Antietam Reenactment/Gettysburg - Trip Report
Sep 18th, 2002, 09:03 AM
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Antietam Reenactment/Gettysburg - Trip Report
I just returned from attending the 140th anniversary re-enactment of the battle of Antietam and re-visiting the battlefield. I tacked on two days in Gettysburg at the last minute. Several people have expressed interest in these events, so I promised to report.
Part I of III
I drove up alone for the Antietam reenactment (held on a farm in Hagerstown, MD) and to visit the battlefield. I had first been to the battlefield in 2000. I arrived just after the battlefield’s 8:30 opening. When I visited before, there were about 10-20 people there in the early morning. This time, the parking lot was already getting quite full and would soon use up most of the overflow parking. It didn’t really bother me though because I knew where everything was and wanted to drive to selected spots right off for early morning photos before sightseeing. At least 95% of the people I encountered as I drove around were re-enactors. Most were either performing some ceremony at a monument or posing for photos. At the Sunken Road (aka Bloody Lane), a whole Texas unit of about 75 people was lined up in the actual lane. They even had a few horses. Needless to say, I shot a bit of film. All the guys loaded into horse trailers when finished, and as I walked past I they shouted “help, let us out.” I stopped and took a photo and said I would title this one “Prisoners from Bloody Lane.” I saw four Union guys walking down the lane drinking whiskey from a flask (not pretending). I said “I guess you have to keep in step with the period,” to which they replied “Well, we are the Irish Brigade, so this is all the time for us.” As the day went by, the re-enactors were replaced mostly be regular visitors. I didn’t make it to any of the ceremonies held up around the Dunker Church, but I didn’t leave until sunset. Boy was I tired.
The re-enactment was held at a large farm around Hagerstown. About 12,000 to 15,000 re-enactors signed up to participate. It cost $20 per day to visit. In the middle and on one end of the site they had set up battlefields. Both sides had huge camps. When you walk through the camps, the photos ops abound – women and men cooking, dress parades, soldiers sleeping or playing musical instruments, flags, horses, and lots more activities. I never got to spend as much time in the Confederate camp as in the Union camp because of logistics. There was a huge sutler area, where you could buy Civil War collectibles, books, CDs, artwork, re-enactor supplies, or toys for the kids. They also had a special tent for the upcoming “Gods and Generals” movie, created by the same people who brought us “Gettysburg” and with some of the same characters. I attended an excellent speech by Stephen Lang, who plays Stonewall Jackson in the upcoming movie (he was General Pickett in “Gettysburg”). I got his autograph as well as the guy’s who will play General Hooker in the new movie. He told me “each autograph comes with a key to the brothel.” You have to know something about Hooker to appreciate that one.
Part I of III
I drove up alone for the Antietam reenactment (held on a farm in Hagerstown, MD) and to visit the battlefield. I had first been to the battlefield in 2000. I arrived just after the battlefield’s 8:30 opening. When I visited before, there were about 10-20 people there in the early morning. This time, the parking lot was already getting quite full and would soon use up most of the overflow parking. It didn’t really bother me though because I knew where everything was and wanted to drive to selected spots right off for early morning photos before sightseeing. At least 95% of the people I encountered as I drove around were re-enactors. Most were either performing some ceremony at a monument or posing for photos. At the Sunken Road (aka Bloody Lane), a whole Texas unit of about 75 people was lined up in the actual lane. They even had a few horses. Needless to say, I shot a bit of film. All the guys loaded into horse trailers when finished, and as I walked past I they shouted “help, let us out.” I stopped and took a photo and said I would title this one “Prisoners from Bloody Lane.” I saw four Union guys walking down the lane drinking whiskey from a flask (not pretending). I said “I guess you have to keep in step with the period,” to which they replied “Well, we are the Irish Brigade, so this is all the time for us.” As the day went by, the re-enactors were replaced mostly be regular visitors. I didn’t make it to any of the ceremonies held up around the Dunker Church, but I didn’t leave until sunset. Boy was I tired.
