SYLVIE BELMOND/Acorn Newspapers ALL IN THE FAMILY—Jane De Beaumont impersonates Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln. De Beaumont and her family will take part in the Civil War Reenactment put on this weekend in Moorpark. The Civil War Reenactment organized annually by the Rotary Club of Moorpark brings history to life like no other event in California, according to organizers.

The eighth annual Civil War Reenactment, scheduled for Sat. and Sun., Nov. 8 and 9, takes place at Tierra Rejada Ranch on Sunset Valley Road in Moorpark.

"The Tierra Rejada Valley is a good place for it because it's open and gives you the feeling that you're actually there, with authentic smells and sounds of what it was like during the Civil War," said actor August Simien.

Simien, a recently retired firefighter with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, has been reenacting for 15 years.

He's a member of the New Buffalo Soldiers, a small group that aims to preserve the history of black soldiers who fought in the Civil War and through the World War I era.

As a cavalry man, the San Fernando Valley resident will be one of about five black reenactors who will join the Union troops in battles against the Confederate Army during the Moorpark event.

"There were about 180,000 black soldiers who fought for the North until the Buffalo Soldiers were formed after the Civil War," Simien said.

Gates will open at 10 a.m. both days, and battles will take place at noon, 3 and 5 p.m. on Saturday and at noon and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

This year's event will showcase five conflicts from the Seven Days Battles, a series of major battles fought from June 25 to July 1, 1862 near Richmond, Va.

Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union army away from Richmond and into a retreat down the Virginia Peninsula.

"The Civil War during the years of 186165 is a very important part of our United States history and should not be forgotten," said Jane De Beaumont, who portrays Mary Todd Lincoln, a distant relative of De Beaumont.

"My Grandpa Todd used to tell me, 'Janie, you are the spittin' image of your great-aunt Mary,'" she said.

Her grandfather was right. De Beaumont's facial characteristics and her demeanor mirror those of Abraham Lincoln's wife, who lived a difficult life more than a century ago.

Tim De Beaumont portrays the Rev. Dr. Phineas D. Gurley, a chaplain who was known as Lincoln's pastor.

"My goal is to convey what is believed to have been a close relationship between the president and (Gurley)," said Tim De Beaumont, a pastor in real life.

Abraham Lincoln will be on site to read the Gettysburg Address, and the event will include a Veterans Day ceremony to honor our servicemen and women.

All veterans in uniform or with any veteran identification can receive a $5 discount off the $15 daily admission at this year's event.

Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for schoolchildren. Children 5 and under are admitted free.

Daily tickets can be purchased at a discount of $2, good for up to four people, online at www.moorparkrotary.com.