July 7, 2022
I read in today's news that the Virginia legislature allocated $4.75 million for US Civil War Virginia battlefields preservation. The news release stated that the funding will help with the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum (Winchester, Virginia) and the creation of the New Market History and Education center. This is of particular interest to me because of my connection to the "Battle of New Market" reenactment.
As an Auxiliary Deputy in the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office, we provided security for the event. With the exception of the past two years, when the reenactment was canceled due to COVID, I've been participating in this weekend for the past 16 years. It has been one of the highlights of my spring and something I looked forward to every year. I especially enjoyed driving a borrowed ATV all over the hallowed grounds. However, the museum recently announced that they are permanently cancelling the reenactment because of declining attendance in both spectators as well as participants. That's a shame, especially to hear of declining attendance among the reenactors. They are the ones that made the weekend especially interesting for me.
They usually started rolling into the battlefield on Thursday evening. From what I could tell, they shunned the conveniences of modern life (but I've never been among them in the evening. For all I knew, that’s when they were streaming Netflix while drinking Buds). Under the night stars (Shenandoah means “daughter of the stars”), they retired to small white canvas tents, and cooked their meals in big black iron pots over well lit fires with plumes of delicious smoke. Their period clothing never looked very comfortable to me, especially when the nights were warm and humid.
But, the thing that struck me most is the moment they arrived until when they left on Sunday afternoon, it was 1864. They carried themselves as one would expect if the photos in Ken Burns' Civil War documentary were to come alive. And they walked to and fro, with their rifles slung over their shoulders, prepared for the enemy’s pounce at any moment. When I asked to take a photo, they didn't look at the camera but got that far away, nonchalant look in their eyes. I've noticed the same look in many of Mathew Brady's work. But, the reenactors that fascinated me most were the ones that played dead on the battlefield. Imagine that, paying money to participate in the reenactment and rather than get caught up in the fun of the reenactment, laying on the ground to add an air of authenticity to the reenactment. Did they do it to honor and pay tribute to the fallen?
Regardless which side you fancy, The Civil War and The Shenandoah Valley played a significant role in our nation’s history. I hope that with the battlefield preservation money, the Battle of New Market reenactment comes alive again.
