I’m finishing up a novella that takes place in 1867 Texas (An Inconvenient Gamble) and then I’m returning to my novel about Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and his wife Mattie Ready. Since this is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it’s a great time to revisit the history, particularly with the ready access of so much research.
But this weekend, the Civil War actually came to my neighborhood, so my family (including foreign exchange students from China) went out to watch, talk and marvel.
The only thing I knew about Civil War reenactors came from Tony Horwitz‘ hysterical 
Confederates in the Attic. Perhaps things are different on the West Coast where no battles were actually fought, but I found this group to be pleasant, encouraging and full of knowledge.
Or, as they kept insisting, “Civil War re-enactment is a family-friendly experience.”
I’ll talk more about my personal reaction on Friday, for now, enjoy terrific photos take by my brother-in-law, Dave Kronberg.
First we start with the battle line up:
They were using real cannon:
Authentic ones!
You also had onlookers:
Nuns and other women followed the battles to clean up afterwards, tend the wounded and send them off on ambulances. At the end of the day, you had retreat from weary battlers–either then or now.
You should come and visit us here in Virginia – we’ve been having a lot of them lately. I could hook you right up! 😉
Would love to! The re-enactors were telling us next year will be Gettysburg’s 150th and they’re planning a huge event. Dave and I both thought, “neat!” Our spouses thought: “hmmmm.” 🙂