You can hear the most amazing things at re-enactments if you stop and listen. Canvas tents and flies flapping in gusty wind. Horses whinnying for breakfast. Reveille. Drums. Cannons. Or the most amazing comments…

One of the best “overheard at a re-enactment” statements I’ve ever heard is this emphatic, without-a-doubt, super positive statement: (Ready, brace yourself, here it is…)

 

“They didn’t use bayonets in the Civil War.”

And I guess you never even watched the movie Gettysburg, did you? Well, I won’t send you a list of sources to check – instead watch this video. [WARNING: EXTREME SPOILERS –  you may not want to watch if you haven’t seen the whole movie, see postscript note at end of this blog post]

Dear Re-enactment Spectator: if you don’t know, please ask. I’m confident somebody would be willing to answer your question! We’ve heard lots of questions, but most of us like to educate. Come ask…

And now an invitation to bring your questions about civilians during the War Between the States, the war in Virginia, “Stonewall” Jackson, or other topics of interest to the “McGuire Home, Winchester, Virginia” on April 11-12, 2015 to the Prado Park Civil War Re-enactment. I believe Confederate White House will also be attending this events, so bring those hard to answer Southern questions too.

Hey, if we don’t know the answers, we’ll tell you…and I will never ever tell you that they did not use bayonets in the Civil War.

Your Historian,

Miss Sarah

P.S. Okay, the disclaimer… Gettysburg is rated PG13 for battle scenes and language. I am not endorsing this movie. However, if a “mild” war movie doesn’t bother you, it’s worth seeing…at least once…maybe twice…oh maybe we could watch it again.

The other warning – if you see the movie – you might have a new historical hero or two or three. Then pull out the history books and track what was real and what was slightly fictionalized.