Visitors from near and far come out for Civil War Days
Confederate and Union troops invaded the San Benito Historical
Park in Tres Pinos last weekend as part of the annual Civil War
Days. On Friday, local school children gathered to watch battles
and learn about life during the civil war. On Saturday and Sunday,
the troops performed two battles a day for spectators.
The event was sponsored by the San Benito County Historical
Society and the National Civil War Association. While some visitors
were local, others came from the greater Bay Area, including a
family from San Mateo, all to see history in action.
Visitors from near and far come out for Civil War Days
Confederate and Union troops invaded the San Benito Historical Park in Tres Pinos last weekend as part of the annual Civil War Days. On Friday, local school children gathered to watch battles and learn about life during the civil war. On Saturday and Sunday, the troops performed two battles a day for spectators.
The event was sponsored by the San Benito County Historical Society and the National Civil War Association. While some visitors were local, others came from the greater Bay Area, including a family from San Mateo, all to see history in action.
“It’s not a particular battle,” one participant said. “But we will be using the tactics that two opposing forces would use in battle.”
Early on Sunday while the Confederate crew prepared for battles, one of their leaders directed spectators off the battlefield to an area where they would be able to see most of the action.
“Spectators would come out to see the war,” said Lynne Ashby, a San Jose resident and reenactor. “But they soon discovered war was not fun because bullets do not discriminate. If our boys win it’s okay, but if they don’t we’ve got to leave quickly.”
During the battle, the Confederate and Union troops took turns shooting at each other with historical rifles. After each round, the Confederate troops advanced and the Union troops moved back in the direction of their camp. Off in the distance the Union troops had three men manning a cannon. The first time the cannon boom went off with its flash and cloud of smoke many spectators jumped as they had been focused on the other end of the battle and hadn’t noticed the cannon.
After the battle, many young boys, dressed in hats from the period, stopped to talk with the cannon reenactors.
“A 30-foot wall of flames comes out of the cannon,” said one of the participants. For the reenactment, they said they used just six ounces of gun powder for the powerful boom.
Ashby participates in Civil War Days every time they are held in Tres Pinos. Last weekend she was dressed in the style of the time with a black dress and checked apron, as well as a black bonnet.
“I love history,” she said.
She served as an usher of sorts during the battle, keeping people off the field and dismissing them after the troops had returned to camp.
“Talking to the kids and teaching them the things they don’t learn in school,” is her favorite part of the event.
In the end, one Confederate soldier and half a dozen Union soldiers fell in the mock battle. A horse-drawn ambulance maneuvered across the field to pick up the wounded and return them to camp.
In addition to the battle, other participants dressed up in civilian clothes and set up a mock town near the historical buildings at the park. In one tent, a woman sat quilting while a little girl played with paper dolls. In another tent, a makeshift store had been set up with clothes and other supplies.
Between the town and the Confederate camp, a replica of the H. L. Hunley was on site for viewers. From a distance it looked more like a commercial barbecue pit than a submarine. But up close, viewers could see inside. The submarine was the first to sink a battleship during warfare, but shortly after its only battle it disappeared from sight. It was found just eight years ago, and scientists are still excavating the vessel.
The replica included plaques with information about the crew and the submarine itself.
For more information on the H. L. Hunley, visit www.hunley.org or for information on the National Civil War Assocation, visit www.ncwa.org.
