Showing posts with label reenactment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reenactment. Show all posts

Chancellorsville 150th Reenactment


At the beginning of this month I went to the reenactment for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville. I wasn't able to post right away because we left for the Baltic for two days later (stay tuned for posts on that soon.) But the video I took there is embeded above, and here are some pictures:

Soldiers line up for battle
Skirmishers in front of the Confederate line
Union battle line

Skirmishers
Yankee volley
The main line fires
Union cannon
Confederate courier
Jackson's flank attack

Union troops fire
Confederate charge
Southern volley
Confederate commanders
Union fall back 

Battle of Chancellorsville 150th


This week is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville. Chancellorsville was one of the most important battles of the entire Civil War. Stonewall Jackson launched one of the greatest attacks of the entire Civil War, routing an entire Union corps. But as he was preparing to launch a follow up attack to seal his victory, he was wounded by friendly fire. He died a few days later. Some say that this was the turning point of the Civil War.

But although the story normally ends with Jackson's fall, that was just the beginning of the battle. The armies continued to fight for several more days, and the Union still had a good chance for victory. But the hard fighting from the Confederates and the mistakes from the Union handed the Confederacy the victory, but at a terrible cost. It was the fourth bloodiest battle of the Civil War, and May 3rd was the second bloodiest day.

Make sure to follow my Civil War 150th Blog for "live" blogging of the battle throughout the week.

There will be a reenactment this weekend in Chancellorsville, Virginia. Thousands of reenactors will be there and it will certainly be an impressive sight. We hope to be there filming, so check back next week for pictures and videos from the event.

Fredericksburg 150th Reenactment Pictures

Fredericksburg
Today is the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg during the American Civil War. Last weekend I went with Stephen Breagy to a reenactment of the battle on the actual ground. Pictures are below, and you can watch the videos here. Also see posts about the battle throughout the day on my Civil War blog.

 
Union forming in the street



(L to R) James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, JEB Stuart and Stuart's aide to camp


Confederates behind the stone wall
Confederate cannon

Crowd watching the battle




Union casualties


Plymouth Civil War Reenactment

On April 30th we drove to Plymouth, NC to film a Civil War Reenactment, which included a 3/8 scale replica of an ironclad ship, the C.S.S. Albemarle. In the original battle, the Confederate troops were trying to capture the Union forts, with the aid of the Albemarle. At first the land attack was failing because the troops were being bombarded from Union gunboats in the river. They sent the C.S.S. Albemarle down the river to drive off the gunboats and help to capture the forts. The Unions tried to trap the Albemarle by tying chains between the U.S.S. Miami and the U.S.S. Southfield. The Confederate ram turned and rammed the U.S.S. Southfield. The Southfield began to sink, and the Albemarle began to sink too because her bow stuck into the side of the Southfield. When the Southfield struck the bottom, providentially she rolled, which released the bow of the Albemarle, just as the water began pouring in. The Miami fired a point blank shell round at the Albemarle, but it bounced of her iron plating and exploded, killing the Miami's commander, Captain Charles Flusser. The Miami's crew attempted to board the Albemarle, but were driven back by musket fire. The Miami then untangled herself from the Southfield and escaped into the Albemarle Sound. With the river cleared of enemy ships, the Albemarle helped to bombard the forts,which were captured by the Confederates. Six months later, the Albemarle was sunk at night in her dock by a steam launch armed with a spar torpedo.

The C.S.S. Albemarle
A replica of one of the launches armed with torpedoes that sunk the C.S.S. Albemarle

The Albemarle firing one of her cannons

Union reenactors
Union Reenactors firing
Confederate reenactors firing
A Cannon
Joshua filming with our camera
A Confederate Battle flag in front of a tent

Washington Tour - Charge at Yorktown



Here the boys charge the men at Redoubt No. 9 on Yorktown battlefield.