Brian Keane helps to keep history alive

By Colleen Gundlach

In what may be the most understated quote of any American president, Abraham Lincoln declared at Gettysburg that, “the world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” This country has forgotten neither the words nor the war, and one Norfolk student is working to keep the memory alive. Brian Keane, a sophomore at Northwestern Regional 7, is a dedicated Civil War re-enactor, performing at live history events and battle re-enactments throughout the northeastern United States. On a recent Friday morning, Keane was in front of a history class at Northwestern in full Confederate garb. The classes of teachers Gordon Ross and Keith Winegar were just beginning their study of the Civil War, and had joined together to listen to two ‘soldiers’ discuss their lives. Kenneth Chichester, a Northwestern faculty member, was outfitted as a Union soldier and with Keane, took the students through a detailed look at the lives of infantry men in the war. Each ‘soldier’ stayed in character while discussing the differences between the two sides, and even had the class lined up in marching formation by the end of the session. Keane first became interested in Civil War history in the fourth grade when he read “With Every Drop of Blood: A Novel of the Civil War” by James Collier. From then on, he was hooked. He read and learned all that he could, and eventually joined Company H of the 1st Maryland Infantry, a group committed “to commemorate, to educate, to emulate.” It is the largest Civil War re-enactment organization in New England, and several of its members have appeared in such movies as “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals.” According to their Web Site, the original 1st Maryland was formed when Virginia seceded from the Union. Many people from Maryland also wanted their state to secede, but when that did not happen, they traveled south to Virginia, joined the Confederate army and became the 1st Maryland in the Army of Northern Virginia. It is this group that the re-enactors are honoring. Keane and the other roughly 75 members of the 1st Maryland are instrumental in teaching the history of the Civil War, including living history presentations such as the one at Northwestern, battle scenarios and patriotic parade events. “We do it to keep history alive,” Keane says. “It’s not for political reasons.” He chose to be a Confederate re-enactor because “I was born in the north, and I wanted to see both sides of the story.” When he is not immersed in the Civil War, Keene is active on the Northwestern track teams and plays alto saxophone in the school band. In addition, he is a Sergeant in the Troop B State Police Explorers, and hopes to become a state police trooper after graduation. Most of Keane’s re-enactments have been in the New England area, but he has also had the opportunity to take part at Manassas, Cedar Creek and Gettysburg. At Gettysburg, he had an “eerie feeling” as do most visitors who experience the overwhelming sense of history. “The sights and smells were so realistic,” Keane says, and his company pitched tents, camped and cooked on the battlefield. The uniforms and equipment that Keane uses are a mixture of the authentic and replicas. He is always on the lookout for actual Civil War memorabilia, and the bullet casings he passed around the class at Northwestern were actual armature retrieved from Civil War battlefields. Keane says he also enjoys marching in patriotic parades. “The little kids look at you like you’re a superhero. They’ve never seen anything like it.” For more information about the 1st Maryland, visit their Web Site at www.1stmaryland.com.

Kenneth Chichester, Northwestern Regional 7 faculty member and Brian Keane, sophomore student, recently presently a live Civil War re-enactment at the school.