Civil War Re-enactor's Speech Touts Battlefield Preservation

Robert Lee Hodge, the Civil War re-enactor featured in Tony Horwitz's Pulitzer Prize-winning book "Confederates in the Attic," discussed topics ranging from his opinion of Horwitz's writing to his roots as a Civil War fanatic.

But Hodge focused mainly on the preservation of battlefields.

The speech, held in Carroll Hall, was co-sponsored by the Carolina Summer Reading Program and the Center for the Study of the American South.

Hodge began his speech on a light note, saying, "You're probably expecting a Cro-Magnon or a Neanderthal based on what that cover looked like."

With tame curly hair, a bushy beard and a somewhat nasally, accentless voice, he seemed like the antithesis of what Horwitz depicted in his account right off the bat.

"I don't have a life in the 21st century," Hodge said.

Hodge mentioned the advantages and disadvantages of his life after his premiere in the pages of Horwitz's book.

"The book's flattering, but a lot of re-enactors dislike me because of it," Hodge said.

"I'm kind of worn on re-enacting, and who wouldn't be after 19 years?"

Hodge's speech was well-received by the audience, chiefly because of his informal attitude and his fresh views.

"I thought he was a great speaker because he didn't hold anything back, and he meant every single one of his words," said Sarah Taylor, a freshman from Greensboro.

History Professor Sarah Shields was instrumental in bringing Hodge to campus after a chance run-in with him at a bed and breakfast in Virginia.

She looked at the speech from an educational standpoint that appreciated the historic nature of Hodge and his profession.

"He elicited interest in battlefields and preservation," Shields said.

"I think he got people interested in the fact that people's stories (from the Civil War) exist on paper and that these stories can be accessed."

Summing himself up, Hodge said, "I'd like to think I'm eccentric, but it takes money to be eccentric. I'm definitely not normal - which I'm proud of."

The University Editor can be reached udesk@unc.edu.