Fort McAllister came to life with history Saturday when Civil War re-enactors set up camp at the state historic park in Bryan County.
Re-enactors from all over Georgia dressed up in period clothing to be on hand for the fort’s annual Memorial Day program with musket and cannon firings, demonstrations and more.
Rick Phillips and Jim Willis were two of the re-enactors. Both men said they keep the memory of their ancestors alive by re-enacting.
“We are not promoting war,” Willis said. “We are promoting remembrance of the people who died in the war and their history.”
The Civil War produced 620,000 casualties, he said. If one were to add all the war dead from World War I and World War II to today, Willis said it would still be less than number of those killed during the War Between the States.
“There was nothing civil about this war,” he said. “It was a brutal and nasty war.”
The re-enactors appear to take great pride in preserving the history of country, as well as the fort, and they enjoy sharing it with the visitors of Fort McAllister.
“We are here on Memorial Day to honor everybody in the military, who has fought for what they believe in” Phillips said.
Marie Miller of Effingham County brought her family and friends to the fort Saturday. Miller’s son, Scotty, said seeing the re-enactors was exciting and the fort’s museum was “really cool.”
The next program is scheduled for the July 4, when troops will fire special salutes, and kids and adults alike will have the chance to play Civil War-period games and eat a cool slice of watermelon. The cost of admission is $3.50 for kids and $6.50 for adults.