiers."
Benshoff said the drills are practice for when the unit attends a re-enactment. Everyone needs to know what they're doing, since they never know who's going to show up.
"We've got to stay on top of our game," he said. "Because for some re-enactments, you have to go through a drill before you can even go on the battlefield."
Benshoff bought the Howitzer for $5,000 from a Missouri company that makes replica artillery and firearms after Jim Davison, the unit's eponymous captain, moved in across the street a couple years ago and got Benshoff's family into re-enacting.
"The one thing I love about this hobby is it takes you away from everything," Davison said. "When you're out there, nothing else is on your mind."
The gathering at Benshoff's Poplar Avenue home Sunday was informal. Benshoff -- dressed in a Civil War-era hat, a cutoff T-shirt and plaid shorts --grilled hot dogs for everyone after the drill. But the members of Davison Flying Artillery are serious about what they do.
Davison said the group is about more than just playing a part. They try to teach the younger members values like honor and responsibility, as well as a healthy knowledge of Civil War history.
"The kids that come with us are starving for history," he said.
The education also serves as a defense mechanism. The unit usually represents the Confederacy and, when they fly the controversial flag at re-enactments, they sometimes get flak from people who don't understand the history behind it.
"People see that as being anti-black, and that's such a misconception," said Davison.
"We've already run into that. Just this year alone," Benshoff said. "We want them to be able, if they're confronted, to give a proper answer."
n E-mail comments to rscott@dailyitem.com.
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Civil War artillery unit prepares for re-enactments
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