Adam Lipka-3rd Md. Co I, Baltimore Light Infty.

Adam Lipka, of the 3rd Maryland Volunteer Infantry Company I (The Baltimore Light Infantry) is your typical Civil War reenactor. He reads Civil War books voraciously, dreams of attending the 150th Anniversary of the Gettysburg battle (July 1st, 2013), belongs to a Civil War roundtable, and does living history presentations for kids while sweating profusely in a period correct wool uniform. Unlike most other reenactors, however, Adam does all this with a lush background of swaying palm trees and smoke belching volcanoes. Believe it or not, Adam is a Civil War reenactor in sunny Honolulu, Hawaii.

Historically, Hawaii was not involved in the American Civil War; indeed it was not even a territory until the 1890’s. Although the National Park Service’s “Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System” a database of Civil War veterans lists several possible Hawaiians, the records are inconclusive on exactly how many Hawaiians served.

Restoring the eagle to the American legation Honolulu 1865

One such listing, for a “Prince Romerson” of “Nyhee, Sandwich Islands” (the name of the Hawaiian island chain in the 19th century) shows him serving as a sailor (and barber) aboard the “USS Wamsutta” in 1863, then joining the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry (Colored) as a private in 1864 and mustering out as a Commissary Sergeant in 1865. Interestingly, at the time of his enlistment and for the balance of 1864, the Hawaiian native Romerson and his regiment were assigned to guard duty at Point Lookout prison camp in St. Mary’s, Maryland.

Adam Lipka moved to Hawaii when he was thirteen. He grew up in Baltimore, attending Baltimore Lutheran High School in Towson, until his father was offered a job in Hawaii. Having always wanted to see the island, Adam’s dad took the job and moved the whole family west. Since then, Adam’s parents and siblings have moved back to the Delmarva area, but Adam remains in Hawaii and works for the City and County of Honolulu. His interest in the Civil War, which began as a child, hasn’t waned. He is a member of the Civil War Roundtable of Hawaii, a group which meets regularly to learn about and discuss Civil War history. He communicates with mainland re-enactors via the reenactors’ forum. Adam has been a spectator at some of the larger eastern reenactments in the past, like Gettysburg and Antietam, and hopes to gather the finances to attend at least one major event as a participant.

Living history demonstration-Kokohead gun range

 Adam’s wife does not share his passion for reenacting, but does dress in period clothes to participate in some events with him. He hopes to outfit his children as well, but does find it difficult to purchase reenacting gear due to the premiums for shipping goods to Hawaii. As with many mainland reenactors, he is learning to make some items, such as Union army bread boxes, himself.
Meanwhile, he contents himself with putting on living history and musket firing demonstrations with his small group of fellow reenactors, about 10 or 12 men, and perhaps a few local military personnel who like to reenact occasionally. Besides the usual questions most reenactors get “are you hot in that?” (The answer, by the way, is yes!) he answers questions about a long ago war that many native Hawaiians know little about and seemed to have happened a world away. Also, Adam is planning a Civil War “camping” trip, setting up a small period military camp in Honolulu’s Kualoa valley for a few days. He wants his local re-enactors and their families to be able to experience living in the Civil War period as authentically as possible: cooking over an open fire, no electrical devices, some sleeping on the ground… just as all the mainland reenactors get to do many weekends a year. With a low temperature of 70 degrees, Adam hopes to tempt at least a few mainland reenactors to join them.

For his reenacting ‘impression’ (the soldier he portrays) Adam chose the Baltimore Light Infantry. This unit, which numbered only 381 men, never recruited enough to be made into its own regiment (usually 1000 men) so instead it was folded into the 3rd Maryland Regiment. Adam, as a lone representative of this group, feels a special bond with the diminutive Light Infantry of 1862; however with passion, tenacity, and an awful lot of sweat, he hopes to swell the ranks.

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