1861-1865

Our visit to Astoria wasn’t just to go to the beach. Actually, the main reason we went was to see the Civil War reenactment at Fort Stevens, which my brother Stephen and friend Sam were participating in. (You don’t mind a little bit of limelight, do you, guys? Hope not. :))


They’re definitely Civil War buffs, to put it lightly. They know all the names, places, and dates; they read the massive Shelby Foote volumes. It’s pretty awesome.

Even for a far less extensively educated person like myself, it was a lot of fun to watch them reenact a couple of battles and camp life. I even tasted some of Sam’s homemade hardtack. (Let’s just say it was true to its name!)


One of the more entertaining aspects of the battles were the deaths. They really get into acting out a gory wound!


Here’s the Union Army…

… and the Confederate Army.

There were a lot more women reenactors than I was expecting. Some dressed as men and joined the soldiers, but most wore the latest 1860s fashions—heavy full skirts over hoops (Laura Ingalls Wilder, anyone?) and shirts with high collars and full-length sleeves. It was a really hot weekend, so they were all a little miserable—the soldiers in their wool jackets and the ladies in their big, heavy dresses! Can you imagine living that way every day of your life—especially in the dead of summer? It’s amazing what people went through, either for the sake of propriety (no skin showing except hands, face, and neck) or fashion (hoop skirts and corsets)!

Finally, a few shots from our visit to Fort Columbia:

Have a happy day!