In a friendly southern accent, Jeff Lawrence greeted the approaching stranger.
"You just accidentally walked into Texas," said the 60-year-old man dressed in Confederate garb.
That visitor wasn't the only one to stumble Thursday into the inconspicuous tent pitched along Table Rock Road in Gettysburg, where the 1st Arkansas Artillery was using its time between battles to set the record straight.
Don't tell these guys that the North-South dispute over slavery caused the Civil War. They'll tell you it was all about state rights - that most Confederate soldiers were fighting to defend their homes, not to protect the institution of slavery.
"This is what we do," said James McNabb, 68, of Fort Worth, Texas. "This is like a Civil War Roundtable."
The group is in town for the weekend for the 150th anniversary Battle of Gettysburg re-enactment, which continues through Sunday.
A re-enactor since the 1960s - before the trend really took off - McNabb said his fascination with the Civil War is now about "teaching history, accurate history."
The history books: That statement touched off a 45-minute conversation among the visiting Texans, and one Oklahoman, about the popular misconceptions of the Civil War, especially when it comes to the Confederacy.
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