The re-enactment was held at a large farm around Hagerstown. About 12,000 to 15,000 re-enactors signed up to participate. It cost $20 per day to visit. In the middle and on one end of the site they had set up battlefields. Both sides had huge camps. When you walk through the camps, the photos ops abound – women and men cooking, dress parades, soldiers sleeping or playing musical instruments, flags, horses, and lots more activities. I never got to spend as much time in the Confederate camp as in the Union camp because of logistics. There was a huge sutler area, where you could buy Civil War collectibles, books, CDs, artwork, re-enactor supplies, or toys for the kids. They also had a special tent for the upcoming “Gods and Generals” movie, created by the same people who brought us “Gettysburg” and with some of the same characters. I attended an excellent speech by Stephen Lang, who plays Stonewall Jackson in the upcoming movie (he was General Pickett in “Gettysburg”). I got his autograph as well as the guy’s who will play General Hooker in the new movie. He told me “each autograph comes with a key to the brothel.” You have to know something about Hooker to appreciate that one.
Sep 18th, 2002, 09:06 AM
#2
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Part II of III
On to the battles. I didn’t attend the first battle (Fox’s Gap) on Friday but did attend the three largest, plus one cavalry battle. The Cornfield battle started up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. and lasted for over 1 ½ hours. It actually took place in a large, fence-lined cornfield. The first 30 minutes or so was devoted to artillery fire from about 20-30 guns on each side, complete with pyrotechnic explosions on the ground and in the air. Confederate soldiers tore down part of the fence and took their places in the corn. By the time the sun came out and the Union army advanced, the air was thick with smoke. The Iron Brigade (WI, MI, and IN troops) attacked along the edge of the field toward the spectators, while others entered the field. There was constant gunfire, and the air grew thicker and thicker with smoke. I heard one re-enactor say later that they were quite confused. People from both sides were going in all directions at times. Much like a real battle, I would imagine. There were a lot of people at this battle, considering the early start, but a large number were on the hill behind the road. I was able to set up a tripod right at the road’s edge but would have preferred the other end of the cornfield where the two sides did more fighting. If you ever go, try to get on the Confederate end of the field. However, to have much choice of where to stand at any of the battles, you need to be there at least close to 1 ½ hours before the start. That is not always easy because you have to miss other things to do it.
In the afternoon, they held the Bloody Lane battle. The crowd at this one was massive. They held it in a large field and had indeed created a large fence-post protected sunken road for the occasion. The Union soldiers advanced in wave after wave across the large open ground. Again, the Confederate area was a better spot, but I didn’t get there in time. When I arrived an hour early, the crowd was huge. It probably didn’t help me that there was a second parking lot across from the field. I had to walk all the way from the other end of the site (probably ¾ of a mile or more). People in the crowd got a little testy in trying to get a spot to see the action, and we made a few jokes that the real battle was going to happen off the field. At one point, the Confederates tried to out-flank the Yankees and got quite close to me. This part was a little attempt to re-write history, which was quite apparent to a crowd that consisted of many knowledgeable Civil War buffs. It shows how seriously the re-enactors take their roles. While they generally try to be as authentic as possible, there is a little competitiveness between the two sides, and they probably do almost feel as if they are in a real battle at times and are thus tempted to win when they are supposed to lose.
The next day, rain came through from the remnants of a tropical storm. Hagerstown was in line to get torrential downpours at times, but it only rained lightly. In the morning I attended a cavalry battle. Unfortunately, they moved it to another field because of the wet and lumpy surface (to keep the horses from falling), but it was highly entertaining. The crowd actually cheered them on quite a bit. Dismounted cavalry engaged in combat with muskets and carbines, while mounted troopers charged at each other time after time, clanging their sabers together in mock battle. A few of the guys on the ground fell as if wounded or dead, but not surprisingly, none of the mounted soldiers did.
In the afternoon, they staged the final part of the Antietam battle, when A. P. Hill came up on a forced march and repelled the Union assault just before it reached the town of Sharpsburg. The crowds were much smaller for this battle because of the weather, so I was able to get a great spot for it by arriving an hour ahead.
