One hundred and sixty-three years ago today – Oct. 14, 1863 – the Battle of Bristoe Station was fought in Prince William County, Virginia, in the third year of the American Civil War.
The Union forces, under the command of Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, were able to repel the Rebels’ rearguard attack, led by Gen. A.P. Hill, and secure a Union victory.
The U.S. suffered about 550 casualties, while the Confederates suffered nearly 1,400.
Pretty interesting stuff, huh?
Well, if you’d like to learn more cool facts about the war between the states, then this weekend’s Civil War reenactment – “The Battle at the Castle” – is just the event for you.
The two-day event, presented by the American Civil War Association, will be held Saturday and Sunday at Castle Noz, 6101 Keyes Road, in Snelling. Gates open at 9 a.m. and admission is $5 per vehicle. Thirty-minute battles will be held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. Food vendors will be on site selling breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs, and lemonade.
Before and between the battles, spectators are welcome to take a trip back in time and stroll through the Union and Confederate camps to see how the soldiers endured the hardships of war in the 19th century.
And if spectators get the urge to take up arms for the cause? Well, they can.
“If the public wants to participate in the battles, we will outfit them, and they can take part,” said Anna Quealey, a reenactor for the U.S. Marines Co. B, who also owns a Mountain Howitzer cannon that would’ve fired a 4-inch shot during the war. “They will just need to take a brief safety test.”
School tours are available on Friday. For information about joining a school tour – they’re open to home-school students, as well – contact Alaina Young at president@acwa.org or 209-747-3979, or Quealey at cwseamstress@yahoo.com.
“The public needs to remember the history of this nation that we live in,” said Quealey. “That’s what the American Civil War Association strives to do … to teach the public why the Civil War happened.”
The 20 acres surrounding Castle Noz make for a prime battlefield. Owner Casper Noz, a native of the Netherlands, is offering his site for the third year in a row.
Growing up in Europe, Noz developed an appreciation for architecture and history. By the time he was 20, he’d earned an engineering degree. The Denair resident has built his castle, brick by brick, over the past four decades.
“Holland is really into history, at least when I left,” said Noz, a self-professed history buff. “About 10 percent of the lessons in school were American history. When I grew up, we were still thankful that Americans helped us win World War II.”
Now, he enjoys learning all he can about the U.S. Civil War.
The ACWA seeks to educate the public about Civil War history through battle reenactments, recreations of authentic camps, and school programs. With the authentic uniforms, clothing, and equipment of the period, spectators can get a sense of how the men, women, and children lived through the hardships of the conflict that lasted from April of 1861 to April of 1865.
