HobbiesReenactA

Alumni Hobbies, Interests & Passions

Reenacting

T h e U . S . C i v i l W a r

A     N     T     I     E     T     A     M
T   h   e       B   l   o   o   d   i   e   s   t       D   a   y

In September, 1997, the 135th reenactment of the battle of Antietam took place.
To this point in time, the event had the largest participation, ever... 17,000 military
reenactors and 6,000 civilian reenactors. To add to the effect, the combined
artilleries added up to 110 cannons. This was the event of all events!

                                                                                                    Gary G.

The Union forces fighting the Confederate forces led by A.P. Hill during the Saturday battle. Once
things really got going, the noise was deafening and smoke from cannon and musket fire filled the field.

The Union forces in the staging area for the battle against A.P. Hill.
The soldiers follow the tree line as far as you can see. The battle was
taking place on the other side of the trees. It took our unit an hour
and a half to finally reach the activity.

This was the battle of Miller's Cornfield on Sunday morning. We mustered at 4:00 a.m. and marched into
battle at 5:00 a.m. The fog was really thick. I cannot begin to describe the noise level, coupled with the
visuals of cannon and musket flashes. There were camera crews from Turner Broadcasting on hand the
entire weekend to film sequences for Of Gods and Generals, the prequel to the movie Gettysburg.
Above left: Artillery firing prior to our marching into the cornfield, and right: myself, somewhere in the
cornfield amid the fog.

Camp life! Upper left: our Patapsco Guard unit (mustering with the 1st Maryland)... I'm
standing in the back row, in the center wearing the red/white shirt, and upper right:
sitting with our unit in camp near our dog tents. No Coleman coolers here. This was
the "real McCoy" as far as authenticity went. Those poor guys back then didn't have it easy.

T h e P A T A P S C O G U A R D
Ellicott City, Maryland

The Patapsco Guard was charged with the responsibility of guarding the B&O Railroad Station in
Ellicott City, Maryland during the Civil War. That primary task was short lived as the guard, on
many different occasions, mustered with the 1st and 3rd Maryland units and into combat.

Above left: my impression of the foot soldier; center left: myself a guard in the railroad yard; center right; as
a railroad worker in the 1850s and right: the B&O Railroad Station.
Gary G.

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