---
title: Actor of War
date: 2026-09-04T11:00:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://terp.umd.edu/actor-of-war"
section: Articles
---
# Actor of War

*September 4, 2026* — by [Sala Levin ’10](/authors/sala-levin-10)




> Archaeologist alum blended personal, professional interests on reenacted battlefields.

*Babits 1920x10080 — Larry Babits, holding the Maryland flag, spent decades acting as a private in Revolutionary and Civil War reenactments.*

**FOR DECADES**, up and down the Eastern Seaboard, Larry Babits ’69, M.A. ’74 transformed time and again into a stranger he knew intimately: a nameless rear rank private in the First Maryland Regiment, fighting the British for American independence.

Nurturing an interest initially sparked while a UMD undergraduate, Babits has taken part in some 200 living history events: shooting competitions and Revolutionary and Civil War reenactments, a hobby that both influenced and was influenced by his work as an archaeologist specializing in American battlefields and sunken military ships.

“My work made the details of the reenactments better,” says Babits, now a retired professor of maritime studies at East Carolina University. “You look for patterns in the artifacts, and you can extrapolate from that to reproduce things that enable you to better interpret what you’re doing.”


*Larry Babits headshot — Larry Babits*


*American flag icon*



*A troop of reenactors in Revolutionary War gear march together — Babits holds the Maryland flag during a Revolutionary War reenactment.*





**Issue:** [Fall 2026](https://terp.umd.edu/editions/fall-2026)


**Types:** [Post-Grad](https://terp.umd.edu/category/post-grad)


**Tags:** [America 250](https://terp.umd.edu/tags/america-250)