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Georgia: Blue, Gray battle again

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Staff photo by D. Patrick Harding--Steve Toney of Alpharetta, Ga., plays his bugle as troops assemble prior to the start of the Battle of Tunnel Hill reenactment.

By Laura Galbraith

Staff Writer

TUNNEL HILL, Ga. — The past literally came alive Saturday as hundreds of families and Civil War enthusiasts flocked to the annual reenactment of the Battle of Tunnel Hill.

“It’s hard to imagine what they really went through, but it’s really neat,” said Bryan Dorries, a fan of Civil War history who lives not far from the Tunnel Hill site

He said this was the first re-enactment he has attended and he enjoyed seeing just a glimpse of the tough life that soldiers led back then.

In spite of the heat, the re-enactors wore the traditional clothes and uniforms of the 1860s. Bethany Fleming, a former teacher from Pell City, Ala., said that even though she was wearing a full length, long-sleeved hoop dress, the heat did not bother her so much.

“You’re hot, but I think we’re about as hot as everyone else,” she said. “If anything, our hoop makes us cooler.”

Bethany’s husband, Ben Fleming, a high school history teacher, was one of the Union soldiers in the re-enactment. He said he enjoys re-enacting because it gives him the chance to be in shoes of a Civil War soldier.

Fleming also said the experience is an adrenaline rush.

“Just that feeling you get as you get as you march across the field and you’re marching up on these guys and you realize, ‘We’re about to just stand here and just start blasting off at each other,’” Fleming said. “We don’t even have bullets, and it is kind of nerve-wracking. Can you imagine if you’re just walking into a hail of bullets?”

Tunnel Hill, located between Ringgold and Dalton in North Georgia, is where several Civil War skirmishes took place in May 1864. About 500 re-enactors recreated one of these fights with as much historical authenticity and realism as possible. Rebel yells sounded, soldiers on horses charged into action, the booming sound of the cannons reverberated off the ground and the harsh smell of gun powder filled the air as the Union and Confederate armies clashed.

The battle area was marked off many yards away from the visitors so that all could get a panoramic view of the action as it unfolded on both sides. Attendees could also visit several tents nearby that sold a wide variety of Civil War items, including soldiers’ uniforms and printed dresses that were in fashion during the 1860s.

Steven Parker came from his home in Lilburn, Ga., so that he could see his first Civil War re-enactment. He said he thought the battle was very realistic.

“The participants are very thorough in what they do,” he said. “They’ve done their homework, if you will. So it was well worth the trip.”

Mr. Parker also said that he believes Civil War re-enactments are great in reminding others about their American past.

“It’s stuff you take lightly, and you don’t realize how young our country is,” he said. “We’re not that far removed from when this actually happened, even though we’re so far advanced.”

The Tunnel Hill re-enactment is held every year, but is on a much smaller scale than the upcoming Battle of Chickamauga, which will be Sept. 19-21 in McLemore’s Cove west of LaFayette.

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