Civil War ReenactmentPo - THE END

Authentic bunkhouse on a local ranch, from the past. Moved to the village to preserve it. ... it is two story's because mosquitoes do not fly that high. They did not have glass windows, but shutters.

The Soldiers used this for their dressing room during the reenactment

1860 Portable Potty for the Officers

If you get bored, here is a link to Obscure Facts You Did not know about the Civil war......

And 10 Surprising Civil War Facts.... 

Pot to boil sugar cane and make sugar and syrup and molasses

Antique inhaler, enlarge to read instructions

Manatee Historical Village - Inside Cracker House 1920

Sit outside and play checkers, or wander inside and buy any and everything in the local General Store... this one is now a gift shop..

my grandmother sewed on one like this and once stitched her finger. she also caught her fingers in our wringer washer

For a gallery of Florida Cracker homestead photos, that are still standing and preserved, Click here for a slide show..

Check out the size of this bedroom in 1920... the photo is the whole room. Plus this was the bathroom to. Under the cloth is a chamber pot, also known by my family as a slop jar, and you would have washed up in a bowl with a pitcher that would sit on the wash stand.

Civil War Reenactment - Misc

Reflections of a young soldier in the windows of this house.

Six generations of my mothers family, lived here. My grandmothers home was almost identical to this 1920 home and was a short 2 miles from this one. This oak is 100 years plus.

My mothers parents - born in 1900 and 1904

Her grandparents in 1886 and 1987

Her Great Granny was born in 1862 and lived until I was 6 years ( my dad killed Great Granny 's rooster when it attacked me)

my dad’s parents were born in 1880 and 1886 his grandparents born during the civil war. 

This war was 160 years ago, but my fascination lives on because of living with all the above ancestors who talked and talked about the war.

this young man said he was guarding the house, his gun is carved from wood

Civil War Reenactment - The other surgeron

The surgeon and his nurse. When I asked if I could take his photo, he said Yes, but I am still in my underwear...the white pants and shirt go under the uniform.. they had every thing from saws and knives to forceps for delivering a baby. He assured me they used chloroform but had to be careful since it can be deadly.

Above is the wooden chest of medicines and below are blood cups. They built a tiny fire on the skin, placed the cup over and the vacuum sucked blood. YIKES. another way other than using leeches. He had a supply of those. I did not check to see if they were LIVING..

Above, Pat with the nurse.. and the fully stocked surgeons chest

Formaldehyde, double syringe to put two bottles like this in the body, the coffin with the Label on it, to write all the info on where to ship it home.

Civil War Reenactment - The Women

Women were a very important part of the war..they took care of the families left behind without the men, they worked as nurses and even as spies. Over four hundred women  dressed as men and went to war.

The ladies in their pretty dresses were in the buildings to answer any questions.  Above and below OOPS! fans? electric fans?

They said the dresses were cool because of the hoops holding them out.

I am just happy I did not live back then.

Above was a female soldier that marched with the men. She said there were women who carried the flag, and marched with the soldiers. I have never heard this and was unable to verify it.

When the soldiers searched the buildings, these ladies argued with them.
the one in the center said to the soldier in her garden, "are you taking our food to? you already have our silver" and he replied "everything here is the property of the United States of America'...

Pat, a modern day woman, held the flag out for me...we were dressed for the 90 degree weather in capri's and t-shirts. One of the ladies in the house , said to us  "What are you doing in public in your bloomers?"

Civil War Reenactment - The Oath

We watched as the company marched down the middle of the street and into the other part of the park.

They were called to attention and given their orders to find every man and take him to the courthouse to sign the allegiance form..

and to search all buildings for Judah P. Benjamin

(I felt much better when one of the soldiers whispered this Southern Belle, "Don't worry, they will not find him, he escaped to England and became an attorney." He laughed when I yelled YAY!)

