The Van Raalte reenactment

On the 8th Mom and I headed over to the Van Raalte farm, a large 160 acre farm in Holland. The grounds are a mixture of fields and forests of apple trees. The apples were ripe and as you walked beneath them, you could smell the sweet scent of them. (They also tasted pretty good!) I believe the event is a newer one, but it was very well put together. On to the pictures!

One of the Union cannons overlooking the battlefield. The reddish-brown thing in the middle is part of a wooden split-rail fence put up as a prop. 

In addition to the apple trees, there was also a lot of poison ivy!

Some of the lovely cavalry mounts. 

A sign in the Confederate camp.

I'm not sure who set it up, if it was the park who did or something reenactor-related, but there was a tent with 1860's games. Mom and I played the game of Graces for quite some time. Here is a link to more information if you want to learn how to play. 

It was very windy, which is why my skirt looks so weird...

At 11:00 was a concert by the 5th Michigan on the farmhouse steps. You may remember them from my Jackson post. They played quite a few new songs and also some of our favorites.

After the concert we listened to a speech by President and Mrs. Lincoln.

My dress fabric

Southern men marching off to war. 

Led by General Lee! Traveler was taking the day off.

The boys in blue getting ready to meet the Confederates on the battlefield.

Southern artillery

Here you can see one of the fences I referred to earlier.

If I remember correctly, the first part of the battle was Pickett's Charge, while the second part was the battle of Little Round Top. There were three Southern cannons and four Union. One of the Union cannons was sending out a smoke ring with almost every shot! 

The smoke ring is in the middle of the picture, above the trees. This was about a quarter of the spectators - quite a good turn out!

Aren't they a cute couple?

The circa 1870's farmhouse

This reenactment is definitely one I will go to again. It was very nicely organized and well planned in an interesting setting. The only thing that Mom and I agreed on was that there were too many Gators driving around. It takes you out of the 1860's mindset when you have to keep stepping off the road to let one pass. I can see, however, how people who have a hard time walking would miss out on a lot of things on the beautiful grounds if they didn't have the four-wheeled access. It's a fine line to tread.

A Trip to Jackson and a Sneak Peak!

It is said that the Jackson reenactment at Cascades park is the biggest in Michigan. After going there this weekend, I believe it! Mom, myself and a sister headed over on Saturday to spend the day. The weather never got above 80 degrees, which, combined with the light breeze which blew for most of the day, made it quite pleasant.

We started out shopping at the many sutlers that frequent the event. I picked up a bonnet pattern and straw braiding as well as a pair of lace gloves to wear with my 1910's outfit. We paused in our shopping to listen to the 5th Michigan's band playing several period songs in the clearing between sutlers.

Then it was time for the battle. Jackson is a much bigger event that any I have ever been to, so it was interesting to see the sheer numbers of reenactors who took part in the battle. Saturday was the battle of Chancellorsville. 

The smoke after a cannon fired.

Smoke ring!

Horses in one of the camps.

Union artillery on the hill after the battle.

An 1860's baseball game was played in the afternoon between a professional team and a group of soldiers and civilians. There was a gentleman who explained the rules of the game and commented on the various plays that were made. It was very informative and entertaining to watch! A few of the more mentionable differences are that no one uses a glove, a ball that bounces once on the ground and is caught is considered an out, and you can't over-run first base. 

Civil War reenactors have some of the best facial hair! :)

The two teams

And finally, here's how I did my hair. It's a bit messy, because it was the end of the day and it was starting to come out. 

The next event I am planning on attending will be at the Van Raalte farm in Holland the weekend of September 7th - 8th, followed by Historic Fort Wayne the weekend after, then Wolcott Mill and Bowens Mill in October. Who ever said Jackson was the last event of the year?! :)

All pictures taken by Hannah

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And now the sneak peak you've all been waiting for. I have decided on my Halloween costume for this year! Whatever could I be making?

Charlton Park's Civil War Muster

This weekend was the Civil War Muster at Charlton Park. After sewing madly for about a week before hand, I finished re-fitting my dress and making it more historically correct. I originally made it for Halloween two years ago, and believe me, it showed. At the time, I knew absolutely nothing about either sewing clothing or 1860's dresses, so it came out way too big on me. With the help of an experienced reenactor, I took my bodice off the skirt and completely re-fitted it to my now-corseted body. I also re-hemmed the entire thing. I still need to do a bit more work on it, but it looks so much better now.

Anyways, as soon as I got off from work, I dressed up and did my hair, then squished my hoops in the car and headed over to Charlton Park.

All pictures are taken courtesy of my mom, except for one. :)

Part of the civilian camp

Various pieces of artillery

 I got there just as the battle was ending. I wandered around most of the afternoon, visiting the old buildings again and meeting up with a few friends. There was a traveling tin-typist there as well, so I posed for my picture.

Those of you familiar with the process of making a tintype will know that they are reversed horizontally. I wear my ring on my left hand in real life, but in the picture it appears to be on my right hand. I just wanted to point that out. The tin-typist said the reason why my dress and hair turned out so dark was because they both have a reddish tint to them.

After my picture developed, I went home for a quick dinner before heading back for the ball in the evening. It was very warm dancing, but there were refreshments and outside of the barn it was cool, so it wasn't too bad. Mom took a lot of pictures during the dance, but every single one of them are blurry, due to lack of light and moving people. :)

After we danced for an hour or so, there were lantern tours of the village. There were different scenarios set up - a church converted into a hospital, a saloon, letters from one cousin to another fighting in the war being read by candlelight, and a family packing because the enemy soldiers were minutes down the road, among other things.

The blurriness was due to the time warp back to 1863. ;) Note the white cartridge papers on the ground from the battle earlier.

After the tour was over, a few of us stayed to see the night artillery firing over the river, which was very interesting. When it's dark out, you can especially see all the sparks that come out of the cannon's barrel. 

Picture taken by Roger Smith, Charlton Park staff member.

The next morning brought a beautiful sunny day. I did some shopping (picking up an 1858 etiquette book!) then explored the village again with a friend until the fashion show.

There were a variety of looks, from the very wealthy...

...to the middle class...

...to the working class.

There was also an adorable little boy modeling his dress and pinafore. Isn't he cute?

Later in the afternoon the cavalry gave a demonstration.

After the cavalry demonstration, they cleared out of the village green. Some lovely southern ladies strolled around under the massive oak tree, enjoying the warm day...

...until the Union cavalry rode into town, causing the poor ladies to flee to their homes!

A Union artillery crew also rolled into town.

The Southern boys on their way to defend their town and families.

The Northern infantry met them in the green.

The Union troops fought valiantly, but were eventually surrounded and forced to surrender.

After the battle, the rest of my family went home while I stayed for the medical demonstration. I even got to help out, by comforting the poor private whose leg was being sawn off.

I was a bit sad to take my dress off at the end of the day. The next day I donned a modest (for the 21st century) blouse and my split skirt. I kept feeling like I was too immodest, with my arms half bare and my skirt only going to mid-calf. Going to reenactments really makes you realize how many people walk around now with exposed skin for no reason that could be covered up.

The old oak tree in the center of the village green. I wonder how old it is and what it has witnessed over the years?

All in all, I had a wonderful time. The next reenactment I am planning on attending will be the Jackson one. I'm already counting down the days! I hope to see some of you there!