civil war reenactment huntington beach 2018

#Civil war reenactment huntington beach 2018 full
#Civil war reenactment huntington beach 2018 free

Peck in the Union Tribute earlier this year. Peck is a San Macros resident who has presented the Gettysburg Address to many children in North County. They gave him a serenade and a ceremony and honored him as a wonderful living historian. Peck is retiring this year after being diagnosed with ALS. We didn’t get to see him this year, but every year after the battle there is a historian and President Lincoln presenter named William Peck who gives the Gettysburg Address. When the battle was over, this gentleman played Taps and there was a moment of silence. The reenactors sure are good sports to dress up all in wool and “die” on the field in the hot, hot sun. Many officers of the Civil War were taught the “old ways” of war and that was all they were familiar with by the time the Civil War came around. It does seem kind of silly in retrospect that the troops would stand in lines like this. The smoke from the rifles obscures the field and the rifles’ accuracy made the battles more difficult.

The Union and Confederate troops do not stand very far apart from one another. This is after the battle had begun and you can see the smoke from the rifles and cannons drifting through the air. The gentlemen in the white hat with the white beard totally looks like General Robert E. My favorite tidbit is that the Signal Corps established the congressionally mandated National Weather Service and it’s first name (given by Myers) was The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce. The Signal Corps also had the initial responsibility for lots of areas, such as military intelligence, weather forecasting and aviation. The system was limited to only line of sight communications but was the flags were the first step to more of the modern technology and communications that is used today. The system was tested in combat in 1861 to direct the fire of a harbor battery against Confederate positions. This visual communication system was first proposed by Albert James Myer in 1856. They used the flags to signal back and forth to each other to communicate troop movements. We sat near where the Union troops would soon come out (we could hear rifle fire and drums before the battle moved out into the field) and saw another gentleman with the same flag. He was way out in the field and his counterpart was down near us with another flag. Here is a gentleman in gray with a Signal Corps flag. I’m happy to report I did NOT get heat sickness this year (hooray). This year we were smart and sat in the shade. He really helps bring the history to life and it’s always fun to hear his stories. We always go to see Adam England (who works over at The Muckenthaler Cultural Center) who is a wonderful historical storyteller. Our favorite place to visit is still the Iron Pear Tree Inn. These ladies were in the main part for an information booth. There are two camps set up – the Confederate camp and the Union camp – and each has their own sets of “women folk” that you can see doing various duties. It brings a really authentic feel to the whole event.

#Civil war reenactment huntington beach 2018 full

There’s tons of people in period dress, including many ladies wearing the full fledged dresses.

I don’t think I’d enjoy doing it in the summers… maybe in winter with that full wool outfit… I have never really thought about becoming a volunteer. Here’s my recap of this year’s reenactment (plus, donuts at the end). You can learn so much about our country’s history by watching the battle and talking with many of the living historians attending the event.

#Civil war reenactment huntington beach 2018 free

It’s one of the free reenactments you can attend.

It’s held every year over Labor Day weekend and is sponsored by the City of Huntington Beach. This was our third year attending the Civil War Reenactment in Huntington Beach.