Clarification

I posted yesterday about Confederate Sunday at Fort Pulaski, and I would like to explain a little about our program here. On Monday-Friday we alternate between guided tours of the Fort, usually led by a ranger, and musket firing demonstrations. The shooters wear Union blue uniforms, as do some of the rangers leading the tours.

Saturday is Living History Saturday, and interspersed with the tours and musket firings, are three sessions of cannon firing demonstrations. Again, those firing the cannons are dressed as Union soldiers, and you can see that from some of the cannon and musket pictures I've posted.

Monday through Saturday the Union flag (U.S. flag) is raised, a replica of the one that was flown during the civil war.

Sunday is Confederate Sunday, and along with musket firing and tours, is a special tour and explanation of the prison which held "The Immortal 600". To make a long story short, the Union was often retaliatory against the South and in this case, handpicked 600 confederate officers who were in prisons, most of whom were amputees, and all of whom had serious illnesses. They were kept in a relatively small space in the Fort, and deliberately fed a starvation diet. The winter of 1864 is the coldest on record for this area, and several inches of snow lay on the ground, but the prisoners' coal was taken away, leaving them without cooking and heating. They began to burn their wooden bunks just to keep warm.

The volunteers and re-enactors wear the confederate uniform, and the flag over the Fort is the Stars and Bars, the official flag of the Confederacy.

Today, Monday, the uniforms were all blue, and here are a couple of re-enactors who play fife and drum.



A word about re-enactors - they probably exist in most states and sometimes form groups representing units from their state or area. They make or buy their uniforms and weapons, and take it all very seriously. They study the history of the war, the people who fought in it, and individual battles. In many cases they pass their love of history on to their children, who themselves take part in the re-enactments. I have a high regard for their knowledge and their attention to detail. If any of my readers are re-enactors, I would love to hear from you and to pass on your individual stories. And of course, if I've written anything that is not correct, please let me know.

On a different note, and if you can tolerate a couple more river pictures, here are two from this morning. Neither of these ships is carrying containers and I don't have a clue about their purpose. One is from the early morning dog walk, and the second was taken a little later in the morning. I caught it as it was going by the Coast Guard Station, and as you can tell, it is up close!