Christmas Lights

On a beautiful Sunday morning in late September, I drove the short distance, ten miles, to the 245th anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine American Revolution reenactment. It was a National Event. What is that? 

Simply, it's a big event with more reenactors and programming. Each year around three large event sites are chosen. The last year this event was held here was in 2017. I'm fortunate to live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where many important American Revolution events occurred.

How do I learn the dates of all the many American Revolution reenactment events? Two leading websites for the original 13 colonies, the British Brigade and the Continental Line, post reenactment schedules and unit websites. The midwest states have a separate reenactment organization, The North West Territory Alliance (NWTA). 

One of the reasons I enjoy attending a Sunday event is the Christian religious service. Usually, it starts around 10 am. This year, George Washington attended! I wrote about this, Reenactment Religious Observances, in blog #33,

This reenactment was one of the bigger ones I've attended since before the pandemic. This panoramic photo gives you an idea of how big it was. 

Here are the tentative national events scheduled for 2023.

Monmouth Battlefield-June 17-19

Fort Loudoun-September 30-October 1

In the morning, there was a recognition dedication of the Mass Grave on the battlefield. All the troops assembled. And an opening prayer was given by the Continental Reverend. 

Most American Revolution reenactments are rendered on the actual battle site, so reenactors want to show their respect for the brave soldiers who fought these battles. These ceremonies are always quite moving.

 At a big event with so many reenactors, you can get a feel of how impressive having so many troops assembled is. For this photo, I was on the ground shooting upwards. It shows a different angle and perspective. 

The goal for me of any reenactment is to capture at least one excellent cannon shot. This one does that.

If you look closely at the photo, you might recognize Noah Lewis (Ned Hector), with whom I did a 3-part blog interview a few months ago. When portraying Ned Hector in many reenactments, he is a bombardier. What is that? It's an artilleryman during the American Revolution. 

Thank you for reading! 

Blog # 55 will be posted in January 2023. Be safe & well!

Ken Bohrer