Civil War

Next month will mark the 150th anniversary of the bombardment of Ft. Sumter in Charleston harbor, the opening salvo of the Civil War (1861-1865). Commemorative efforts are underway in many parts of the country. States have formed sesquicentennial commissions charged with planning events. Historical groups are staging reenactments of famous battles. The National Park Service is doubling down on lectures, walking tours, and other programs at battlefield sites. Last month, the theme for Black History Month was "African Americans and the Civil War. " In April, the National Archives in Washington, D.C. will unveil an exhibition presenting "the most extensive display ever assembled" of their Civil War holdings.

Jennifer Mulvey has two uniforms. The one she wears most often has a collared shirt, an arm patch and a shiny brass badge. But this weekend, she will exchange it for a hoop skirt, corset and apron. Mulvey, a front desk officer at the Newport Beach Police Department, transforms into Mrs. Ealasiad “Elsie” Mulvey, an Irish servant at the Johnson Oak Inn, when she and the other members of the Historical Citizens Assn. attend Civil War reenactments throughout the region.

Disguised as men, female soldiers slung revolvers and fired cannons alongside their male counterparts in 1861. This is just one of many truths to discover this weekend at the fourth annual Battle of Costa Mesa, a Civil War reenactment event in Costa Mesa's Fairview Park on Saturday and Sunday. Transforming the quiet grasslands off Placentia Avenue, more than 350 blue- and gray-clad participants will ignite a historic scene of foot soldiers, cavalry, smoking guns and North vs. South political rhetoric.

David C. Rankin In his column Sunday ( "Waterloo and Moina's red poppies"), Peter Buffa correctly emphasizes the Civil War origins of Memorial Day. He is also correct in pointing out that hundreds of towns have claimed to be the birthplace of what was originally known as Decoration Day. After surveying the contenders, Buffa has apparently joined former President Lyndon Johnson in choosing Waterloo, N.Y., as home...

A listing of special events to entertain you through the weekend and beyond. TODAY Study the Civil War. Orange Coast College's Theatre Department will present "John Brown's Body," a Civil War story based on a Stephen Vincent Benet poem, on Sundays and Thursday through May 12 at OCC's Drama Lab Theatre, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday. $7-$10. (714) 432-5880. SUNDAY Watch a symphony. Alan Remington will conduct the Orange Coast College Symphony Orchestra in a performance at 7:30 p.m. at the college's Robert B. Moore Theatre, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa.

Claudia Figueroa The Civil War was one of the bloodiest, most brutal eras in U.S. history, so why would anyone want to write a Broadway musical about it? "It's not so much the subject matter of a musical, but the way the material moves people," said Frank Wildhorn, the composer behind the musical "The Civil War." "There are many subjects that wouldn't necessarily sound interesting until you see it in the form of well-written musical production. Look at 'Evita'; it's based on the life of an Argentinian dictator's wife.

Video games have come a long way since the days of Mario rescuing a princess from Bowser and Pac-Man chasing after power pellets while avoiding his ghostly foes. In the last 15 years, video games have evolved into a story-telling medium, no longer about collecting the highest score. Much like a great film or an engaging book, the stories in games are fully developed with character development and story arcs. This week's column will focus on video games that have tossed out scores and power-ups in favor of telling an emotionally engaging story.

PETER BUFFA Do you know what time it is? It's the unofficial start of summer, that's what. And much more importantly, it's time to honor all those who lost their lives defending ours. We seem to have a hard time remembering that at times, even on Memorial Day. It's much easier to remember at a time like this, though, with America's young men and women putting everything on the line once again. Anyone know how Memorial Day started? Anyone want to know?

Deidre Haren is following in Jo March’s footsteps this fall. Haren, 21, who plays the tomboyish, literary lead in UCI’s upcoming musical production of the classic 1869 Louisa May Alcott novel “Little Women,” will go to New York City to pursue her dream of acting on Broadway. “Little Women” tells the story of a family of four daughters — Jo, sentimental Meg, sweet-but-frail Beth and grandiloquent Amy — who cope, along with their mother, Marmee, while their father is away during the Civil War serving as a chaplain.

