When other children were concerned with the latest episode of a TV show, Terry Crowley wanted to get all of his stories from his grandfather.

Lake Havasu City resident Terry Crowley gestures to an old Confederate Civil War hat worn by his great-grandfather. Crowley said he wears the hat every July to “honor his memory and pass on his story to the next generation.” Nathan Bruttell/News-Herald Photo.

Today, the Lake Havasu resident goes out of his way to tell those stories to anyone who will listen, and every July he does it while wearing a special family heirloom – a hat worn by his great-grandfather during the Civil War. The hat, Crowley said, has seen many battlefields, possibly including the battle of Gettysburg, which marks its 147th anniversary this July.

“A lot of people in this town are patriotic but sometimes we all forget about those stories from our relatives and the people who fought to make this country what we know it today,” said Crowley, who holds a bachelors degree in history. “The only thing I ever really cared about before I met my wife was history so I wear the hat so anyone who sees me can learn a little bit about it and share that same love for it that I have.”

Crowley’s great-grandfather, Jebediah Oakes, fought with the Fourth Alabama regiment and was one of only 202 soldiers still alive at the end of the war when General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, according to Alabama National Guard archives.

“The gallant stand of the Fourth Alabama stalled the Union advance and gave the Confederate forces more time to regroup,” according to ANC archives. “The regiment played a prominent part in the fighting all day and contributed to the Confederate victory. The Battle of First Manassas proved to both sides that the Civil War would be a bitterly contested struggle. The Fourth Alabama went on to fight in every major battle in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War and never surrendered its colors.”

Crowley said he’s dedicated a majority of his life to preserving stories and history of the Civil War, even spending nearly a decade as a re-enactor in his home state of Kansas.

“I loved it because it was a lot of fun and it was a great way to get that feel for what our ancestors went through and how they actually lived,” Crowley said. “I’m surprised anyone survived that war eating that food and sleeping outside in the dead heat the way they did. I have a new respect for that history that I couldn’t get in any other way. I wish there was something like that around here because I think people would love it.”

Crowley said he gained a new perspective on the nation’s history when he met his wife Shirley and learned of her family’s “different look on the war.”

“Her grandfather (Josh Barton) fought for the (Union), so after I found that out, it added a whole new meaning to me calling her my better half,” Crowley said. “She really is my opposite and my better half. But I think it’s special that we were able to join both sides when we married.”

Shirley Crowley said she “wasn’t the least bit surprised” when the two first spoke about their family history.

“They say opposites attract and we are definitely opposites,” she said. “He is extremely interested in all of that history and I know he would do just about anything to keep that going. That’s one of the many reasons I love him.”

Few moments make her more proud than when her husband is able to share some of his knowledge thanks to the hat.

“Everywhere he goes someone will notice it and ask about it, and anytime I’ve ever seen it, Terry just lights up,” she said. “It’s just something that’s really great because he’s able to pass on what he knows with someone new and hopefully some day they’ll pass it on too, and I know that would mean the world to Terry.”

You can contact the reporter at nbruttell@havasunews.com