European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 2, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Living history weekend re enactment brings Back smoke smells and sounds from the past by Effie Bathen staff writer a rack of ribs roasting Over a crackling Oak fire draws a group of schoolchildren up close. The smoke bites at their eyes and makes their. Mouths water. At the foot of a Tepee a Mountain trapper leans Over a Metal trap. He shows the children How he anchors the steel jaws and sets it under water to catch Beaver. To snaps closed. Clank trappers skin the animals and collect the pelts after months in the mountains Luis Tarrio explains. He stands nearby in a Deerskin shirt and breeches decorated with intricate Indian Bead work. Quot they come Down from the mountains. Go to a rendezvous whore All get together and Trade the pelts for things that they need guns Black powder clothes  a Tarrio Speaks his Mountain Man words with a slight accent a Little difficult to identify at first. It does t matter that he s from Spain he says. The men of the american wilderness came from Many countries. He is one of about a dozen Quot re Enactor Quot As they Call themselves who gathered on a Grassy Field behind the Rod and gun club in Wiesbaden Germany one recent fall weekend. The Encampment was sponsored by the Community and the Haine Berg elementary school. It focused on the american revolutionary War the fur Trade and the civil War Era. Its As authentic As possible said re Enactor who set up their tents Tepee and lean tos to demonstrate Quot living  it s More than what can be peeled off the Page of a history Book with an hour s Worth of Homework. Quot the american revolution is covered in most classrooms in one week but the causes and the effects of the revolution you can study for years Quot says Bill Fox who sometimes Calls himself wild Bill. When he s not dressed As a Continental Soldier he is the training supervisor for the Wiesbaden Community. Quot right now in a revolutionary War Quot said Fox in a Wool coat and pants of Osnaburg Cotton. Quot i also have a Long Hunter outfit. Also a Mountain Man outfit. And i have a civil War uniform in  Quot we can describe to the kids what it s like to have too or More people facing off discharging muskets at one time and the Amoun Lof smoke and noise that s produced. But when you go to a re enactment and you see to Quot Fox says Quot it s so much More  the Wiesbaden weekend did not include clashing six year old Roger Fox dressed As Daniel Boone takes a break during the civil War re enactment. Armies but enough Black powder muskets swords and tomahawks to keep things Lively. The schoolchildren got a taste of Brown bread jerked beef and hardtack. And an earful of the twang twang of a colonial Mouth Organ. Fox says the Liva it yourself history Hobby interests Many people americans As Well As europeans who get hooked by activities like Black powder shooting. Quot it kind of just grows on you Quot he says. Quot once you have a firearm that uses Flint n spark and you Are Able to get game with it for the first time then it gives you an appreciation for what it was like for those who had to depend upon it on a daily basis for their  pretty soon Enactor Start to make period clothing and collect artefacts. Then they find themselves gathered around a rendezvous campfire talking about How King George sent troops Quot to quell our riotous acts for dumping All that Tea in the  about 100 years and a few feet away stands Kelly Washington a Union Soldier from the 54th Massachusetts regt America s first Black unit. Quot a lot of people Are surprised that Blacks fought in the civil War Quot he says. As part of his portrayal he asks the schoolchildren Quot who would like to join my regiment Quot a flurry of raised hands drops when he tells them they would have to be male and Black. He chooses 11 year old Willy Williams who says he knows All about it because he has seen the movie glory the dramatization of the 54th s role in the War Between the states. Quot we d get a Chance to be in the civil War Quot Willy says. Washington is a member of the 54th re enactment group based in Washington . Quot we portray another Side of the civil War Quot says Washington an air Force Captain in real time. Quot we re even starting to look at Blacks on the Confederate Side. And that really surprised a lot of people that Blacks did fight in the  living history is a continuous research project full of surprises for those have taken on the Hobby. It has also drawn interest from europeans hungry for anything Quot connected to american cowboys and  the Wiesbaden rendezvous included two dutchmen who had fashioned their wilderness outfits from tip to almost toe. Quot we Haven t Learned How to make moccasins yet so we Wear our wooden 511005,&Quot says Heshusius Romi from Venlo Holland. They say that they had attended rendezvous a Quot Over Europe because they enjoy returning to  Wolfgang Peukert dressed As a revolutionary War Volunteer tries to breathe life into a campfire. Quot absolutely this is a Relief from the real world Quot says Mountain Man Torrio a systems analyst at the american embassy in Bonn. Quot a Mountain Man did t have too Many things. All he needed was a pack mule maybe a gun and his traps. They were very shy people communicating with indians some had Indian wives some lived in Tepee Quot he says Quot i Don t know if its very american. It s very human and i like this. I like the adventure Quot Torrio adds. Quot you done to need a to set and you Don t need a  Quot i come out Here and i reduce my needs to the Basic elements Quot he says pointing to the walled tent that is is weekend Home. Quot Only one i Ever owned. All the others were  for More information about Black powder shoots encampments and rendezvous Contact your local Rod and gun club. Rage 14 b the stars and stripes monday. November Charles Hayes is partially obliterated As he fires his Kentucky Long  Washington asks for civil War volunteers. At right Heshusius Rem left and Andre bos two dutchmen dressed As trappers present a Turkey Feather to 9-year-old Shawn  photos by Ken George civil War Soldier Mark Poindexter instructs Violet Grunstead on the finer Points of firing a Wesson Rifle. 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 15