'Sawbones' adds to re-enacting realism

The term “sawbones” in reference to surgeons is often connected to the Civil War, although it was used in literature by Charles Dickens in the 1830s. When upwards of 250 reenactors converge on New Bern this week for a large-scale battle, the grisly side of the would-be carnage will also be portrayed. Gary Riggs is the chief medical reenactor, a veteran of 10 years of Civil War recreations of field hospital operations. • Article