The Civil War Encampment - Part 2

I was attending a Civil War reenactment at the State Park in Massena. I left the Confederate encampment (see yesterday's post) and entered the Union side, beginning at the Doctor's camp:

Men in Union uniforms and women in costumes of the period sat and chatted:

One family had brought their baby, also in period costume, and she played happily on a blanket:

The battle was several hours away, so men prepared for that and women sat and read:

I walked down to see the St. Lawrence River and, on the way, passed this wonderful scene. A girl and a woman in dresses of the era walked their two tiny puppies:

And the St. Lawrence River was breathtaking. I noticed this Elm tree, and realized that I keep seeing them around here. This was perhaps the biggest healthy Elm I've seen yet and it raised my hopes that the species was becoming resistant to Dutch Elm Disease:

This man gave me a demonstration of a muzzle loader and was very friendly:

But the call went out to prepare for the upcoming battle reenactments and men began donning their uniforms:

As for me, I wouldn't be able to stay and began making my way back through the encampments toward my parked car:

This woman kindly posed for me with her baby but I could tell the photo wouldn't be very good. So, as she began to walk away, I quickly snapped one more shot, this one not posed. It became my favorite photo of the day:

I left the Union encampment and passed through the Confederate side on my way back to the car. Just about that time, the call went out to move the canons into position. But I couldn't stay and had to put my camera away and conclude my visit to the Civil War reenactment and encampment:

The Civil War Encampment - Part 1

It was billed as a Civil War Reenactment at the State Park in Massena, but I arrived when there was no fighting and only saw the encampment. Nonetheless, it was a bit of a window into a former era. I began by walking through a cluster of tents and campfires:

Folks in period costumes were showing tourists how things used to be done:

And men in Confederate uniforms were discussing battle plans:

I was slow to figure it out, but I soon realized that I had begun in the Confederate encampment. Everyone was friends, though, and there was a lot of coming and going between camps:

This tent would, it seemed, use only a candle lantern for light at night:

The battle reenactment was several hours away and many folks just sat and enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery:

Men clustered in groups to chat and play cards:

The costumes looked very authentic to my eye:

And lots of the accessories were accurate to the period:

I came to the end of the Confederate encampment and walked through a series of canons:

I would later see the men begin dragging all the canons into battle positions, but just then I was concentrating on passing through to see the Union encampment. But I'll post about that tomorrow: