Gettysburg 145th Reenactment

[Daisy712]

Hello,

We are planning to go to the 145th reenactment this July. I had a few questions. First off, my son's 8th grade teacher is a certified NPS interpreter and she is going to take us around Gettysburg from July 1 - July 3. The reenactment is July 4-6. We have never been to a reenactment and we are wondering what to expect. What time should we get there in the morning? The reenactments are scheduled until the afternoon. Someone suggested arriving at 6:00 a.m. Also, what should we expect to see? Do we only see the reenactment of the battle or are there other things going on?

Thank you for your help.

[Altair]

Most re-enactments have campsites set up where you can see how daily life was for the soldiers. Make sure to talk to the re-enactors, they take what the do seriously and love to talk about it and pose for photos.

[Gooftroop5]

Gettysburg usually has a lot of other stuff going on too when they do big reenactments. I'm sure you could find info on it on the website excactly what to expect & what they have going on. The one I found says they will have a large village with activities all day & several battles. This is a link to the schedule.

http://www.gettysburgreenactment.com/schedule.htm

They might have said get there early for parking & just traffic.

When I was a kid my parents use to belong to a civil war reneactment group. I don't remember what was there for the "outsiders" I was really little. I just remember wearing the dresses with the hoops & the loud cannons. There was also balls that I got to go to a couple of them. It was fun playing dress up. I felt like a princess. I did hate the cannons though. The loud noise hurt my ears. With wearing a hoop skirt at such a young age I knew how to sit in one for senior prom unkike others.

For those wondering we fought for the north.

[Scar]

I am a reenactor and have attended several Gettysburg events. As you can see by the schedule in the link above, there are other activities going on throughout the day. I’m not sure about traffic as I’m always there the night before but I don’t really think you need to be there at 6:00. If you did you would just have to sit around for 2 ½ hours anyway. On the other hand, don't plan to show up at 10:30 for the 11:00 battle and expect to make it on time.

Altair is correct about roaming through the camps and talking to the reenactors. Don’t be afraid to ask about pictures. I would just add to not be discouraged if the first or second person you talk to seems uninterested. It may his first reenactment or he may just be a shy person. Keep trying and soon you will find someone who will talk and answer as many questions you have for as long as you want.

If you have any other questions please ask.

[Tick-Tock]

I also used to do Civil War reenacting. There is stuff going on all the time besides the battles. Usually the troops will do drilling and such, and there are always people in camp cooking, etc. We used to work on skits for "down" times (once I played the companion of a Southern senator who got himself involved in a duel with a soldier - he lost, and I got to do a great deal of crying and carrying on). Renactors who are inclined to do so might do an impromptu presentation on their equipment. The renactments I went to usually had scheduled activities like fashion shows or presentations by "Abraham Lincoln." Gettysburg is a huge renactment, so there will be lots to see.

I don't know that you need to be there quite as early as 6, but there is going to be a lot of traffic and a lot of spectators at a renactment this big, especially this year. Early is probably better.

[ibrowse17]

I have toured the park, but have never been there while a reenactment has been going on. I would love that, and hope you have a great time.

[Daisy712]

Thanks to everyone for your help. Now we just have to pray for no rain. My son would like to do a ghost tour. Has anyone done one and which would you recommend?