CIVIL WAR EVENT Re-enactor: He's more than a Bill

The final battle of the weekend is to begin at 2 p.m. today.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- When Joseph W. Ames walks the streets of his hometown Manchester, Mich., folks just call him "Bill."
But strolling along grassy, shaded pathways through Argus Park in Canfield on a sun-dappled Saturday morning, he answered to "Mr. President," or, more frequently, "Abe."
Ames is among more than 300 people participating as soldiers and sutlers in the park's second annual Civil War re-enactment. Sutlers are civilian businessmen appointed by the Army to be camp vendors during the Civil War.
With a black stovepipe hat exaggerating his lanky frame and accenting his black beard, Ames was perfectly at home in the role of Abraham Lincoln, which he has played since 1982.
Coordinator Greg Anstrom said the event was to continue today, with a staged battle between groups representing Union and Confederate troops to begin at 2 p.m. The battle should last about 45 minutes and is the last event of the weekend.
Re-enacting tradition
The number of performers and visitors at last year's re-enactment was driven down by poor weather and by a construction project that had closed the road leading to the park entrance, Anstrom said.
"This year's numbers are much better," he said.
Participants this year came from all over Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, Anstrom said. He invited Ames because he'd heard Ames speak as Lincoln at other events and was impressed by his knowledge of the Civil War era and its president.
Relating to Lincoln
Ames, 66, retired in 1995 as a county agricultural extension agent. One of his duties during an economic downturn in the 1980s was visiting farmers to tell them they were out of business. He tried to do it in a way that instilled hope in the farm families to survive despite the bad news.
"Lincoln was a lot like that," he said. "He had a way of giving people hope during difficult times. I think that's why I got interested in him."
Ames belongs to a group called the Association of Lincoln Presenters, which has nearly 200 members nationwide. They are men of all shapes and sizes who have studied the 16th president and travel the country portraying Lincoln at special events.
The organization holds a national conference each year at which its members gather, in costume, to discuss the life and times of the president they emulate, Ames said.
Ames, who said he does not charge for his services, said he generally attends about two events per month, appearing as Abraham Lincoln. He has read countless books about Lincoln and has amassed his own library that he uses for research to ensure that his performances are historically accurate.
bjackson@vindy.com