Thousands of Civil War Re-enactors Take over Virginia Field (PHOTOS)

24 July, 2011

Roughly 10,000 individuals participated in a re-enactment to mark the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War’s Battle of Bull Run this past weekend.

Recorded temperatures hovered around 80 degrees Fahrenheit back in 1861, when the North and South clashed in what is now Manassas, Virginia during the Civil War’s first major land battle. This past weekend, temperatures soared to triple digits with a heat index reaching 115 degrees.

That didn’t stop the dedicated wool-clad Civil War re-enactors from staging a mighty battle.

A few hundred Civil War re-enactors, including cavalry members on horseback, bands playing Civil War era tunes, and ladies wearing hoop skirts and carrying parasols, marched through Old Town Manassas Friday morning, marking the start of the Civil War military parade.

The battle soon commenced at a nearby field. Here’s a look at the event:

Civil War reenactor Lynda Kerr of Concord, North Carolina, stays hydrated as the heat wave hits Manassas, Virginia July 21, 2011. Thursday marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run, the first major battle of the Civil War.

A Civil War reenactor orders some cold drinks from an ice cream shop as the heat wave hits Manassas, Virginia July 21, 2011.

Civil War reenactors and visitors cross train tracks in Manassas, Virginia July 21, 2011.

A Civil War reenactor sleeps in the shade of his tent in the Confederate Army camp on a blistering hot day in Manassas, Virginia July 21, 2011.

A Civil War reenactor walks past tents in the Union camp on the eve of the anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run, or the First Battle of Manassas to Confederate forces, in Manassas, Virginia July 20, 2011.

Confederate Colonel James Carver of Virginia Beach talks to his troops as they form up for the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

A re-enactor plays the fife before the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

Muskets are stacked as Union soldiers talk during the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run, on a blistering hot day in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

Confederate soldiers march off to fight during the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

Women Civil War re-enactors fan themselves during the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run, on a blistering hot day in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

Civil War Confederate reenactor Dwight Hensley of Frankfurt, Indiana, enjoys a smoke in Manassas, Virginia July 21, 2011.

Civil War reenactor Shirley Hackmann of Washington, Illinois, tries to stay cool while listing to a bank play Civil War era music in Manassas, Virginia July 21, 2011.

Union forces fire on Confederate lines during the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

The “dead and wounded” lie on the battlefield during the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

A young Confederate leads a unit to the battlefield during the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

A Confederate Civil War officer re-enactor inspects his troops as they prepare to march into the re-enactment of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run, in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

Confederates march toward Union lines during the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

Union forces fire on Confederate lines during the re-enactment of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia July 23, 2011.

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