Day 205: Reenactment Baby!

One of the coolest parts about Michal growing up on the East Coast (assuming we do not move in the foreseeable future), is the omnipresence of history.  There is nothing like the ability to experience history in a tangible way.  This was the theme of the day today. 


We live within a short drive to many sites of major Civil War battles, a fact that has not been overlooked by Josh.  Due to his recent consumption of a number of books on various aspects of the Civil War and the inhabitants of that time period, we have taken a number of day trips.  These trips have certainly done much to enhance my understanding of the war, especially since a driving tour of a battlefield is a much better illustration of troop movement and battle progression than any description in a textbook. 


Partly due to Cousin Howie's visit and partly due to a fantastic daily deal website, Josh's mother secured for all of us tickets to the reenactment of the first battle of Manassas/Bull Run (depending on how you view such matters), a special commemoration of the 150th anniversary of that skirmish.  We settled in for a very warm day in Northern Virginia, watching history unfold before our eyes.  

Here is Michal and Josh with one of the actors.  I do not remember if we learned anything about him or the character he was playing, but he was nice and posed for the picture.  It seemed like this was simply part of his "job" - everywhere we looked, we saw people asking the actors for pictures.  


For the most part, Michal did not seem overly interested in the minute details of the battle, but she did love clapping when she heard cries rise up from the stands.  She seemed MUCH more interested in her favorite past time - making new friends.  At one point, we took a break from the sun and heat in a nearby tent, and chatted for a while with a woman, dressed in period garb, whose husband was out on the battlefield.  We had a great deal of fun.


Here are a few pictures from the reenactment, courtesy of Josh.

 The Union calvalry.

 One of the rebel regiments.

Battle!

It is pretty impressive everything that goes into staging a successful reenactment.  Even though there were thousands of people there, the entire day was incredibly well run.  I have a feeling Michal will experience more of these in the future.