On to the battles. I didn’t attend the first battle (Fox’s Gap) on Friday but did attend the three largest, plus one cavalry battle. The Cornfield battle started up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. and lasted for over 1 ½ hours. It actually took place in a large, fence-lined cornfield. The first 30 minutes or so was devoted to artillery fire from about 20-30 guns on each side, complete with pyrotechnic explosions on the ground and in the air. Confederate soldiers tore down part of the fence and took their places in the corn. By the time the sun came out and the Union army advanced, the air was thick with smoke. The Iron Brigade (WI, MI, and IN troops) attacked along the edge of the field toward the spectators, while others entered the field. There was constant gunfire, and the air grew thicker and thicker with smoke. I heard one re-enactor say later that they were quite confused. People from both sides were going in all directions at times. Much like a real battle, I would imagine. There were a lot of people at this battle, considering the early start, but a large number were on the hill behind the road. I was able to set up a tripod right at the road’s edge but would have preferred the other end of the cornfield where the two sides did more fighting. If you ever go, try to get on the Confederate end of the field. However, to have much choice of where to stand at any of the battles, you need to be there at least close to 1 ½ hours before the start. That is not always easy because you have to miss other things to do it.
In the afternoon, they held the Bloody Lane battle. The crowd at this one was massive. They held it in a large field and had indeed created a large fence-post protected sunken road for the occasion. The Union soldiers advanced in wave after wave across the large open ground. Again, the Confederate area was a better spot, but I didn’t get there in time. When I arrived an hour early, the crowd was huge. It probably didn’t help me that there was a second parking lot across from the field. I had to walk all the way from the other end of the site (probably ¾ of a mile or more). People in the crowd got a little testy in trying to get a spot to see the action, and we made a few jokes that the real battle was going to happen off the field. At one point, the Confederates tried to out-flank the Yankees and got quite close to me. This part was a little attempt to re-write history, which was quite apparent to a crowd that consisted of many knowledgeable Civil War buffs. It shows how seriously the re-enactors take their roles. While they generally try to be as authentic as possible, there is a little competitiveness between the two sides, and they probably do almost feel as if they are in a real battle at times and are thus tempted to win when they are supposed to lose.
The next day, rain came through from the remnants of a tropical storm. Hagerstown was in line to get torrential downpours at times, but it only rained lightly. In the morning I attended a cavalry battle. Unfortunately, they moved it to another field because of the wet and lumpy surface (to keep the horses from falling), but it was highly entertaining. The crowd actually cheered them on quite a bit. Dismounted cavalry engaged in combat with muskets and carbines, while mounted troopers charged at each other time after time, clanging their sabers together in mock battle. A few of the guys on the ground fell as if wounded or dead, but not surprisingly, none of the mounted soldiers did.
In the afternoon, they staged the final part of the Antietam battle, when A. P. Hill came up on a forced march and repelled the Union assault just before it reached the town of Sharpsburg. The crowds were much smaller for this battle because of the weather, so I was able to get a great spot for it by arriving an hour ahead.
Sep 18th, 2002, 09:11 AM
#3
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Part III of III (also see addendum - it wouldn't let me post in 3 parts)
Some comments on re-enactments in general. They are highly entertaining if you want to get at least a visual feel for what Civil War combat was like. If you are into photography, they are amazing. I saw lots of first-rate cameras and tripods. It is not so safe for the participants, so they try to take a lot of precautions. One guy died a few years ago during the Cornfield battle, but I don’t know the reason. One horse died this time, but I am not sure whether it had anything to do with being in a reenactment. The cannons can explode, so they have reinforced metal tubings within the barrels. The cannons are quite loud, so you don’t want to stand directly in front of one unless at some distance. A water truck delivered water to the troops just before the battle, so they wouldn’t overheat. When firing, the soldiers pointed their guns upward at about a 45 degree angle, which does look strange, but it is necessary. From what I heard, they also don’t use the ramrods after the first shots because they can go flying outward if left in accidentally. This did occur frequently during the heat of battle in the real war. I saw several women soldiers and a few minorities. The participants seemed quite reluctant to fall near the opening of a battle because they would have to spend an hour or more on the ground watching the action and being left out of it.
