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Ohio Valley Civil War Association:

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Ed Corley says he doesn't think he would've survived the Civil War.

The conditions, he said, were way too primitive for him.

But Corley, associate professor of education at Heidelberg University, is able to stand the conditions for a couple of days at a time. He belongs to the Ohio Valley Civil War Association.

The association is made of people portraying the 35th Ohio Infantry, the 75th Ohio Infantry, the 19th U.S. Infantry, the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Civil War Ladies, Signal Corps, Sharpshooters and Sanitary Commission, according to its website.

Corley focuses mostly on the artillery work with the group and portrays a first lieutenant.

During some of the events, people can take evening tours of the camp and might get a chance to ask questions. The men might be singing, talking about the battle, rolling dice or playing checkers, chess or a card game, Corley said.

Corley has several coats, which he described as authentic reproductions, he can wear during impression events. He wears the solid-wool fabric despite 95-degree temperatures. While re-enactors don't collect water from horse imprints in the ground, they do go all weekend without bathing and wear heavy uniforms.

"In that respect, we're genuine," he said.

Corley said he thinks a re-enactment he witnessed in Tennessee for the 100th anniversary of the Civil War probably was his first encounter with re-enactors. He collects badges from regiment reunions, Civil War coinage, Civil War-era original weapons and reproductions of them, and bullets that show what Civil War-era ammunition would have looked like.

Corley's interest in the Civil War has spanned decades. He said he was born after his father got out of the Army and while his family lived in Indiana.

The family would visit his great-aunt in Tennessee, and he recalled sitting on the front porch as a child and listening to stories about his great-great-grandfather, who was from eastern Tennessee and joined the Union army.

"He was captured in 1862 at the Battle of Richmond, Ky.," he said.

Corley said his great-great-grandfather was released on parole about 30 days later and got back into fighting. He was run over by a scared horse, dislocated his hip and was out of the service for a while because of his injury. He returned to service near Knoxville, Tenn., was captured by the Confederate cavalry control and was sent to Richmond, Va., and Andersonville, Ga., he said.

Corley's great-great-grandfather spent time at several camps before being sent to Nashville, Tenn. To get home, he had to walk across Tennessee, Corley said.

On his walk home, Corley's great-great-grandfather stopped near Lenoir City, Tenn., to visit a friend who had been captured. His friend's daughter ran to the natural spring to get drinking water. She was polite to Corley's great-great-grandfather when she returned with the water, and the two later married.

Corley said he got to hear a lot of stories from his great-aunt, who knew his great-great-grandfather.

"She was a young child, but she knew him," he said.

Corley's interest in history is not limited to the Civil War.

Corley said he doesn't know whether he will be involved with American Civil War Museum of Ohio that is coming to Tiffin, but he thinks possibly after he retires, or maybe even sooner, helping with re-enacting there might be something he would be interested in doing.

He said he is happy to see the museum coming to Tiffin.

"You can never have too much stuff about the Civil War, as far as I'm concerned," he said.

He said he and several members of the Civil War association are branching out into doing World War II impressions. He has been gathering a reproduction uniform from the time period of World War II, a war in which his father served.

"My dad was in the 32nd Division," he said.