NEVADA CITY – As Robert Burgio lay dying in this woodsy mountain town Saturday, all he could think was that he hoped it would be over soon.

"It was bloody hot out there, and I needed a drink of water," he said.

Burgio – along with 150 others from the American Civil War Association – was re-enacting a Civil War battle in Nevada City's Pioneer Park as part of the Gold Rush town's annual Constitution Day celebration, which continues today. Although generally thought of as a popular pastime for history buffs in Southern states, Civil War re-enactments by this Northern California-based organization take place about eight weekends a year.

Wearing a thick red-wool uniform, the 58-year-old Burgio, who helps run a missing-children center in Santa Cruz, was playing the role of a Confederate battalion commander. It had been decided before the battle that the Rebels were going to lose this one – they alternate the outcome each time – meaning that Burgio was going to die.

"I have a dying quota. I usually have to die one out of every four battles," said Burgio, who likes to stumble to the ground with his sword in hand.

"I think it's a little more dramatic," he explained.

Those in the re-enactment don't just act as if they were from another era; they live and breathe a different life.

Many set up white triangular tents, use lanterns and metal cookware, and spend the weekend sleeping on hard cots and eating stew.

It's been a family tradition for Joel Quivey, 59, a medical lab technician from Chico, for the past six years.

About seven weekends every year, Quivey, his wife, 24-year-old daughter and 22-year-old son pull on their Union blues and head back in time.

"I think it's a real fun way to go camping. I'm with friends, I don't pay for a campsite and we cook over open fires," says Quivey. "Plus, it's expensive to go to another country, but it's not as expensive to go to another century."

Saturday's battle re-enactment began with deafening cannon fire, setting off the alarms of nearby parked cars and sending young children into fits of tears.

The lines of Confederate and Union soldiers then marched into battle, their rifles and revolvers shooting black puffs of smoke into the air.

The Union soldiers pushed the Confederates back past the stacks of hay bales, finally overtaking them less than a half-hour after the battle began.

The Rebel survivors retreated from the field.

That was when Cliff McCurley's job began.

The 29-year-old from Pleasanton, playing a member of the Confederate ambulance corps, ran onto the field with a canvas stretcher to cart away the wounded.

"I was always a history geek," said McCurley, who operates a floor-covering business. "But the biggest thing is the camaraderie. You meet other history geeks and talk about historical stuff."

The American Civil War Association is composed of 750 members who put on re-enactments, visit schools to teach children about the war that left at least 620,000 dead, and run a three-day retreat giving students a glimpse of life during the Civil War.

William Entriken, 43, an electrician from the Calaveras County town of Sheep Ranch, joined up about a dozen years ago after his re-enactment passion began with the Renaissance and medieval eras.

"I have a love for history and a deep appreciation for American history," he said. "Plus, chicks dig the uniform."

Call The Bee's Gina Kim, (916) 321-1228.