Civil War Reenactment - Soldiers

clicking on photos will enlarge for detail

The 7th Volunteers - Union Army came to Bradenton for the 2nd time in our cities History. They camped in our Manatee Historical Park. The Union army did not come this far into Florida during the war, but in 1865, after the war, one unit came to Bradenton, for the 1st and last time.

Pat (a lady I met in the parking lot) and I walked up just as the troops were finishing there breakfast at 7:30 am Saturday morning. We were the only visitors that came that early.

I was of course fascinated with the fire..

I said to the men around the fire, "Might a Rebel to the bone approach your fire?"  The gentleman in white welcomed us with

"of course, southern ladies are always welcome"

Doc Holiday and a Frontiersman

and introduced himself as The Surgeon for the company and the other man said 'I am just a frontiersman" .

I pointed to the whip on his shoulder and said " and you are also known as a Cracker here." He said "I am!'

Pat is from NJ and she sucked in her breath, thinking Cracker was a bad word... The Surgeon explained, Cracker was a word to be proud of in Florida during that time." and I said "because the name comes from cracking that whip to herd the cattle.

The frontiersman said " no ropes allowed, whips only, and mine is the length for a man walking, the whip would be longer for a cracker on a horse."

We were told the army is here to compel all men of the former Confederacy to sign and swear allegiance to the United States of America.....  and to find and arrest Judah P. Benjamin, Secretary of State for the Confederacy."....... to be continued

Drums and the cot in the tent with a wool blanket.. and OOPS! Charging the walkie talkies...

Memorial Day 2015

7th Volunteer Company, Union Army Civil War Re-Enactment at our Historical Village Saturday May, 24 2015

In 1868 the 30th of May was declared Declaration Day, to honor all the soldiers who died in the War Between The States, known as The Civil War.

750,000 died in that war, the most in any of America's history.  In 1971 the last Monday of May was dedicated as Memorial Day to honor the dead from all wars. 

That war is sometimes called the American Apocalypse 

Today we honor the fallen

This is a Link to United States military Casualties since The American Revolution, and the numbers are staggering.

And since only the dead have seen the end of war, the numbers continue to climb. God Bless our Soldiers

Civil War Weekend-All Done Now

 The big question for you all.  Wagon or LOTUS?

this sweet machine sells for $60,000 to $80,000 and just in case you want one, they are not available right now here in the USA.....I'm just sayin.....

 Would you choose the tents in the background or the RV's to spend your week end in?

JUST BECAUSE Photo

And to bring the series to and end, Granny in period dress hanging out the window with her Digital Camera. We Women have for sure come a long way Baby.

Civil War Weekend - Period Dress

I asked one of the women, in a big hoop skirt, was it comfortable and she laughed long and loud, before she said NO. She said there are 8 layers of clothes to being in that period dress. Yowsa from me in my t-shirt and Capri pants.

 I have my mother shawl in the closet, that is identical to this one.

Enlarge to see the whiskey bottle, this is the nurse for the Confederate hospital

 Harriet Tubman was a black woman and called The Union Spymaster. She was the first woman in our history to lead a military expedition when she lead a night raid to free slaves from rice plantations.
Read about here here at Women Spies of the Civil War

There were hundreds of lady spies for both sides in this war. If you are interested, go to
Secret Agents In Hoop Skirts

 Trivia Facts from Aha Military Jokes

BIGGEST MAN... The biggest man in the Union Army was Capt. David Van Buskirk of the 27th Indiana Regiment who stood 6 feet 11 inches and weighed 380 pounds. He was captured in 1862 and was sent to a Richmond Prison where a Confederate entrepreneur put him on exhibit. Even Confederate President Jeff Davis came to see him and was astounded when the impish Van Buskirk claimed that back home in Bloomington Indiana, "when I was at the train station with my company , my six sisters came to say goodbye. As I was standing there, with my company, they all came up to me, leaned down and kissed me on top of the head."

 BATHROOM... Although not listed in the rules of war, soldiers on both sides did not shoot at the enemy when he was going to the bathroom

You should have seen these hoops skirted ladies trying to sit down on the train.