Re-enactment set for Aug. 7 and 8

By Denise Falk
Turley Publications Reporter

BRIMFIELD - History really does repeat itself. The Battle of Brimfield, a Civil War re-enactment event, will return this August after The New England Brigade and The Liberty Greys clashed in town two years ago. Historically accurate battles between Union and Confederate soldiers will once again ignite the landscape of the Heart-O-The-Mart fairgrounds on Route 20 as part of the “Two Wars, Two Towns, Two Days” event held in conjunction with the “Redcoats & Rebels” re-enactment event at Old Sturbridge Village the same weekend. The 10th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment in conjunction with Hitchcock Free Academy Community Center in Brimfield is sponsoring the event held on Saturday Aug. 7 and Sunday, Aug. 8.
The “Battle of Brimfield” is not just about battles but is a family program offering something for everyone, said organizer and re-enactor Caren Harrington. Most of the events take place in the fictitious town of Unity, located on over 25 acres at the Heart-O-The-Mart, she said. Special highlights and a few changes from the previous re-enactment event will enable the over 450 anticipated re-enactors to put on a more spectacular show, she said.
A highlight to this year’s program provides a rare opportunity for attendees to see a full-size replica of the H. L. Hunley submarine, the world’s first successful combat submarine, said Harrington.
“This is really special and should be a huge draw,” she said. According to the Friends of the Hunley website, the Hunley gained fame as the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic on February 17, 1864, by ramming her spar torpedo into the hull of the Housatonic. Minutes later the Hunley vanished into the depths of the sea and was recovered only in 2000, when the submarine was raised out of the water off the coast of Charleston, SC, with the remains of its crew at their battle stations. The original is now housed in South Carolina but a replica, built for educational purposes by John Dangerfield of South Carolina, will be transported north for the re-enactment event, said Harrington. “It has never been this far north, and we don’t know if it will come this far north again,” she said. Dangerfield will be on hand for the weekend discussing the Hunley in both formal and informal presentations, she said.
Another highlight and a new addition to the agenda is vintage base ball, with a game between two teams played on Saturday. Base ball cranks (1860s expression for fans) have an opportunity to see the Essex Base Ball Club and a newly forming area Vintage team play by 1860s base ball (baseball) rules at May’s field on Route 20, just a short walk from the Heart-O-The-Mart fairgrounds. The Essex Club formed in 2002 and according to its website, took its name from an actual team playing in Danvers, MA in 1859. The ballists (players) take to the field at noon on Saturday, Aug. 7. Bugs (another term for fans) can see strikers (batters) hit cloud hunters (fly balls), daisy cutters (ground balls), and foul ticks (foul balls), while hurlers (pitchers) toss jimjams (wild balls) and dew drops (slow pitches), all while wearing period reproduction uniforms. As rules of vintage base ball are considerably different from today’s modern baseball rules, Brian Sheehy from the Essex team will be on hand to discuss 1860s base ball on Saturday afternoon after the game, said Harrington.
Spectators can view the battles from the river’s edge at the Heart-O-The-Mart on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., said Harrington. Although the rain during the last event made the battles more historically accurate, Harrington said she’s optimistic for better weather this year. Lower branches of trees along the water where the battles take place have been trimmed and spectators can expect the battles to be more visible from across the water, she said. Infantry, artillery, and cavalry will all be participating in the event, she said.
In addition to battles and base ball, the two day agenda is chock-full of activities, demonstrations and discussions including drill and musket demonstrations, Confederate battalion drill, Living History presentations, field hospital demonstrations, heirloom vegetable presentations, 1860s music, 100 years of fashion, Polite Society 19th century tea, scones and desserts.
Ongoing for the weekend are Sutlers’ tents including Big Bear Trading Company, JR Robinson Mercantile, Blanket Brigade, and Oliver’s Music Shop. Other ongoing activities include horse drawn carriage rides by Hollow Brook Farms from Brimfield, cooking demonstrations, games and activities at the Whirly-Gigs Children’s Tent, artisan demonstrations and period cooking.
The Battle of Brimfield is supported by donations from numerous local businesses and volunteers, and hosted by the Heart-O-The-Mart and May’s Field, said Sue Gregory, director of Hitchcock Academy. Proceeds from the re-enactment event will be earmarked for care and maintenance of the 156-year-old building, she said. “Re-enactors come together and have a blast and do good deeds for us,” said Gregory. “People don’t realize that we do a lot of good work and are not just running around as re-enactors,” said Harrington. “We raise money for museums, archives, artifacts, gravestones and monument repairs,” she said. The 10th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment is presently raising money through donations and raffles to repair a monument desecrated at Gettysburg National Battlefield Park, she said.
Admission to the Civil War Re-enactment event is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors (65 and over), $4 for youths (3-17), and free for children under age 3. A family rate is available. Admission prices include entrance to the Vintage Base Ball game on Saturday or tickets for the game only can be purchased separately at a cost of $4. Event hours are Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional event information is available at www.hitchcockacademy.org