While a lot of people walk around the camps, I have never found them to be very crowded, so it is easy to get realistic looking photos. Just make sure to look carefully before pressing the shutter button to make sure some guy in a bright yellow t-shirt hasn’t wandered into your shot. A wide-angle lens is highly useful in the camps, so you can get close in and still show the surroundings of your subject, but honestly a width of 28 or so is fine for most. A 200 mm lens is adequate for the battles, but a 300-400 mm zoom would be even better. The problem is that you need a high shutter speed with these big lenses if you don’t use a tripod (not easy to use in crowds). I found 100 speed very adequate for shooting camps except in wooded spots, but I used 400, 800, and even one roll of 1600 for shooting the battles. For simplicity’s sake, I would just take 400 and 800. The 800 and 1600 were not only good, but necessary for the early morning battle. It started so early that I had to put my video camera on nightshot mode to even see anything for the first 30 minutes.
In summary, if you are interested in the Civil War, I highly recommend seeing a re-enactment. This was my first battle experience (I had been to a large encampment), so I might be spoiled if attending smaller events (and only one or two were ever as large as this one), but I bet the smaller ones are slightly less crowded as well. The program contained general diagrams of the actual battle so you could follow what was happening. The actual Antietam battlefield is very near, so you should spend at least half a day there. The one thing a re-enactment can’t recreate completely is the landscape.
Some comments on re-enactments in general. They are highly entertaining if you want to get at least a visual feel for what Civil War combat was like. If you are into photography, they are amazing. I saw lots of first-rate cameras and tripods. It is not so safe for the participants, so they try to take a lot of precautions. One guy died a few years ago during the Cornfield battle, but I don’t know the reason. One horse died this time, but I am not sure whether it had anything to do with being in a reenactment. The cannons can explode, so they have reinforced metal tubings within the barrels. The cannons are quite loud, so you don’t want to stand directly in front of one unless at some distance. A water truck delivered water to the troops just before the battle, so they wouldn’t overheat. When firing, the soldiers pointed their guns upward at about a 45 degree angle, which does look strange, but it is necessary. From what I heard, they also don’t use the ramrods after the first shots because they can go flying outward if left in accidentally. This did occur frequently during the heat of battle in the real war. I saw several women soldiers and a few minorities. The participants seemed quite reluctant to fall near the opening of a battle because they would have to spend an hour or more on the ground watching the action and being left out of it.
While a lot of people walk around the camps, I have never found them to be very crowded, so it is easy to get realistic looking photos. Just make sure to look carefully before pressing the shutter button to make sure some guy in a bright yellow t-shirt hasn’t wandered into your shot. A wide-angle lens is highly useful in the camps, so you can get close in and still show the surroundings of your subject, but honestly a width of 28 or so is fine for most. A 200 mm lens is adequate for the battles, but a 300-400 mm zoom would be even better. The problem is that you need a high shutter speed with these big lenses if you don’t use a tripod (not easy to use in crowds). I found 100 speed very adequate for shooting camps except in wooded spots, but I used 400, 800, and even one roll of 1600 for shooting the battles. For simplicity’s sake, I would just take 400 and 800. The 800 and 1600 were not only good, but necessary for the early morning battle. It started so early that I had to put my video camera on nightshot mode to even see anything for the first 30 minutes.
In summary, if you are interested in the Civil War, I highly recommend seeing a re-enactment. This was my first battle experience (I had been to a large encampment), so I might be spoiled if attending smaller events (and only one or two were ever as large as this one), but I bet the smaller ones are slightly less crowded as well. The program contained general diagrams of the actual battle so you could follow what was happening. The actual Antietam battlefield is very near, so you should spend at least half a day there. The one thing a re-enactment can’t recreate completely is the landscape.
