Naperville - Experience the past at Naper Settlement's Civil War Days to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18 in the historic museum village located at 523 S. Webster St. in downtown Naperville. More than 300 reenactors transform the 13-acre site into a Civil War encampment complete with historic personages of the past including President Abraham Lincoln, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, Harriet Tubman and many more. A battle between the Blue and the Gray takes place each day at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 adults, $8 seniors and $6.50 youth 4-17. One dollar off advance tickets are available at Naper Settlement, Anderson's Bookshop, Canterbury Shoppe, Oswald's Pharmacy, and Just Ducky in south Naperville. For more information, call the Event Hotline at (630) 305-5555 or visit www.napersettlement.museum.

Jerome Kowalski, a reenactor for 15 years, portrays General George Henry Thomas, commander of the Union Army of the Cumberland. For the past few years at Civil War Days, he has read the touching letter that Sullivan Ballou wrote in 1861 to his wife Sarah. Shortly after writing the letter, Ballou was killed in the first battle of Bull Run.

"This is the only place I read the letter," Kowalski said. "I break down in tears because I can feel what this man is saying." He and his wife Jo Ellen have been married for 41 years. In his other real-life role, Kowalski is the National Chaplain of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, which is the legal successor to the Grand Army of the Republic.

Throughout the Civil War, music played an important role, with more than 10,000 war-related songs being published, said Kathryn Atwood. She and her husband John are the "History Singers," who have a dual passion for music and history.

"Music was very prominent during the Civil War for several reasons: Patriotic songs were utilized on the home front to bolster civilian support for the war and singing was also an important part of a soldier's experience," Kathryn said.

She said the most popular songs in the North were "Battle Cry of Freedom," "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic." For the South, the most popular songs were "Dixie" and "Bonnie Blue Flag."

Another aspect of the Civil War era is the role that spiritualism played in 19th century life. Performer Michael Kett will be delving into the subject of numerology. Using a mathematical formula and a person's name and birth date, Kett will be able describe someone's personality. "Everyone likes to hear about themselves and have a question about the future possibly answered," he said.

Rick Benson, a newcomer to Civil War reenacting, will debut a portrayal of Capt. Henry Wirz, commandant of the infamous Andersonville Prison in southwest Georgia. A longtime Civil War enthusiast, Benson is also a member of the prestigious Salt Creek Civil War Roundtable. During his research, Benson utilized the only known photograph of Wirz to have clothing custom-made to complement his portrayal. Through his interpretation, Benson said that he not trying to sugarcoat or rewrite history, but hopes the audience will see that Wirz was not the devil incarnate as he was portrayed in the media at the time.

Reenactors recreate Civil War life with meticulous precision. Paul Wood, who portrays General Robert E. Lee, said it is important to him to accurately portray General Lee, a man who was caught in a tragic situation. He said that Lee served the United States for 32 years and did not want to see the country fall into Civil War, however, he was related to every major land-owning family in Virginia.

 "I think it is important for people of the 21st century to understand people of the 19th century," Wood said. "They were just like you and I - they built this nation that we call home."

 The presenting sponsor of Civil War Days is Comcast. Other sponsors include Edward Hospital and Health Services, the Naperville Sun and 95.9 The River.