Tag: Civil War Reenactors
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War Poems
We received the following poems from Diane Watson, whom the Donegans met at the U.S. Christian Commission Chapel service in Gettysburg a few weeks ago. Anywhere Close I’m wearing Blue, my Brother’s in Gray He left when the conflict arose I love the Union, he disagrees We’ll talk when he’s anywhere close. Saw…
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The Long Road Home – A Preview
The following is a report from Nick Korolev on a unique series of Civil War events taking place over the next 5 years: Clover Hill Village, Appomatox, VA over the next five years will be having a special series of events titled The Long Road Home which will follow Civil War soldiers on the final…
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Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr House
The following article was originally submitted by Linda Donegan to the Charleston, WV Civil War Roundtable: Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr In 1835, Henry Fitzhugh and his wife Henrietta settled in Ravenswood. They had acquired land and built a home on the corner of Walnut and Race Streets. They had come to Ravenswood from Fauquier County Virginia…
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HAMPSHIRE HERITAGE FEST, ROMNEY WV SEPTEMBER 10 – 12, 2010
In my haste to get this out, I neglected to note that this was submitted by Nick Korolev (Very sorry Nick!) ed. The Hampshire County Heritage Fest takes place every 2nd weekend in September. The Civil War living history and reenactment part of this fun festival has only been going on for a few years,…
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Gettysburg Cyclorama 2010
The following is a report by guest commentator, Matt Gillespie, on the Gettysburg Cyclorama which has been moved to the new Visitor’s Center: My family and I decided to have a mini-vacation since we had done no other traveling in 2010. What better place to get some quality family bonding time than Gettysburg, PA. None of…
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Let Me Tell You About My Vacation…
As some of you may know, I spent a week in Maine last May. Anyone who knows anything about the American Civil War knows that Maine made a major contribution to the Union war effort in many different sectors. Maine was one of the first states in the northeast to be aligned with the Republican…
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Philippi Races 2010
The following is a report on the annual Blue-Gray Reunion in Philippi, WV by our correspondent, Bill Donegan: On June 3rd through June 6th Linda and I attended, and participated in, the 149th Annual Blue & Gray Reunion in Philippi, West Virginia. Linda and I started this year’s preparation back in March when we began…
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GATHERING OF CIVIL WAR EAGLES JUNE 4-6
The following is a report from our correspondent, Nick Korolev: The 6th annual Gathering of Civil War Eagles held at the Old Courthouse Civil War Museum in the Old Town location of Winchester, VA took place the weekend of June 4-6. This premier educational event is history brought to life by living historians from across…
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Julia Pierpont Day in Fairmont
The Marion County Historical Society held it’s annual Julia Pierpont Day in downtown Fairmont at the Society’s headquarters on May 29, 2010. (See 2009’s coverage for more details.) Governor Pierpont and, of course, Julia (Art and Pam Dodds) were in attendence, as well as Senator John Carlisle and Mrs. Carlisle (Gary and Millie Goetze). The…
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WVRA School of the Soldier
The town of Rowlesburg, WV played host to the annual WVRA School of the soldier again this year, on the weekend of May 1st. This was a small event with probably no more than fifteen to a side. There was a small spectated reenactment of the Battle of Rowlesburg on Saturday, which was probably more…
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Local Events You Don’t Want to Miss!
I wanted to give everyone a quick preview of some great events coming up in North Central West Virginia over the next few months. First of all, is the 5th Annual WWII Living History Weekend in Rowlesburg, WV on the weekend of June 19, 2010. This is West Virginia’s premier WWII event. Located in the…
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A Hidden Treasure
On April 24, Mark Tennant and I drove to Oakland, MD for a scheduled Civil War living history. We were to meet up with some other reenactors at the gazebo by the train station, however, to our dismay, we learned that there had been a glitch and the event had been cancelled, but no one…
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SPRING MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL CIVIL WAR TRAIN
The following is a review of an event in Petersburg, WV by our correspondent, Nick Korolev: The last full weekend of April in Petersburg, WV sees the three day Spring Mountain Festival. This year it ran April 23-25. One of the big events for the weekend is the Civil War Train which runs on Saturday…
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Return to Jollytown
Last year, on May 4th, to be exact, Mark Tennant wrote in this space, about our trip to the villages of Brave and Jollytown, PA to visit the graves of Civil War soldiers. On Sunday, April 18th, Mark and I once again journeyed to these villages to again visit the graves of Union Civil War…
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LEE’S SURRENDER AT APPOMATOX APRIL 10th AT CLOVER HILL VILLAGE
Below is an article by our correspondent, Nick Korolev, concerning a recent Civil War living history event in Virginia: On Saturday, April 10th a living history of Lee’s Surrender plus the last battle that led up to it was presented at the Clover Hill Village just a mile from the historic site at the McLean…
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Civil War Ball- WVRA 2010
The West Virginia Reenactors Association held its annual Spring Ball on Saturday, April 10 at Christ Episcopal Church in Clarksburg, WV. The dance is held in an annex which built around 1870 and probably served as a venue for Christmas and Easter plays and other church and Sunday School productions. The main part of the …
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Hurricane Civil War Event 2010
The annual Hurricane Bridge/Scary Creek Civil War weekend took place on the weekend of March 27-28 at Hurricane, WV. Thanks to my hosts, Bill and Linda Donegan for putting up with me so I could attend again this year. This event is sponsored by the Putnam County Visitor’s Bureau. The hosts are friendly and go…
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MTA 2010 – Beautiful weather- Great time!
