Battles, re-enactors part of Lake Villa's Civil War Days

The Union and Confederated armies got another chance to fight the Battle of Bull Run — during the 9th Annual Civil War Days at the Lehmann Mansion in Lake Villa.

The event, which took place Sept. 17 and 18, was sponsored by the Lake Villa Historical Society, village of Lake Villa and the Army of the Cumberland.

In addition to re-enactments of the Battle of Bull Run/First Manassas, visitors experienced Union and Confederate encampments and civilian life during the Civil War on its 150th anniversary.

Also present were re-enactors who portrayed President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and General James Longstreet.

“We have 387 re-enactors, both military and civilians,” said Sue Cribb of the Lake Villa Historical Society. “We always have more Confederates than Union. There are some die-hard Confederates who haven't given up yet. We work hard to make it a family-friendly event so that people can spend the day and learn some history see what it looks like hands on.”

While walking past tents of soldiers in Confederate and Union uniforms, visitors had a chance to stop, ask questions about the time period of the war, listen to music and watch military drills.

“We are providing historical lessons and teachable moments through visual re-enactments of the Civil War,” said Steve Fratt of Hainesville, who played the part of a lieutenant colonel in the Union army.

“We are living historians. We are out to have fun while teaching the audience.”

“It is pretty cool. It's a lot of different things that people can learn about, like the era that this was going on and how they lived,” said Tim Gorski, 17, Lindenhurst.

“It was really interesting to see the battles and how they fought them differently. It's a lot of fun and a great educational experience.”