On the weekend of September 17 -19 we spent an amazing time at the Daniel Lady Farm in Gettysburg PA for the re-enactment of the Antietam/Sharpsburg battle.
And the event was actually more than amazing or splendid: it was EXCELLENT for three reasons:
1) The historical significance of the battle during the CW. It was one of the bloodiest days in American history. Both sides reported more than 23,000 casualties. A horrific day in our history, that deserves to be remembered eternally.
2) How about that: WE ALL WILL BE IN A FEATURE MOVIE! (actually came as a surprise to most of us)
3) The spectacular choreography of the re-enactment battles by the commands of both sides. Never before had we to line up 8 canons in a densely wooded area. The setup was quite an ordeal
1....2...3..... let us look at the three reasons for excellence!
1) Antietam/Sharpsburg is one of the most horrific events during the civil war. That is why it is so important that these events continue to exist and that the general public is being educated and will never forget! See the historically accurate description of events here:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Antietam
2) The movie shoot! A few days before the event, our unit commanders Cynthia and Jean Buchen were informed that we should pack a few extra rounds, since there would be a feature movie shoot during Saturday's battle on the field. What a surprise! It has been years since a movie crew showed up to our events.
The title of the movie and the plot was a "mystery" until we actually arrived on site and set our camp. That's when we got our first surprise:
They needed some of the confederate gun crews to wear the blue! As usual (no pun intended!) the Union side did not have enough artillery units. And the crew needed 9 Union guns firing in a line, for a spectacular scene. Of course, re-enactors are all a family and soon the needed number of grey units switched to blue and under direction of the film crew, a battle line was formed. It was quite spectacular! Below are some impressions from the shoot:
By now, you might ask yourself: What is the name of the movie? When will it be released? Where can I watch it? Well, news and info is always best retrieved from the source! So here is the juice from the Director of the film, Joshua Enck:
The movie will be a feature film on the 2022 Christmas programming, details to follow! I, for sure, am very excited to sit on the sofa watching "I heard the bells" with the entire family, eating Xmas cookies and drink a hot chocolate.
Of course, the rebel side of things will be featured too, the crew filmed many scenes during the actual battle! Here are some impressions from the movie crew at work:
3) The battles! While the one on the main battlefield on Saturday was a little unusual, with the film crew swirling around our canons, it was still a great battle.
But the Sunday battle, called West Woods, was in an entirely different league! Eight Canons had to be towed/maneuvered into a densely wooded area on top of a hill. The setup for the battle took twice as long as usual. But it was worth every effort! What soon would be the scene of a dramatic civil war event, looked so very peaceful and pleasant, only minutes before the thunder of the canons, the muskets the screams and yells of an intense fight filled the air:
What rounded a perfect weekend was the fact that we recruited new members! News on that soon.
Before we say goodbye, I leave you with some general impressions from the event:
YOUR NEXT CHANCE TO SEE/MEET US IN ACTION:
We can't wait to get back out in the field again, for our last battle of the season, CEDAR CREEK, October 15-17th. One of the biggest events (huge attendance on both sides), truly BEAUTIFUL setting and a great way to see true American history! We are looking forward to seeing you! Info:
https://www.ccbf.us/?page_id=3058
Until next time, God bless and we are looking forward to connecting with you!
Jack Mager