The title says it all. March 20-21 was a great weekend for the annual Military Through the Ages event at Jamestown Settlement. Despite having been out at Newville the previous week and dreading the 7-hour drive, I still felt compelled to attend. I’m glad I did. This was even better than last year. I don’t…
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LOCALS ATTEND LIVING HISTORY WORKSHOP IN WINCHESTER
Our correspondent, Nick Korolev, recently attended an interesting workshop in Winchester, Virginia, and files this report: For those who wish to know more about it, living history impressionists belong to the branch of historical reenactment that goes beyond the recreation of famous battles or setting up a historically accurate camp. These living historians brings to…
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Stonewall Jackson’s Birthday
Thanks to Sue Prager for forwarding the following announcement to us: A public buffet and a program by noted Civil War historian Dr. Bob Meadows will be held on Friday, January 22 at WVU Jackson’s Mill to mark the birthday of Stonewall Jackson. The buffet will run from 5-7pm at Mount Vernon Dining Hall, featuring…
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Reb and Yank Go to Court – Sue-val War?
Apparently a couple of Virginia reenactors at last year’s reenactment of the Battle of Stannardsville took things just a bit too far and ended up in court. According to AccessAtlanta: “The men were playing cavalry officers in a re-enactment of the Battle of Stanardsville. The Confederate re-enactor claims his Union counterpart knocked his hat off.…
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Reenactor Cannon Stolen
Here is a recent post off the Red Army list: Please keep your eyes, and ears open! Slightly off topic but a reenacting unit’s canon and all its equipment was stolen recently in Michigan. If everyone in the reenacting “community” could keep their eye out, it might be helpful. Spread the word to members of…
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Happy New Year!
Thanks to our readers for all your comments and contributions over the past year. 2009 was an up and down year for history enthusiasts. The country’s economic woes hit the reenacting community and made it difficult for quite a few to take part in the hobby to the extent they would like. We won a…
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OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS EVENING CIVIL WAR STYLE
Here is a report from Nick Korolev on the December 5 Civil War weekend at Old Bedford Village: Saturday, December 5 was the first installment in Old Bedford Village’s Old Fashioned Christmas Evening two weekend event. First weekend is 19th Century and Dec. 12th will be 18th Century. The living history group I am with…
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Remembrance Day Weekend 2009 – Gettysburg,PA
The following is a report from Nick Korolev on this year’s Gettysburg Remembrance Day: Remembrance Day in Gettysburg, PA gives all reenactors and living historians a time and place to gather to officially honor those who gave their last full measure for what they believed in. This year the weather could not have been better…
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Victory at Old Bedford Village – Report from the Front Lines
The following is an email that we received from Roger Kirwin, the director of Old Bedford Village regarding the efforts to save the Village over the past few months.The Reenactor Post is proud to be a supporter of OBV and we salute them on their success in keeping the doors open! Dear Jim, Good to…
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Troops and trains – Strasburg PA 2009
Bill and Linda Donegan file this report on the “Troops and Trains” event at the Strasburg, PA Railroad attraction. Linda and I made our yearly pilgrimage to Strasbourg, PA for the “Troops and Trains” living history event on November 6, 7 and 8, 2009. Surprisingly, I took few photographs this year, because my impression was that of a…
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Soldiers’ Christmas at Ft. Mifflin
Thanks to Chris Barebo for this notice. Sounds like a nice one-day event for reenactors in the Philadelphia area. – Ed. EVENT: Soldiers Christmas at Fort Mifflin. WHEN:Friday, Dec. 4th from 5:00pm to 10pm. LOCATION: Fort Mifflin, Fort Mifflin & Hog Island Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19153 Phone: 215-685-4167 CONTACT: Lee Anderson for more details: leeanderson@fortmifflin.us…
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Bulltown Civil War Reenactment 2009
The weekend of October 10-11 saw the bi-annual reenactment of the battle of the 1863 Battle of Bulltown in Braxton County, WV sponsored by the Stonewall Jackson Reenactment Unit. Despite heavy rains on Friday, There was a decent turnout of reenactors and a goodly number of spectators for the weekend. There was also a quality…
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Old Bedford Village – A Call to Action
The following letter forwarded to the 193rd Rifle Division requesting help and support for the Village: Dear Bob, I’ve just received our date to go before the Bedford County PA review board over these property taxes: Oct 29th at 9am. This is a ‘Call to Quills’ as part of a timed and measured response prior…
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Historic Preservation Effort – Mercersburg, PA
This just in today. It sounds like a crisis, so I decided to put it here ahead of some other pieces: Karen Ramsburg October 6th, 2009 at 2:52 pm We are desperately looking for Civil War re-enactors to do a Living History on Oct. 10 @ 10am at the Steiger House, 120N. Main St. Mercersburg…
