Today Carrie and I visited the Civil War Reenactment in Stockton, Illinois. I mentioned this event back in a previous journal entry when I was talking about a World War 2 Reenactment we attended. It was interesting comparing the uniforms, weapons and battlefield tactics of the two reenactments. About the only commonality between the two events was the enthusiasm of the reenactors!

According to the pamphlet we received upon entry, this was the 5th annual Civil War reenactment in Stockton. Each year David and Eloise Pierce graciously open their farm to the reenactors, and I assume each year the 'Battle of Morseville' is reenacted. This event is sponsored by the Northwestern Illinois Friends of the NRA, which seems appropriate :)

In addition to the main event - the battle, there were also a number of other events on the schedule which were of interest. According to the schedule, drills were held earlier in the morning, as well as the 'Ladies Sewing Circle'. We missed all this and arrived just as bidding in the Pie Auction was winding down. The drills would've been good to see, but we weren't able to find a schedule of events beforehand and so didn't feel the need to get up early.

Following the pie auction was the First Person contest, where three reenactors got up on the stage and presented their character's story. Based on the audience response and judges assessment, a winner was chosen and prizes awarded. Soon afterward we dashed off to the 'Tar & Feathering', where a guy dressed in red flannels was coated in a sticky, transparent liquid (didn't look like tar to us) and a load of feathers was dumped over him. We're not sure what the story with this was, but it sounds as if this was a form of punishment meted out during the time of the Civil War. Immediately following that was the ladies fashion show, with women dressed in hoops and multiple-layers of skirts. Lucky for them it was a cold day today :) We also checked out some of the tents selling memorabilia - there seemed to be a wide selection, ranging from postcards and currency, to costumes and buttons. In another tent were raffles for quilts and miniature cannons (which we entered), as well as replica pistols and rifles.

The big event was the Battle of Morseville. This began with the massing of Union troops in the distance and Confederate troops getting into position on their side of the field. The objective was the capture of a small bridge which was over the creek running through the battlefield. The battlefield itself was quite picturesque with big rolling hills, a grove of trees, and the creek cutting through the centre. The spectators stood behind wooden fences positioned around the Union encampment.

Before the battle, there was a brief summary of the Civil War and the events leading up to it - slavery and the rights of states were given as the two main causes, although I'm sure things were a good deal more complicated back then. After the firing of Confederate artillery up on the hill and several shots from Confederate troops, the battle had begun. There was commentary delivered over the PA system at various points throughout, explaining why certain actions were taking place. We found this quite helpful at times.

We thought the Confederate artillery was loud, but then the Union troops started dragging cannons onto the battlefield near the spectators, and those things really made some noise! I should also mention there was a signaling tower right by the Union camp, where the signaling corps communicated via flag signals with their associates on the battlefield. These signals gave orders to increase cannon fire, bring on more cannons, ceasefire and so forth.

The Union troops gradually gained ground throughout, exchanging fire with the Confederates and dealing with the occasional Confederate cavalry attack. At various points, one of the reenactors on the sidelines (standing with the medics and General) would play a Civil War tune on a wooden flute. Occasionally troops fell on the battlefield or staggered over from the Union cannons toward the medic. The battle reached the point of stalemate, with the Confederates managing to hold off the much larger number of Union forces through clever troop positioning (quite a few fired from the grove of trees) and concentrated artillery fire. The battle ended at this point and the announcer told everyone it would be concluded tomorrow (the event runs all weekend).

The battle unfolded at a much slower pace than what we'd seen during the WW2 Reenactment. Whereas the WW2 battles we saw lasted no more than 15-20 minutes, the Civil War battle lasted almost an hour. It was pretty clear that greatly reduced manoeuverability and firepower tended to lead to longer battles back then, but I'm sure this was not always the case.

Following the battle, the injured were taken to the medical stand and 'operated' upon. There was plenty of moaning by the reenactors and some good use of prosthetics, blood packs and medical tools. After watching this for awhile, we wandered over to the Confederate camp and took some photos, then headed back to the parking area. There were going to be some night firing exercises later on, but we didn't feel inclined to stick around for another 3 hours.

All in all, it was quite an enjoyable experience and well worth the visit. Carrie has been to quite a few Civil War battlegrounds with her parents over the years, and I'm sure we'll explore plenty together too :)

Since this entry is so long, I'll put my remaining comments for the day into another entry...