The City of Appomattox houses the newly formed Appomattox Station Battlefield, only recently identified as the location of the battle on the evening of April 8 that pitted Confederate artillery and calvary against Union infantry and cavalry. [artillery are the cannons, infantry the ground troops, calvary the men on horses]. It is significant that there are no Confederate infantry who are back in Appomattox Court House, the center of the final action and eventual surrender.
About 200 or so people converged on this small parcel of land to see the evening's reenactment. Around me were among others 1) a family that had grown up in Appomattox and with a point of a finger, showed me their house just past the boundary of the field 2) a man in a vest and period hat with a very good camera and his wife (from Memphis?). In other words, southerners, friendly, talkative and a lot of fun. This is significant because I run into the photographer later who helps me out with some picture taking.
This is the first calvary battle I've seen and I am impressed by the way that the horses are handled and become part of the visual display as in the final moments, both calvary forces fight with swords while on their horses.
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