The 149th Annual Gettysburg Reenactment, organized by the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee, will be held July 6, 7, and 8 along Table Rock Road at the Redding Farm, 1085 Table Rock, in Cumberland Township.

A portion of the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated by the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee to the Adams County Historical Society, Main Street Gettysburg, Hope For The Warrior, the Land Conservancy of Adams County, and the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association.

One of the more popular beliefs among event attendees is that such re-enactments are held by a troupe of organizers and participants that go from event to event like a traveling circus.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Event organizers may consist of a body formed specifically for that purpose, or by a sponsoring reenactment unit, and generally hold only a single event a year out of the hundreds that take place, or a cluster of events within a given regions (such as the 149th reenactments in the Mid-Atlantic).

American Civil War re-enactments occur from coast-to-coast, and from the Deep South to the Canadian border, and even overseas, wherever there might be enough history buffs to support them and "troops" available to fight them.

Preparing the field for a reenactment is no easy task. First and foremost, one has to find public or private property that will allow it.

Then, following the legal aspects, such as acquiring event insurance, the logistics have to be worked out and ultimately executed. This can include everything from how many portable bathrooms are to be provided to arranging for water for the troops, hay for the horses, wood for the campfires, and site security.

Along with the planning process, event sponsors also have to plan the layout of the camps, the area where sutlers (period vendors) will be located, and how the battle will unfold. A battle can be based on an actual event, or be a fictional intended for educational purposes. And when it’s over, it an take days to clear the fields of debris and leftover supplies.

So where do the troops come from? Re-enactment groups (comprised of the troops and civilians) exist in almost every state in this country, and generally are organized in a manner that they represent an actual military unit that existed during the war.

Units usually will vote on what events they will attend as a unit during the upcoming year, but individuals are not prohibited from attending others on their own.

No, participants are not paid to attend. In fact, almost all re-enactments charge participants to be in the event, in the case of the annual Gettysburg re-enactment, this can be as much as $25 per individual.

In addition to paying to attend, each "fighting" re-enactor will generally bring about $1,000 or more worth of his or her own equipment to the field, including weapons, tents, uniforms and other supplies needed to recreate the battle and camp.

On top of this basic expense, cavalry have horse needs to provide for, and artillery can be notoriously expensive to even fire because of the amount of gun powder expended by each and every shot fired.

The individual Civil War re-enactor is a true volunteer whose love for history supersedes any interest he or she might entertain at some point to engage in a less expensive hobby.

All of this, the sponsors, the re-enactors, the horses, ultimately converge at a desired location to teach and demonstrate what it was like to fight and survive in a war that claimed more American lives than the casualties dealt out to America by all of its foreign enemies added together.

For a schedule of the July 6, 7, and 8 Gettysburg Re-enactment, visit the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee at gettysburgreenactment.com.