June Casagrande It was in the Lido Theater that Gregg Williams first knew he wanted to be an actor. Dennis Quaid's performance in "The Right Stuff" spoke to the young Dover Shores resident in a way no other actor had. "I didn't understand it at the time, but what a great actor does is make you not want to take your eyes off the screen, and that's what Dennis Quaid did in that movie and that's what I wanted to do," ...

Disguised as men, female soldiers slung revolvers and fired cannons alongside their male counterparts in 1861. This is just one of many truths to discover this weekend at the fourth annual Battle of Costa Mesa, a Civil War reenactment event in Costa Mesa's Fairview Park on Saturday and Sunday. Transforming the quiet grasslands off Placentia Avenue, more than 350 blue- and gray-clad participants will ignite a historic scene of foot soldiers, cavalry, smoking guns and North vs. South political rhetoric.

Video games have come a long way since the days of Mario rescuing a princess from Bowser and Pac-Man chasing after power pellets while avoiding his ghostly foes. In the last 15 years, video games have evolved into a story-telling medium, no longer about collecting the highest score. Much like a great film or an engaging book, the stories in games are fully developed with character development and story arcs. This week's column will focus on video games that have tossed out scores and power-ups in favor of telling an emotionally engaging story.

COSTA MESA — An essential ingredient to Civil War fighting these days is Cream of Wheat. The food is good for breakfast, but it also works well in your gun, providing you put in the black powder first. "The Cream of Wheat is used to pack the powder so that it doesn't come out," said Eric Agaki, of the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry. As I watched him prepare pistols at his unit's base camp, I wrote down that small (but nonetheless essential) snippet of sage advice. It was just one of many details imparted to me Saturday afternoon at the third annual Battle of Costa Mesa, a Civil War reenactment event hosted by the American Civil War Society that made an otherwise serene Fairview Park into a battlefield of mid-19th century proportions.

COSTA MESA — "Bodies" will line the normally tranquil trails of Fairview Park. The stench of gunpowder and the sounds of "dying" men will fill the air. This weekend marks the third annual Battle of Costa Mesa, hosted by the American Civil War Society, at the park at 2501 Placentia Ave. In addition, Tuesday marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Ft. Sumter, the site of the first battle in the Civil War. "There are times when...

Next month will mark the 150th anniversary of the bombardment of Ft. Sumter in Charleston harbor, the opening salvo of the Civil War (1861-1865). Commemorative efforts are underway in many parts of the country. States have formed sesquicentennial commissions charged with planning events. Historical groups are staging reenactments of famous battles. The National Park Service is doubling down on lectures, walking tours, and other programs at battlefield sites. Last month, the theme for Black History Month was "African Americans and the Civil War. " In April, the National Archives in Washington, D.C. will unveil an exhibition presenting "the most extensive display ever assembled" of their Civil War holdings.

Editor's note: Due to an editing error, The Bell Curve failed to appear in Thursday's Daily Pilot. It appears in full below. Memorial Day — we called it Decoration Day when I was growing up in Indiana — has come and gone, and seemed more full of urgent memories and intensity this year than ever before. Maybe that's because I feel closer to the Civil War as I grow older. There is an increasing awareness as I distance myself from it that I was only two generations away from the violent remnants of slavery in this country, a sobering thought whenever I allow it in. My grandfather, Robert Patterson, was a colonel in Gen. William Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland.

A reenactment of America’s bloodiest and socially controversial war took place Saturday at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa, where the Confederate flag flew alongside the American flag. The event was meant to bring history to life. “It’s very important, especially in our time of technology when kids are into computers and texting and reading is a thing of the past, by bringing it alive for the children, perhaps we can show that history is a thing of the future as well,” said Alysia Webb, of the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry, fashioned in an 1800s costume.

Do you feel as blessed this holiday season as I do? With Thanksgiving only hours away, my lengthy appreciation list grows by the minute. It includes the following: A new granddaughter, born this year; Five other beautiful grandchildren; Three daughters and their husbands; A wife who far exceeds anything I dreamed of, or deserve; Siblings, nieces and nephews, assorted relations, friends and others who bring texture and...

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, gave a speech in London last week in which he expressed the view that an additional 40,000 American troops should be deployed to the Afghan theater. The general’s speech apparently angered Obama administration officials. The next day, President Obama summoned McChrystal to a meeting with him aboard Air Force One. James L. Jones, the national security advisor, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested later in separate news interviews that the general had stepped out of line by airing his views.