Civil War Reunion at Pennypacker Mills

Civil War Reunion at Pennypacker Mills
Jessica Marie

         Last year was actually the first reunion I attended at Pennypacker Mills. I was into the Civil War for about a year and dad knew how much I loved the Civil War, one day he brought home a flier advertising the Reunion. Apparently it had been hanging on the bulletin board of the courthouse. I asked him if we could go and he said sure, without a doubt. It was scheduled for June 4, 2005 and I waited for that day in anticipation.

         Saturday came very fast and I was so excited about going to my first Civil War reenactment. I’ve been to Gettysburg many of times before, but I have always missed out on the reenactments. We ate at Lederach Teahouse before we went to the Reunion. It was a very beautiful atmosphere and the food was delicious. Anyway, after we left and we arrived at the Reunion, we went to visit Union and Confederate camps. The camps were so real—it felt like we took a time capsule back to the 1860’s. There were soldiers there and the older ones showed us different battle techniques like positioning a gun before and after battle, how to set up and check the camps and many other useful things a soldier had to do. The Union soldiers were lining up to get ready for the battle and they had the drummer boys drumming to keep them in line while marching.

         Our next stop was to the playhouse to see what was going on, but we missed the shows and tour. We ended up walking to the civilian camps were the women were cooking food. There was also a suffrage tent that preached about women’s rights and a prohibition tent preaching about the dangers of “demon rum.” The pamphlets they gave out really did look like they were made in the mid
nineteenth century and talked about how it tore families apart. It reminded me so much of eighth grade history class, but I learned a little bit more and it was still very interesting. They also had a medical tent with a manikin that was injured. There was literature about the different operation and treating techniques. Be glad we don’t live in the nineteenth century and have more technology. It’s amazing because they used whiskey for anesthesia.

         At two o’clock the battle enactments began. They shot off the cannons first to warn the Confederacy that they were going to begin fighting, then the solders marched out, ducked, and then fought. How they fought was very interesting and a lot different then what is portrayed in movies. It ended when the Confederates waved their white medic flag, and we had to go home. I really did not want to leave—it was a blast.