You can't rewrite history

A few months ago I met this man who was a reenactor in local Civil War skirmishes and battles and spent a few hours listening to his stories, which were fascinating.
I knew who the man was, had met him several years earlier, but now I myself was a small-time historian of local Civil War history and writing my own history of the famous outlaws Jesse and Frank James.
Since I am a writer, I was excited to learn this man was planning a new reenactment to take place two years from now, as close to the actual day the original battle had taken place – it shall remain nameless.
I have a large following and know many descendants of Quantrill's Raiders as well as descendants of the pioneers who lived in this particular area during the years before, during and after the war.
I knew I could cover and write on this reenactment as a preview, with interviews and finally, to cover the reenactment itself and do it well.
The reenactor seemed quite happy with that and promised to call me.
In the months since, he has chosen someone else to cover all of his related talks, press releases, assorted filming for movie crews etc. The reenactor will not permit me to cover anything he is doing, nor talk to me – putting me off and using his girlfriend to contact me.
Did I say he belongs to the "good old boys club" yet?
And so, much to my disgust, a movie crew filmed scenes on this man's ranch here in the little town we both live in and I was not permitted to come and cover the day's activities - all I wanted was to share with the other reporter ... a common occurrence and an exciting event.
After a little investigating, I was told that the reenactor has said he is afraid I will portray the person he is reenacting in 2014 in a bad light, because articles I had previous written told of the soldier's horrific, heinous acts during the Civil War.
I told the truth as history has told it - of William "Bloody" Bill Anderson, who rode with William Quantrill in Missouri and broke off from Quantrill to lead his own men - men he could mold into the bloodthirsty killers he was himself.
And he did.
Anderson was known for scalping his victims and wearing their scalps tied to either his clothing or his saddle. He sometimes cut the heart out of a victim and would place it on the victim's body. He often cut his victim's heads off.
During the Centralia, Missouri massacre, he and his cohorts committed some of the most horrific mutilations to Union soldiers on the train that it is unspeakable - even today ... nearly 150 years later.
Yet - I choose not to rewrite history  - I have told it like it was.
There are descendants of some of the victims of Anderson still living nearby – they have told their story, their family stories of the horror and murder.
When Anderson and some of his men were ambushed by Union soldiers in 1864 and killed, Anderson was taken to Richmond, Missouri and supposedly, his head was removed from his body and his body dragged through the streets. His last words were something to the effect of, "I am the worst fiend you will ever meet."
The man himself said it.
How do you change that history? Do you paint roses on the man's grave? Do you sugarcoat it, or make light of the horrific deaths of the soldiers Anderson so brutally killed? Do you blame other Union soldiers and other people for the terrible acts Anderson's own family suffered as a reason for him to mutilate and kill others  does that make murder excusable?
No it does not.
But it is according to this reenactor, who dresses like Anderson when he presents talks on the upcoming reenactment, like he wants to channel the very soul of the evil man. He heralds the fact that two of his ancestors rode with Anderson and this man is proud of it. Proud of the heinous acts that were committed?
Jesse and Frank James reputedly rode with Anderson too, but there has never been any evidence that either one of them committed such horrible acts, the same could be said of some of the others who rode with Anderson. Most of the men were under the age of 20. 
Indeed, Anderson himself was just 24 years old when he was killed.
You can't rewrite history - not to market a reenactment, film a movie or write a book for then it becomes fiction.
And this is what this reenactor has become – a producer of fiction - a speaker of non-truths.
Jesus said "the truth will set you free." 
And so it will.