I had no interest in the Civil War when growing up or when in high school. The topic of the Civil War was a paragraph or two in an outdated and ragged history book we used then.
Instead, I was totally into World War II and read every book I could get my hands on in our high school library. I watched WWII movies with John Wayne on TV and couldn't wait to watch the TV series Combat! or Rat Patrol. I was inspired by such shows to join the US Army right out of high school at the age of 18.
I served the first 18 years of my 20 year enlistment with still no interest in the Civil War intruding upon my mind. It was into my last 2 years of military service that all changed when I went with some friends/fellow service members to see the movie, Glory. I was hooked. I bought the series Ken Burns Civil War and the movie Gettysburg, and became more interested in the period.
When I finally retired and began work at the US Post Office, I rewatched Glory and noted in the credits that reenacting groups had participated in the making of the movie. I heard that a fellow Postal employee belonged to such a reenacting group and I sought him out and he invited me to one of his unit's drill practices. I got involved big time, buying all my gear and uniforms, going to local and national reenactments for nearly 15 years until my health gave out.
Reenacting made me do research on soldiers of the time and that research branched out into the causes of the war and much, much more. And finally, a dear friend and reenacting partner told me about this forum. That friend, Ron Goodwin, formally known as oldreb on this forum, passed away a few years ago. But he left me with a wonderful gift, his friendship and the discovery of this excellent meeting place for all things Civil War.
And it all started with a movie.
Sincerely,
Unionblue