Land Battle Re-enactment of the French and Indian War at Ogdensburg – July 22, 2012
Each July the folks of Ogdensburg, New York turn the clock back a few hundred years on a piece of open land at Lighthouse Point on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in order to welcome re-enactors interested in the skirmishes that occurred in the 18th century when this piece of property was the site of Fort de la Presentation. They are hoping that some day they will have been able to raise sufficient funds to begin a reconstruction of the fort itself as a tourist site of historical and educational interest. More information about Fort de la Presentation is here.
Click on image for larger view of this on-site placard.
As the beginning of the land battle draws closer, cannons roll in, the drummers start drumming and the troops assemble in period clothing ready to do battle. Lots of noise and smoke as the black powder artillery adds to the drama of the re-enactment.
This year, the Sunday battle was set up a bit differently than were the battles of the past three year’s of re-enactments and this provided slightly different photo opportunities and obstacles. The photos that follow are a selection of the activities and hopefully will provide an idea of the uniforms and the activities of the battle. As usual, the narrator did a great job of trying to describe what was going on out on the battlefield while some of the commanding officers might have been wondering what was happening in front of them :-). For some, it was simply a time of prayer as volleys flew across open space to find a mark. Nobody was really killed and some seemed to come back to life intermittently to swat a bug or two :-). Lots of fun for all involved. I didn’t seem to photograph as many of the British troops as I have at past reenactments – not sure why.
 
 
This year’s battle was staged under very warm conditions but unlike other years, rain wasn’t imminent.
At the end of the reenactment the participants came back onto the field of battle and paraded past the spectators. I was in the wrong position to photograph the British troops when they came by, so the French side gets more exposure in this blog at this end of the battle even though, in the actual battle 250 years ago, it was the British who succeeded in capturing the fort.
 
Please enjoy the other images of the Ogdensburg events as well as my images of Fort Wellington and the Battle of the Windmill from my July 22, 2012 travels.
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