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NPR: Civil War Buffs Clash Over Proposed Wal-Mart
From today’s All Things Considered on National Public Radio: Civil War Buffs Clash Over Proposed Wal-Mart by Ailsa Chang The Battle of the Wilderness has given way to a battle over a Wal-Mart. The discount giant wants to build a super store in Orange County, Va., near where a portion of the key 1864 Civil…
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20 Years of “Glory”
This morning I came upon a site that reminded me that this year marks the 20th anniversary of one of the best Civil War movies ever made and one that motivated a lot of baby boomers to go out and buy blue or gray wool uniforms and start reenacting. That movie, of course, is “Glory”…
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Battle of Rich Mountain Reenactment 2009
This past weekend, the West Virginia Reenactors Association and Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation held their reenactment of the 1861 Battle of Rich Mountain. For those who have not been to this battlefield, the area is scenic and rugged. The actual fighting occurred at the top of the mountain where the Hart family had a small…
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Upcoming Event – The Battle of Rich Mountain
The weekend of July 11-12 will once again see the biannual reenactment of the Battle of Rich Mountain near Beverly, WV. In June, 1861, Major General George B. McClellan took command of Union troops in Western Virginia and on the 27th of that month, set out for Randolph County to engage the Confederate forces there. …
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GATHERING OF EAGLES 2009
Here is a report from our correspondent, Nick Korolev: This past weekend June 5-7 saw the annual Gathering of Civil War Eagles Seminar at the Old Courthouse Civil War Museum in Winchester, VA. This Civil War living history event is unlike any other. The public gets to act as the press and speak with key…
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Julia Pierpont Day, Fairmont, WV
On Saturday, May 23, 2009, I and three other Union Reenactors went to the Marion County Historical Society in downtown Fairmont to serve as color guard for a recognition day for Julia Pierpont, wife of Francis H. Pierpont of Fairmont, who was appointed as Governor of the Restored State of Virginia after the secession of…
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Grafton National Cemetary Lantern Tour
On Friday, May 22, 2009, I took part in the annual lantern tour organized by Mark Tennant. This tour focuses on the many Union soldiers buried in the Grafton National Cemetary located on the south side of downtown Grafton (not the new cemetary at Pruntytown a few miles away). For this year’s tour, we had…
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Battle of Lewisburg – Report
The following is a report from our correspondents, Bill and Linda Donegan in Southern West Virginia: Report of the 147th Anniversary Battle of Lewisburg Living History and Reenactment May 14-17, 2009, Lewisburg, West Virginia By Bill Donegan This year’s event celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s 200th Birthday. This was my experience at the 2009 event. Linda and…
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Battle of Rowlesburg Reenactment
It was wet. That sums up much of the weekend of May 2nd and 3rd. In fact, the weather put quite a damper on what could be a nice little spring event. Friday night’s torrential downpours left the field wet and any areas not covered with grass were all mud. Fortunately, on Saturday, the rain…
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Battle of Lewisburg
Next weekend, May 15-17, 2009, the Reenactment of the Battle of Lewisburg will be held in that picturesque southern West Virginia town. The reenactment will portray the engagement between Union forces commanded by Colonel George Crook and a larger Confederate force under Brigadier General Henry Heth on May 23, 1862.
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Quest for the Graves of Two Brave Boys in Blue
On Sunday, April 19, 2009 Jim Barnes and I visited the graves of two brave soldiers that fought for the Union during the Civil War, Jesse Taylor and John Shanes. When I took the Civil War bus trip last fall (see related story CW Bus Trip in past posts) I had heard the story of…
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Old Bedford Village Threatened?
Here is a report I just got from Stacy Roth regarding a possible threat to one of our favorite reenacting venues: Old Bedford Village. It sounds like some overzealous local official saw an opportunity to make a quick buck, even if it runs the Village into the ground. Guess the geniuses in the tax office…
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Memo From a Timeline Event Coordinator
Our staff received this intercepted memo from a source who shall remain anonymous: Dear Reenactor, Living Historian, Living Historical Reenactor, We have received your registration for our 7th annual “Timelines Through The Ages and Ages” event, and your letter of complaint. We do not refer to our Revolutionary War reenactors as “cross-dressers”. There is a lace issue, but…
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Battle of Blakeley, Alabama Reenactment
The following is a dispatch from a correspondent, Hugh Glasgow, regarding the reenactment of the Battle of Blakeley, Alabama. The actual battle took place from April 2-9, 1865 and was, according to Wikipedia, ” the last combined-force battle of the war” (naval and ground forces.) Union Maj. General Edward Canby, commanding the XVII and XIII…