The Battle of Chickamauga at 150 and Teaching with Civil War Reenactments
Lisa Clark Diller I will admit to having been a re-enactment virgin until the weekend of September 21, 2013. As readers of this blog are well aware, we are in the midst of all things Civil War in the United States. Chattanooga, Tennessee, is marking its own big battles all this fall. Specifically, the engagements at Chickamauga occurred 150 years ago, September 19-20. As someone whose research reflects a great deal on another civil war (one in England in the 1640s), I have tended to smile blithely through local history enthusiasts’ explanations of the Confederacy, the Union, and the role played by East Tennessee in that conflict. However, as a teacher of a first year seminar who is always looking for the required “bonding experience” for my students, this year it seemed appropriate to participate in some local history. I don’t think this was one of the most effectively executed re-enactments (others with more experience have confirmed this opinion)....