Smoke began to fill the air as the two lines of soldiers began firing at each other. The gray-coated Confederate forces maintained a Napoleonic formation.
Smoke began to fill the air as the two lines of soldiers began firing at each other. The gray-coated Confederate forces maintained a Napoleonic formation, while the Union soldiers in blue dropped into prone positions and used trees for cover.
It was the sixth time the battle has taken place, but unlike the first, the last five have had no casualties.
On Saturday morning, the Matheson Museum hosted the fifth annual re-enactment of the Battle of Gainesville, which took place in what is now Sweetwater Park behind the museum, just east of downtown.
The actual battle, which took place in August 1864, had around 340 Union soldiers fighting against about 175 Confederates. On Saturday, about 70 re-enactors were split evenly across the two sides to represent the fight.
Spectators gathered around 9 a.m., getting in position to watch the conflict.
Before the re-enactment commenced, onlookers were given context for both the larger war and the battle itself.
UF American history professor Jon Sensbach gave a 10-minute overview of the Civil War, which is still surrounded by controversy.
With the recent events in Charleston, S.C., where nine African-Americans were killed by Dylann Roof, who was known to be fond of the Confederate flag, there has been a tremendous surge of interest in the symbols of the Confederacy and what they mean, Sensbach said.
The debate over these symbols reminds us that symbols live in history, national mythology and in our emotions, he said.
As the two sides of the re-enactment prepared, Sensbach went on with his lecture, focusing on what he called three themes of the war.
The first, he said, was that the war that led to the demise of slavery was fought by two sides who were both, in some capacity, pro-slavery. Even the Union originally only wanted to contain slavery in the South and prevent it from spreading west, Sensbach contended. And there was no question the South also wanted to maintain slavery, he added.
“They were all explicit in their desire to preserve slavery,” Sensbach said.
The second theme was that the bulk of the Confederate army was comprised of ordinary, non-slaveholders.
“That raises an interesting question,” he said. “What are they fighting for?”
Finally, Sensbach added, African-Americans seized the Civil War as an opportunity to turn the war into a fight for freedom. By 1864, many former slaves were fighting in the Union army.
Keith Kohl, a re-enactor on the Union side, set the stage for the upcoming battle by retelling the events that led the two sides to come face-to-face in Gainesville.
After the Union captured the Mississippi River, the Confederacy was effectively cut off from Texas, its biggest beef supplier. Florida, the second-biggest supplier, thus became more important, he said. Florida was also a large supplier of salt, which was vital for preserving meats.
On Aug. 17, 1864, Union Col. Andrew Harris occupied Gainesville. His soldiers were tired from a long march when they were caught by surprise by Confederate forces, including the Second Florida Cavalry, under the command of Capt. John Dickison.
In modern-day Gainesville, as Kohl finished with the history, the re-enactors finished getting into position.
“Use your imagination,” Kohl said. “Strip away the modern pavement.”
Thunderous noises filled the air at 10 a.m., as the guns began firing. The guns were real, just not loaded with any deadly projectiles.
Smoke formed around the battlefield, as two Union soldiers took cover behind a large tree.
As the Union army maneuvered around the battlefield, one soldier got hit in his leg, alerting a medic to come give it attention.
The medics, like the guns, were also real, in case of any actual injuries.
The wounded soldier limped along as the Union forces advanced closer to the confederate line.
The United States Marine Corps, identifiable by their white pants, moved to the right flank of the Union line.
Confederate forces reorganized into a “U” shape, surrounding the Union line.
After several minutes of gunfire and a few dead Confederates, it looked as if the rebels were retreating, but that was not the case. As the Union stood where the Confederate line originally was, their opponent regrouped in the nearby woods.
The battlefield became quiet as the gunfire stopped. The silence didn't last long, as the Confederates moved toward the Union's left flank.
The Union moved to face them. The smoke became thicker than ever.
Now, the blue-clad soldiers began to fall back as the South advanced.
With one volley of gunfire, performed in perfect unison, several Union soldiers fell to the ground.
The two sides rotated 90 degrees around the battlefield and began firing on each other again.
The Confederate line split into two, with one larger group holding the original position, and another smaller group moving in to flank the enemy.
Finally, the Union began to retreat.
The original battle ended in 302 Union soldiers missing, captured or killed, and three dead and five wounded Confederates. Remaining Union soldiers retreated to garrisons in Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
Re-enactors from both armies regrouped to stand side-by-side for a rifle salute to the crowd.
Though the re-enactment lasted only about 40 minutes, the aftermath of the real war still resonates with people today.
Spectator John Morgan, from DeLand, is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He was joined Saturday by several other members of the group.
Morgan, who referred to the Civil War as “The War of Northern Aggression,” maintained that it really was about state's rights.
Brad Norwood, a Union re-enactor from Ocala, shared his views on why the Southern narrative of the war has survived to this day, and why discussion of the war still brings controversy.
Passions also still run high because the war affected so many people in the country on such a large scale, he said.
Nearly everyone has ancestors who fought on one or both sides, and there are areas all over the country that hosted battlefields. It affected Americans on a very personal level, he said.
Keith Van Leuven said the descendants of those who were affected hold onto their family's narrative of the conflict.
Norwood continued, emphasizing how the war failed to resolve many philosophical and cultural differences.
There is still a divide between the North and the South, and things like state's rights are still an issue for many people, he said.
“People think the Civil War is a settled issue,” Norwood said, “but the truth is, we're still dealing with echoes of the issues that drove it.”