149th Anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas...

[SolaScriptura]

This weekend is the 149th Anniversary of the 1st Battle of Manassas. To commemorate, there is a reenactment and a "living history" type thing going on at the National Battlefield.

We're going on Saturday - of course - and it is $3 per person. Should be loads of fun! (But our boys were disappointed to learn that we weren't really going to watch people shoot cannons at each other... What kind of parent am I that my kids would be disappointed in that???)

Anyway, I just want to put it out there as a fun activity for anyone/family in the area. If you haven't seen the Battlefield it is worth the trip (in my opinion).

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

Hurray for the Bonnie Blue.

 

[Montanablue]

I went to this a couple of times as a child (my parents idea of a family vacation was for us to visit historical sites - something I can actually appreciate now) - its excellent, but hot! If you want to treat your kids, buy them some saspirilla (sp?). They usually have people walking around selling it, and its fun to drink something that is so different. Enjoy!

 

[SolaScriptura]

I went to this a couple of times as a child (my parents idea of a family vacation was for us to visit historical sites - something I can actually appreciate now) - its excellent, but hot! If you want to treat your kids, buy them some saspirilla (sp?). They usually have people walking around selling it, and its fun to drink something that is so different. Enjoy!

Thanks for the suggestion about the drink!

About the trips to historical sites - yeah, my Queen and I are into history so all our family trips are to historical places. Fortunately, my boys are able to be entertained by pointing out where people were slain... morbid, I know, but at least they aren't moping around with "We're bored!" all day long.

 

[Montanablue]

I think this extremely typical of young boys (and some girls). If it makes you feel better, my brothers (and possibly my sister and I) did this all day long at battlefields and none of us are serial killers...yet...

 

[SolaScriptura]

I think this extremely typical of young boys (and some girls). If it makes you feel better, my brothers (and possibly my sister and I) did this all day long at battlefields and none of us are serial killers...yet...

... yet...

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

Before I became convicted on the 4th Commandment I used to be involved heavily in Civil War Re-Enacting. Love it. It is a ton of fun.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Before I became convicted on the 4th Commandment I used to be involved heavily in Civil War Re-Enacting. Love it. It is a ton of fun.

Won't they let you do it on just Saturday?

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

I still do them on occasion. Just the local ones. Love it.

 

[Montanablue]

Before I became convicted on the 4th Commandment I used to be involved heavily in Civil War Re-Enacting. Love it. It is a ton of fun.

Have you read David Horowitz's "Confederates in the Attic?" He talks about these extreme reenacters that actually try to emulate the life of a solider - down to mimicking their diet, calorie count etc. Honestly, I thought to be that far into it was kind of odd, but it made for some interesting reading. (I am not, by the way, trying to imply that you did this - I just thought it was really interesting)

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

Before I became convicted on the 4th Commandment I used to be involved heavily in Civil War Re-Enacting. Love it. It is a ton of fun.

Have you read David Horowitz's "Confederates in the Attic?" He talks about these extreme reenacters that actually try to emulate the life of a solider - down to mimicking their diet, calorie count etc. Honestly, I thought to be that far into it was kind of odd, but it made for some interesting reading. (I am not, by the way, trying to imply that you did this - I just thought it was really interesting)

Just as a word to the wise Tony Horowitz wrote that book with the intention of making re-enactors look like fools, along with others featured in the book.

 

[Herald]

I enjoy living in Maryland because of the easy access to numerous Civil War battlefields such as Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Petersburg etc.

 

[Montanablue]

Before I became convicted on the 4th Commandment I used to be involved heavily in Civil War Re-Enacting. Love it. It is a ton of fun.

Have you read David Horowitz's "Confederates in the Attic?" He talks about these extreme reenacters that actually try to emulate the life of a solider - down to mimicking their diet, calorie count etc. Honestly, I thought to be that far into it was kind of odd, but it made for some interesting reading. (I am not, by the way, trying to imply that you did this - I just thought it was really interesting)

Just as a word to the wise Tony Horowitz wrote that book with the intention of making re-enactors look like fools, along with others featured in the book.

Its definitely a book that should be taken with a grain of salt, don't get me wrong.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

I enjoy living in Maryland because of the easy access to numerous Civil War battlefields such as Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Petersburg etc.

The thing I love about Petersburg is seeing, 1) How close the lines were to each other, 2) How close the tunnel for the crater is to the Confederate lines.

 

[LawrenceU]

I, like Benjamin, am a living historian / re-enactor. Right now I am on hiatus. I've been doing it for a long time. I've been in thread counter regiments and loved it. I've been in more relaxed regiments and liked it. I detest farbs. I know your family will have a good time. The regiment from which I am on leave was to be a part of that reenactment. I'm not sure how many will be there. If you see some NY Zouaves with South Alabama drawls those will be my boys. We galvanise as Yankee Zouaves usually the 165th NY and as the 61st Ohio. No one likes to reenact Yankees so we are often in those uniforms. Zouave is tough to do. The manual of arms and drill is excruciatingly athletic, but it is very impressive.

I have enjoyed doing infantry. I loved flying artillery. There is nothing like actually pulling a limbered gun into action, unlimbering, loading and the rest. We actually participated in live fire accuracy contests. (We shot at telephone poles at distances from 350 yards to 1500 yards on a National Guard artillery range. One year we actually out shot the NG arty fellows on accuracy. They were on a 105. We were firing a 3" Ordnance rifle.

Have fun!

 

[jwithnell]

my parents idea of a family vacation was for us to visit historical sites

Mine too! I thought cannons were regular playground equipment.

I suspect part of the appeal came from these sites being free or inexpensive, although my parents did go to college at Gettysburg so there's some natural interest there too. I found, while homeschooling, that I could describe the importance, strategy and location of the battles with ease for the War Between the States, but could barely do so for the War for Independence. I need to read up on the latter!