Wonder about that crazy loud booming sound that you’ve been hearing this weekend? Those were the cannons being shot in a heated battle between the north and the south! It was a Civil War Reenactment. This was the first year I’ve attended and I have to say - Wow! What an experience!
The Reenactors of the American Civil War is a non profit group who is dedicated to presenting the history of the civil war era in the form of drama. I had the pleasure of speaking with many of the reenactors and they are very serious about their mission - to teach and bring history to life!
When you arrive you have to walk to the camps. There is a Confederate camp and a Union camp. Everything is authentic from the tents, the clothes, the weapons, even the silverware. You can walk around, look at their things and visit with the soldiers and the town folk. Then it’s time for war!
The battle is set amongst the pines. The audience is strongly cautioned to stay behind a marked area because the horses may be running through as the soldiers do battle. The fighting begins with soldiers advancing, commands are given to load, aim and fire! Blanks are used but the effect is just as dramatic as the real thing. As the battle went on an occasional cannon blast goes off! Wow! Is it loud! The announcer asks the audience to imagine 100 cannons going off and hundreds of soldiers firing weapons. A soldier is hit! He reels on the ground, screaming in agony. It seems so real that I actually started to well up as a glimpse of the reality of war sweeps across me.
The acting does not end when the battle ends. After the battle you can go back to the camps and witness the soldiers still in character tending the wounded, mourning the lost, fighting amongst each other and getting some well deserved rest and food.
If you think, “That civil war stuff is dumb or boring”, think again!! We are really privileged to have this group come to Yreka and it is a must do next time they are here. Thanks goes to the Yreka Rotary Club for making it possible.
