Gettysburg, again

Julie Bosman has an article in The New York Times, with photographs by Giles Price, of the recent reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg, which Rico attended, with his friend Stefan, as reenactors:

The Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the Civil War, was fought in July of 1863 over three days of unrelenting heat, smoke, and death. “The ground was soaked with the blood of as brave men as ever fell on the red field of battle,” a Confederate colonel recalled. 150 years later, thousands gathered to watch re-enactments of the battle, including Pickett’s Charge, a disastrous move for the Confederates. Allen Baldwin, who played the role of the Union commander, says everything was carefully scripted and rehearsed. The characters who “died” were chosen in advance, some based on their birth month, and had to stay dead for the battle’s duration, sometimes as long as an hour. Re-enactments are intense experiences, Baldwin says. “Guys are paying honor to their ancestors, and there’s a lot of emotion.”

Visitors to Gettysburg for the Sesquicentennial: 55,000

Soldiers who fought at Gettysburg in 1863: 160,000

Casualties in 1863: 51,000

Reenactors in 2013: 11,000

Casualties in 2013: minimal

Confederate General James Longstreet, portrayed by Ronald Hawkins

Confederate Major General George Edward Pickett, portrayed by Niles Clark

 The dead on Saturday (that's Rico, in the back with the Union artillery)

 A lady in mourning, portrayed by Linda Gray

 A member of the Pennsylvania Reserves, portrayed by James Mayorker

 The dead on Sunday, following Pickett's Charge

 Member of a Woman's Relief Society, portrayed by Ashley Sonntag

 Union General George Meade, portrayed by Joseph Schafer

 Spectators watching Union soldiers form up

 Confederate General Robert E. Lee, portrayed by Al Stone

 A Confederate Texas Ranger, portrayed by John Kish, Jr.

Harriet Tubman, portrayed by Carolyn Evans