As someone who loves history, I’ve always been curious about Civil War re-enactments. Apparently I’m not the only one. In a recent poll conducted by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, about 40 percent of respondents said they had attended one of these demonstrations.
I decided it was about time for me to see what all the fuss was about – and there’s certainly quite a bit of fuss involved. The “living historians” I saw depict the Battle of Resaca attended to even the smallest of details in order to create the most authentic experience possible.
Held annually the third weekend in May, the re-enactment depicts the two-day struggle in which about 5,500 people lost their lives as General William T. Sherman marched toward Atlanta. My husband and I arrived just as the battle began.
As we approached the battle lines I saw the first of many men display a lean so perfect, I was sure he must have had at least a few decades of experience seeking shade under this particular tree, slowly sipping from his canteen in period garb. Like many of the re-enactors I saw that day, he seemed to be perpetually posing for a portrait. I imagine this must be because, in studying for his role, he likely looked at photos from the period in which the subjects actually were posing for long periods of time, resulting in similarly artful leaning poses.
The shots had already begun, and people scurried about the medical tent near the front line. I jumped at the first shot of the cannons and every shot thereafter. It reminded me of watching fireworks when I was little, when every pyrotechnic burst made me want to put my hands over my ears but didn’t seem to phase the other onlookers around me.