The Battle of New Bern

New Bern, NC
35 06.02 N 077 02.56 W

Today we went to the reenactment of The Battle of New Bern. It was more fun than I anticipated.

Never mind that the reenactment wasn't as historically accurate as it could have been. The real point is to entertain the reenactors and the spectators alike and that they did in style. The booming sound of the cannons and the muskets was real. The smell and sight of gunpowder smoke enveloping us was real. The men, their uniforms and equipment all seemed real. That was all the reality needed to have fun.

The scenario was that a Yankee fleet would arrive and bombard Union Point at New Bern. At the same time, Yankee troops would arrive chasing retreating rebels in front of them. The troops attacked soon after the ship bombardment and overwhelmed the defenders.

From Battle of New Bern

From Battle of New Bern

Video from Battle of New Bern

From Battle of New Bern

From Battle of New Bern

Video from Battle of New Bern

Meka II (see below), the square rigged boat with the steam engine also turned out to be more than I expected. I looked up on the Internet and found a story of a modern day privateer and cruiser extrodinare. Read it yourself here.

From Battle of New Bern