Don't Shoot the Fiddle Player

So, we did something special last Saturday (which happened to be the most perfectly beautiful day we've had in awhile).  My father-in-law's buddy, Howard, invited us all to a Civil War reenactment taking place as part of Heritage Day at a local park.  We went out to support him despite the fact that he wears blue*.  We arrived at the park just before one o'clock and I was blown away by all there was to learn and do.  It was truly home school heaven.  We had to wait to look around as we had just enough time to walk to the field where the reenactment was to take place.  Not having ever been to one, I didn't know what to expect and it is lucky our kids are fairly hard to spook because there was a lot of noisy gunfire.

The back story is that a confederate unit in Texas was camped out at a homestead when union soldiers came and drove them off to steal their provisions.  They freed a slave while singing the praises of Abraham Lincoln and The Emancipation Proclamation (that was the hardest part to believe).  Then the confederate soldiers emerged from the woods and drove them off again.  All I kept thinking was how much fun all the men must be having getting to carry guns, play soldier, pretend to die etc. etc.

Afterward, We had the opportunity to talk to several of the participants and their knowledge of Civil War history was impressive.  This year is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the war so there are a lot of special events planned.  We enjoyed this one so much that we will definitely be back for more.  And who knows, Chris may even get the itch to play Stonewall one day!

*Having been influenced heavily by my extended family and friends, Chris and I could be called southern sympathizers.  Most school children learn that the war was about freeing the slaves and that Abraham Lincoln was a hero.  I'm sure most adults know that real life is not that simple and that all wars are, in some part, about money and power.  During the Civil War, the south was fighting for states' rights and the north was fighting for centralized government.  That made sense because the north needed the south to provide the raw materials for its factories.  As for the slave issue, with the invention of the cotton gin, slavery was going out anyway.  And the north had no need of slaves as they ran their factories with poorly paid immigrants.  The Emancipation Proclamation was more about bringing the south to its knees than altruism--or so some say.  That interpretation bears consideration if one remembers the plight of the freed slave after the war.  Few rights.  Few opportunities before the dawn of the civil rights movement.

Our interest in the Civil War was sparked mainly by the Stonewall Chronicles--or the many hours long biography Chris listened to while were we in Beaumont.  Stonewall Jackson was a gentleman soldier and an outstanding person.  We have a painting of him and his beloved wife Anna in our dining room.  I know that there were good guys on both sides during the war but as I see our government getting bigger, our taxes higher, our rights invaded (see health care bill), I admit to thinking the wrong side won. (If you want to read more about the Civil War, we recommend starting with The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.  It's outstanding.)

 Tiger Lily

 and Pocahontas

 Walking in the woods 

My favorite photo of the day

 retreat, retreat

 too loud, turn it down

 With Howard--Thank you!

 The girls loved this station--pumping the water, carrying the water and washing the clothes.

Note to self--put them to work on the laundry.

 Our buddy from George Ranch

He plays the frontier guy there is nice to the kids and full of information.

 Success!

 Rag doll

Poor Ella grabs naps where she can.  As the fifth Doyle Babe, she rarely gets a traditional nap in bed in part because we are often on the go but mostly because she doesn't want to miss anything.

fun with stilts

Mia takes a turn.  I tried it too and it is much harder than it looks.

We liked these little huts back in the woods

Scary native

The Fab Five say tata for now!