Lynn WiezyckiIn Mount Dora, Florida, the 2017 Battle of Townsend’s Plantation, Civil War re-enactment, was once again an interesting and photographic event. This is one of the smaller re-enactments in Florida but the venue makes it a fun one to shoot. The battlefield is on a small ridge so the action is easy to see and photograph even when sitting on the ground.
This year the Union soldiers came from the right side of the Townsend’s Plantation field and the Confederate from the left. Since this is not a re-enactment based on an actual battle, the generals devise a series of skirmishes that move the troops back & forth across the field.
Due to the location we were sitting along the very crowded spectator line, this year we mostly saw the Union troops in action. The Confederates never came that far over on the field.
The Union troops did move up & back a few times and our favorite thing, the cannons, started quite a distance away but eventually they moved closer & right across from us. So the cannon fire was pretty easy to capture this time!
In the end, this time the Union prevailed and the Confederates played taps over their fallen comrades. Then all were resurrected to re-enact another day!
As usual the camps were full of interesting people and things. If you make the trip to a Florida re-enactment or any re-enactment, be sure to check out the camps, in addition to watching the battle, as you can learn so much about the history of the Civil War (or other event re-enacted) from the people who put so much effort, time and money into participating in these events.
The battle of Townsend’s Plantation is very much a family event for the participants and spectators.
These are very popular events for schools to attend. Many have a special time on Friday just for school kids. So take your whole family. It is a great way to spend some quality time outdoors!
For more details visit the Battle of Townsend’s Plantation website.
Please visit my Gallery where these and many more images are displayed.
Equipment used for this event: Nikon D810, Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 lens and Gitzo monopod.
The most important item is my handy dandy PicnicTime Portable Recreation Reclining ‘Oniva” Seat . This seat carries flat with a shoulder strap. It sits on the ground flat and part of it folds up for back support or you can kneel on the seat and the part that folds up can be perpendicular to the seat for support. This is a must have to sit on the ground and save your back and seat!
That is all for now!
Battlefield is right behind Renniger’s Antique Center and adjacent to the flea markets.
Lynn
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