Community Corner
Re-Enactors Battle it Out
Cannons exploded and shots were fired as the blue and the gray showed off their skills.
Both sides of the Civil War waged battle this weekend at the , celebrating the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the War Between the States.
Members of the Stephens' Light Artillery unit gathered and shot off cannons on Saturday and Sunday, to the delight of both children and adults in the massive crowds visiting the festival.
“We’re very concerned with being historically correct,” said Lt. Edward Gill of Woodstock, who represented the unit.
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It was was named after Alexander Stephens, the Georgian who served as vice president of the Confederacy.
Gill said those wearing the Confederate gray do so because they love history.
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“We like the camaraderie and like educating kids and their parents,” said Gill, adding that volunteers represent many professions, including roofers, machinists and chemical engineers.
“And we all love to camp.”
Across the street and up the hill from the Confederate re-enactment were members of the 125th Ohio Union Infantry–dressed in their blues with tents pitched and musical instruments playing above the noise of the festival.
The unit also performed several firing demonstrations for onlookers.
Part of Sherman’s army, the 125th fought from Chattanooga to Savannah–including the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain–according to unit founder and historian Furman Ammons of Doraville, who has participated in Civil War encampments for 25 years.
“I like going beyond just reading the history books and stepping back in time to see what it was like to be a soldier in the Civil War,” said Ammons, who “served” seven years as a Confederate soldier before becoming a federal soldier 18 years ago.
Ammons said a co-worker in the Confederate group invited him after Ammons discovered he had ancestors who fought in the Confederate army.
That’s how 17-year-old David French got involved. The Flowery Branch teen said he was doing research for a school project and discovered he had relatives who fought in the 125th Ohio unit. He learned to play the fife and accompanies the drummers as they call the troops for battle.
Lockheed Martin employee Greg Krohn of Acworth said he loves giving people the opportunity to understand the process of the Civil War.
“It really defined our country,” Krohn said as he shook hands and showed off his sword. “We have a chance to interact with the public, and they come to understand the ferocity of that war.”