I recently got to attend the annual reenactment of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. I had wanted to do this for a long time, but it never seemed to be convenient before. Since we moved last year, it is now very close to home, hooray!
Though these men (and women) are wearing red coats, they are Americans. They explained that in the 1st Maryland regiment, the fife and drum corps wore the opposite uniform colors so that the officers could find them in a hurry. They were used to give signals during battle as well as for music.
Walking up the road through the park, I came across this company of soldiers on their way to the battle site. They soon left the road and melted into the woods. I heard someone say they were Hessians, so though they are wearing blue, they are the enemy. During the battle, the cavalry of both sides were dressed in green. It's not always obvious who's who.
Traditional British red coats, in .... red coats!
It's a two day event, and I went on Sunday, only to discover that day they were performing the smaller, southern section of the battle. If I had gone on Saturday, I would have seen the main battle with more soldiers and cannons. It was still fun, and I know to go on Saturday next year. Besides the battle itself, there were several army camps, craftsmen and suttlers, plenty to see all day.
Sorry, no tatting today!
I took a second look, Guildford is a place in the uk, which I grow up near,
ReplyDeleteIt must have been a colourful battle and very noisy, thank you for sharing your photos of your interesting day
Margaret
My Guilford county is in North Carolina, founded 1771 and named for Francis North,the 1st Earl of Guilford. I'm not sure if his Guilford is the same as your Guildford.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy re-enactments and American history, especially the Colonial Era, Revolutionary War, and also the Lewis and Clark expedition. I have to admit I never realized there was so much confusion with the uniforms! Great story and photos!
ReplyDelete