Soldiers face each other on a dirt path. One soldier kneels against a cannon. The others carry old-fashioned guns. Some of the men wear Union blue. The others wear Confederate gray. But wait a minute. Didn’t the American Civil War end a long, long time ago?

It did—151 years ago, to be exact. These “soldiers” are reenactors. They gather every October in Andersonville, Georgia, to bring scenes from the war to life again. They wear uniforms made of wool. That is exactly what Civil War soldiers wore. As they fight, their uniforms grow heavy and hot. They are so serious about their hobby that they spend lots of money on it. Sometimes reenactors spend $1,000 on just one costume! Phew! That’s a lot for a dirty, stinky uniform that has gone way out of style!

Historical reenactments can make you feel like you’ve stepped backward in time. That’s because reenactors pay attention to the tiniest details. They carry nothing that would have looked out of place long ago. Their old-style weapons may cost thousands of dollars. Much of the clothing they wear is stitched by hand. If something looks wrong, other reenactors will be able to tell. They probably won’t let it slide either. A reenactor named Jim DiNucci learned that the hard way. Several years ago, he went to the 225th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Other reenactors told him right away: “You don’t look the part!” They said he had too much of a “backwoods” look. They gave him a coat. Then he looked more like a fancy Bostonian.

Most reenactors focus on the Civil War. But some act out earlier times. For them, finding out what to wear becomes real detective work. Photography wasn’t around before the Civil War. They must rely on paintings and descriptions people wrote down. To get things just right, reenactors study hard—and spend big. The more interested they become, the pricier it gets!