Families and reenactors gathered at Daniel Lady Farm in Gettysburg on Friday for the 163rd Gettysburg Civil War Battle Reenactment, despite near-100-degree temperatures. The event marks the 163rd anniversary of the battle and events continue through Sunday.”Everything’s going to go as scheduled. And you know what? The same thing would go for our re-enactors,” said Leslie Van Hart, a staff member at Daniel Lady Farm. “We have some re-enactors that have been doing this for probably 50, 60 years.”Artillery and life at the campMark Milby, an artillery reenactor from Maryland, said he has taken part in Civil War reenacting for 20 years, having previously served in the military in artillery. He showed visitors around the camp, which included a mess tent, living quarters and artillery.”There’s a lot of the roots of what we do in modern-day artillery. It still stems from what we do with the 1860 artillery,” Milby said.Milby told News 8 that the cannons used in demonstrations would have carried a 10-pound cannonball and up to a pound of gunpowder in actual battle. For the reenactment, artillery masters said they use less than half a pound of wet black powder designed for the Navy.”It was awesome seeing that I’d never actually seen a cannon get shot off before,” said Eric Firstenberger from Indiana.Heat precautions and weekend eventsVan Hart, an educator, said the reenactments are still going on despite the heat, but that there are numerous cooling centers, plenty of shade, and a plethora of hydration options for attendees to choose from.”America is celebrating 250 years of history, but also we’re celebrating 163 years of the preservation of that history. And that’s really important to us,” said Van Hart.Milby said reenactors are adjusting to the heat while staying in character by not wearing any thicker clothing, such as jackets.”When we’re on taking the field today, everybody’s going to be wearing shirts because of the severity of conditions today,” said Milby.The event includes kids’ activities, speakers, living history exhibits and medical demonstrations. Click here to see the events through the weekend.
Families and reenactors gathered at Daniel Lady Farm in Gettysburg on Friday for the 163rd Gettysburg Civil War Battle Reenactment, despite near-100-degree temperatures. The event marks the 163rd anniversary of the battle and events continue through Sunday.
“Everything’s going to go as scheduled. And you know what? The same thing would go for our re-enactors,” said Leslie Van Hart, a staff member at Daniel Lady Farm. “We have some re-enactors that have been doing this for probably 50, 60 years.”
Artillery and life at the camp
Mark Milby, an artillery reenactor from Maryland, said he has taken part in Civil War reenacting for 20 years, having previously served in the military in artillery. He showed visitors around the camp, which included a mess tent, living quarters and artillery.
“There’s a lot of the roots of what we do in modern-day artillery. It still stems from what we do with the 1860 artillery,” Milby said.
Milby told News 8 that the cannons used in demonstrations would have carried a 10-pound cannonball and up to a pound of gunpowder in actual battle. For the reenactment, artillery masters said they use less than half a pound of wet black powder designed for the Navy.
“It was awesome seeing that I’d never actually seen a cannon get shot off before,” said Eric Firstenberger from Indiana.
Heat precautions and weekend events
Van Hart, an educator, said the reenactments are still going on despite the heat, but that there are numerous cooling centers, plenty of shade, and a plethora of hydration options for attendees to choose from.
“America is celebrating 250 years of history, but also we’re celebrating 163 years of the preservation of that history. And that’s really important to us,” said Van Hart.
Milby said reenactors are adjusting to the heat while staying in character by not wearing any thicker clothing, such as jackets.
“When we’re on taking the field today, everybody’s going to be wearing shirts because of the severity of conditions today,” said Milby.
The event includes kids’ activities, speakers, living history exhibits and medical demonstrations. Click here to see the events through the weekend.