the last count had over three thousand , six hundred black-powder rifle-toting soldiers representing not only traditional reb and yank ground forces , but also members of the buffalo soldiers ( a black regiment ) , elements of period naval groups , medical personnel and even period photographers who not only role played as the first war correspondents that brought the ugliness of war to joe average , but doubled as purveyors of tin type souvenirs to be sold for a far heftier price than even two centuries of inflation could account for .