A canon is fired during a Civil War Reenactment Saturday afternoon off of Tune road near Chehalis.
Kevin Saville of Olympia is one of the organizers of the annual Chehalis event, representing the Washington Civil War Association. Here, he discusses the telecommunications of the Civil War era from the back of a covered wagon he built.
Some of the re-enactors said they'd been waiting years for the opportunity to stage a train robbery.
A cannon is fired onto the battlefield.
A soldier stands guard as a group of Union and Confederate 'deserters' rob a train Saturday between battles.
People shoot blanks from horse back while wearing time appropriate wardrobe during a Civil War Reenactment Saturday afternoon off of Tune road near Chehalis.
The battle comes to end as people dressed as soldiers are seen sprawled out in a field during a Civil War Reenactment Saturday afternoon off of Tune road near Chehalis.
A man walks in front of a Confederate flag wearing time appropriate wardrobe during a Civil War Reenactment Saturday afternoon off of Tune road near Chehalis.
A canon is fired during a Civil War Reenactment Saturday afternoon off of Tune road near Chehalis.
The battle comes to end as people dressed as soldiers are seen sprawled out in a field during a Civil War Reenactment Saturday afternoon off of Tune road near Chehalis.
A man walks through gun smoke while sporting a Confederate flag wearing time appropriate wardrobe during a Civil War Reenactment Saturday afternoon off of Tune road near Chehalis.
Around 550 men and women gathered in Chehalis this weekend clad in wool uniforms and Victorian dress to turn back the calendar to 1863.
The living historians were part of an effort to reenact two battles of the American Civil War — the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of Gettysburg. The Civil War reenactment is an annual affair in Chehalis, with a different battle fought each year.
It’s the history of the battles and the chance to teach thousands of attendees about life during the war that keeps reenactors coming back year after year.
“Though it’s a reenactment, our main focus is to teach the history,” said Chip Duncan, executive director of the Veterans Memorial Museum, which has hosted the annual reenactments since 2011 (with the exception of 2016) in conjunction with the Washington Civil War Association. “We really want people to understand what the history of the events were and the significance of it all.”
The 1863 battles were chosen because this year marked their 155th anniversary.
On Saturday, reenactors showed the Battle of Chancellorsville, which resulted in a Confederate victory.
Waged from April 30 to May 6, 1863, the battle had 17,287 Union casualties (1,606 killed, 9,762 wounded and 5,919 captured or missing), according to Americasbesthistory.com. Those numbers include simultaneous nearby battles that were fought as a part of the larger Chancellorsville Campaign.
The Confederacy, by comparison, lost 13,303 soldiers (1,665 killed, 9,081 wounded and 2,018 captured or missing), including Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, who was hit by friendly fire and had to have his arm amputated, which contributed to his death eight days later.
There was a reenactment of the battle in the morning and another in the afternoon. In between, attendees were able to hear presentations about different facets of the war.
Swift Williams, 10, of Bainbridge Island portrayed a junior hospital steward and explained details about the operations of a Civil War field hospital, including a demonstration on how pills were made.
Others cleaned guns, played music and cooked food.
Reenactors were also available to answer questions and engage with attendees.
“They really love being able to explain the history,” Duncan said. “We’ve got re-enactors that come from Idaho, Oregon and all over Washington.”
Matthew Rodli of Yakima, who was enjoying his first time as a reenactor at the Chehalis event, said he was there to shoot cool, antique guns and learn more about the history of the Civil War
Fellow reenactor Christopher Barrenger of Spokane, a third-year veteran of the event, said, “Just reading about history isn’t enough.”
An impromptu train robbery reenactment also broke out in between battles Saturday as a rag-tag group of Union and Confederate “deserters” were disgruntled by lack of pay. Some of the reenactors said they’d been waiting years for an opportunity to stage a train robbery.
Once again, reenactors brought another battle to life on Sunday — the more famous Battle of Gettysburg, which resulted in more than 23,000 losses on each side.
Fought between July 1 and July 3, 1863, the battle is known for being the war’s deadliest as well as its turning point.
Union Maj. Gen. George Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert. E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, which halted the South’s invasion of the North.
Rob Sande, a history teacher at W.F. West High School and one of the organizers of the reenactments, gave presentations about the battles and their historic significance. He was overjoyed that the event continues to draw interest from reenactors and attendees alike.
“This was a dream back in 2010,” he said. “I went to Chip and said, ‘We’ve got to do something with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.’”
So in 2011, they did a small reenactment in the field next to the Veterans Memorial Museum. Since 2012, they’ve been on the much larger site at 313 Tune Road, about a mile from the museum.
“It’s become very popular for the reenactors,” Sande said. “It’s one of the only in western Washington now.”
Duncan said he is thankful for the success of the event, too, and is glad it’s in Chehalis.
“Reenactors kind of get this bad rap that they’re just dressing up to play soldiers, but that’s never the reality,” he said. “These are people who are just passionate about the history and about teaching it to people.
“They just want to bring history to different communities and we’re lucky enough to be one of those communities.”
