Civil War Reenactment Fort Adams, Newport, Rhode Island

It seems American Civil War reenactments are becoming less and less common. Always a niche pastime, the participants are getting older and the younger generation has less interest in such things. Like the history they portray, I suspect they will eventually fade away.
This event took place at Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island on August 24, 2019.

The Confederate encampment:




The Northern troops:


Taunting the enemy:


Seems I'm always shooting into the sun...

Again, I was shooting into the sun, grrrr.


Firing on the Rebs.




Union artillery:











Mobility was the key to the Northern victory that day.



He suspects something is not right....


As it would have looked 150 years ago:

Ah yes, all of those ACW battles that were fought in Rhode Island!



You are absolutely correct that the reenactments are slowly fading away. History in general just isn't that important to younger generations.

Great photos, thanks for sharing Docjonel. Even though its a re-enactment just the men lying on the ground stirs me. What was the tone like from your experienced? I imagine everyone's there to enjoy one another and to celebrate history but I imagine when its time to portray the battles everyone conducts themselves with integrity and purpose. I'd also love to visit the camps when everyone is relaxing and playing music and cooking. Probably a great atmosphere. I wonder if the Union drummer is a free mason and would a soldier advertise that affiliation? Even in the Union Army wasn't there a certain degree of non-uniformity in apparel and unit markings, flags and such? I just wonder if that patch is his own personal touch or if he's actually representing something seen in old photos or known about in unit culture at the time.

Missed this when it was originally posted... the second shot, with the boy - is somehow brilliant. Also the old confederate guy is a really good catch in that expression.

Thanks for sharing.

Went to a couple Revolution re-enactments back in the 90's when I lived in Coventry R.I.and caught a huge Civil war one at Gettysburg That's where the second wife took me for a honeymoon..She's history but i visit there once a year Great Pictures

Gettysburg is definitely on my bucket list of places to visit. I've been to the battle sites for Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg though. That was a great experience.

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Yeah, I noticed this a few years ago during the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. I actually went to Gettysburg to watch the 150th anniversary reenactment, expecting something similar to the massive fights staged for the 125th anniversary I had seen in old VHS videos. While it was still an enjoyable experience, I confess I was ultimately a bit underwhelmed by it (though, I did learn after that some controversy had split the reenactment into two separate, uncoordinated events, but still . . .).

Over here in England, large increases in insurance premiums and health and safety compliance issues have caused the demise of a number of smaller events.
The trend now seems to be for 'Live History Events' featuring a full range of periods and reenactment societies from Iron Age to WW2 gathering to spread the financial commitments.

Has direction of interest Stateside changed? I went to assess a Greyhound as a prospective foster (due to owner's demise) this week, and got talking to the Son who makes armour and accessories for Medieval fairs and HEMA events who says most of his demand is from the US; more orders than he can cope with.

Wow! That 1862 pickup is incredibly well restored!

The one re-actment Civil War group was shut down ( that I know of ) here in ca. The powers that be said the permit allowed up to 1500 people at the site at a time. Then in the 3rd show year they changed it to Totals must include Spectators and Ventors so it was shut down. Sad.

I wonder what the rationale was for the 1500 person limit?

Me and my family will be visiting the US this summer. Gettysburg is on the list, so are Hampton Roads, Manassas and possibly Fredericksburg. Are all these solid choices for a day out? We'll also be spending a few days in the Shenandoah Valley, are there any recommended CW related sites in that area?

Of the sites you listed I’ve only visited Fredericksburg and I can highly recommend it for a visit! The city itself is very nice and the surrounding geography is beautiful.

If you are making your way North after Manassas you also have Harpers Ferry, Monocacy & Antietam (+ many others) on the way to Gettysburg.

Aw, the agony of choosing... So many things to see, so little time. I praise myself very lucky that both my wife and my son have turned out to be history buffs too

I visited Gettysburg with my family in 2006. It was an amazing experience to stand where Chamberlains men stood in 1863. I will never forget the Little Round Tops.

When you are able to visit the U.S. and if the National Parks are open, I hope you are able to visit all of the sites on your list. I've been to Gettysburg many times, and Antietam and Manassas each a couple of times as well. They are further apart from each other than a map suggests and you can easily lose several hours just driving from one battlefield to the next.

Gettysburg requires at least a full day to experience properly. The park's interpretive center is huge -- much larger than the one at Antietam in 2014 and what I remember at Manassas in 1999. The battlefield at Gettysburg is mostly complete and, while expansive, is easier in my opinion to comprehend 'boots on the ground' than Antietam or Manassas. Most importantly, much of Gettysburg's local economy caters to battlefield tourism so the town is rich with licensed guides, souvenir shops, private museums, antique dealers, reenactment suppliers, ghost hunting tours, etc.

Here is my recommendation for touring Gettysburg: Begin on the Chambersburg Pike at the McPherson Farm where Lee's army first clashed with Buford's cavalry and the first day's fighting unfolded. Visit the Lutheran Seminary's museum on Seminary Ridge -- it is worth the admission. Anticipate 2-3 hours in this area. From here the Federal army retreated through the streets of Gettysburg and consolidated on Cemetery Hill, so drive through town and work your way over to the Military Park's interpretive center. Anticipate 2 hours at interpretive center. You can easily spend all day on the battlefield itself, especially if you walk it. If you drive the auto tour, I recommend first going the Round Tops area (1 hour) and then Culp's Hill (1 hour) to cover Day 2's fighting. From there you can detour to Confederate Avenue to review General Longstreet's positions, then visit the Wheat Field and Peach Orchard battle areas on Emmittsburg Road; or go directly to the Bryan Farm area for the Federal positions during Pickett's Charge. That's a full day of activities; I recommend staying overnight in Gettysburg and pacing your visit.