Sep 18th, 2002, 09:13 AM
#4
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Addendum - Gettysburg
I won’t make many comments about Gettysburg, since you can find most of it on my Web site at www.oneeyed.homestead.com. I did do a few things of note on this trip, however. I visited Lee’s headquarters, which is right next to a motel at Seminary Ridge. It has a good collection of artifacts, including the saddle from which General Reynolds fell dead nearby. It only cost $3. I also visited the battlefield at night for the first time. It is open until 10:00. I am not into ghosts very much, but it was very spooky. It was a cloudy, dark night. I drove around with my window open and the radio turned off. I found Seminary Ridge and Little Round Top particularly lonely and haunting in the dark, and the Wheatfield area is probably the same, but I didn’t make it there.
In my opinion, other than traffic at a few spots, the only negative at Gettysburg is crowds. If you want a better experience, go during the week (a world of difference). If you want a special experience, go out early in the morning. I drove up to Little Round Top about 15 minutes after sunrise and was the first visitor there. As I drove up, I stopped to photograph the dark red sun peaking through the trees of Big Round Top. As I stood looking out over the field from the summit, the sun was just beginning to light the landscape below, and morning fog sat between all the ridges. I sat up my tripod and took lots of photos. It was magical. As I drove around to Devil’s Den, just below the round tops, I stopped to get a few shots. I knew the rocks would be golden at this hour. To my surprise, I had to waited somewhat impatiently for two people to climb down from the rocks, where they had sat to drink a cup of coffee. If you do a little planning, you can easily beat the crowds at places like Antietam and Gettysburg. So many visitors use tours or follow an audiotape, which means they won’t reach some parts of the field until mid to late morning. For the magic, go before they arrive. I even had the Angle practically all to myself at 8:00 that morning. Not only is the beautiful light of morning or evening great for photographers, but it also adds to the glorious views for other visitors as well. One thing I love about Antietam and Gettysburg is that they have such gorgeous natural settings – a lot more than just monuments and cannons.
I won’t make many comments about Gettysburg, since you can find most of it on my Web site at www.oneeyed.homestead.com. I did do a few things of note on this trip, however. I visited Lee’s headquarters, which is right next to a motel at Seminary Ridge. It has a good collection of artifacts, including the saddle from which General Reynolds fell dead nearby. It only cost $3. I also visited the battlefield at night for the first time. It is open until 10:00. I am not into ghosts very much, but it was very spooky. It was a cloudy, dark night. I drove around with my window open and the radio turned off. I found Seminary Ridge and Little Round Top particularly lonely and haunting in the dark, and the Wheatfield area is probably the same, but I didn’t make it there.
In my opinion, other than traffic at a few spots, the only negative at Gettysburg is crowds. If you want a better experience, go during the week (a world of difference). If you want a special experience, go out early in the morning. I drove up to Little Round Top about 15 minutes after sunrise and was the first visitor there. As I drove up, I stopped to photograph the dark red sun peaking through the trees of Big Round Top. As I stood looking out over the field from the summit, the sun was just beginning to light the landscape below, and morning fog sat between all the ridges. I sat up my tripod and took lots of photos. It was magical. As I drove around to Devil’s Den, just below the round tops, I stopped to get a few shots. I knew the rocks would be golden at this hour. To my surprise, I had to waited somewhat impatiently for two people to climb down from the rocks, where they had sat to drink a cup of coffee. If you do a little planning, you can easily beat the crowds at places like Antietam and Gettysburg. So many visitors use tours or follow an audiotape, which means they won’t reach some parts of the field until mid to late morning. For the magic, go before they arrive. I even had the Angle practically all to myself at 8:00 that morning. Not only is the beautiful light of morning or evening great for photographers, but it also adds to the glorious views for other visitors as well. One thing I love about Antietam and Gettysburg is that they have such gorgeous natural settings – a lot more than just monuments and cannons.
Sep 18th, 2002, 01:31 PM
#6
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Dan, Excellent! We've been to both battlefields numerous occasions and they never fail to give you goose bumps.
The docents give you such a great lecture I couldn't even imagine actually seeing the "event".
One of these days we want to see these re-enactments.
Thanks for the vivid report. I can smell the 'powder.
Kal
The docents give you such a great lecture I couldn't even imagine actually seeing the "event".
One of these days we want to see these re-enactments.
Thanks for the vivid report. I can smell the 'powder.
Kal
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