Monterey Pass Battlefield will host a unique living history weekend on July 6-7 that will engage history lovers with new lively interpretations of 1863 battle. The centerpiece of these events will be “Thunder and Mud”, an ambitious recreation of the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg battlefield. Columns of soldiers will march eight miles from Fairfield PA to Monterey Pass, reenacting here for the first time how transportation logistics were crucial components when tired, hungry, and injured Civil War armies departed from fields of battle.
Monterey Pass Battlefield is a 125-acre natural, cultural, and historical park in Washington Township. Located near Blue Ridge Summit, the park preserves a portion of the 1863 tract that saw Pennsylvania’s second largest Civil War battle. The park also includes a quality museum and a network of forested trails that showcase the diverse natural abundance found in Appalachian environments.
This year marks both the 161st anniversary of the epic Gettysburg battle and the following combat at Monterey Pass. When Robert E. Lee was defeated at Gettysburg, his army was forced to retreat toward a safe haven, waiting on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. After the Confederates formed two massive wagon-trains, the Federals chased them toward the Potomac. One of those Rebel groupings lumbered up the eastern mountain slope toward Monterey Pass and were caught in torrential rain amid powerful thunderstorms. The roads then turned into a quagmire, as Rebels fought Yankees in a dramatic late-night battle pierced by random flashes of lightning.
The Thunder and Mud reenactment will offer a new perspective on troop maneuvers leading up to the Monterey Pass battle. Ashley Sonntag is a Co-Coordinator for the event, which is affiliated with Civil War Historical Impressions, Inc. (cwhi.org), a group that teaches America’s history through battlefield reenactments and living history programs.
“We’re excited about this event,” Sonntag said. “This reenactment will show movements rarely seen and teach why logistics and planning were so important during the Civil War.” Sonntag is well educated in this military era, earning a degree in History and Civil War Studies from Gettysburg College. Her co-coordinator is Timothy Smith, who spent months researching and plotting the modern-day route Confederate reenactors will traverse up the mountainside.
This event will adhere to strict guidelines to create an accurate historical experience for the marchers and the public. Fifty soldiers representing the 1st North Carolina Sharpshooters will march in column by rank, wear period uniforms, carry authentic equipment, and be issued rations reflecting supplies available to 1863 troops. An ambulance wagon will accompany the reenactors to Monterey Pass- for an added dose of authenticity- and also for the marchers’ safety as they ramble toward the pass with full backpacks in July heat.
To begin the event on Saturday morning, participants will be transported to the Fairfield Fire Department (106 Steelman Road, Fairfield) and the march is scheduled to start at 7 am. Due to safety and logistical issues, the public is not allowed to join the marchers. To best appreciate the reenactment, the event organizers suggest attending the morning launch in Fairfield, or welcome the marchers at the event’s termination point, which will likely conclude at Monterey Pass between 11 am and 1 pm. Due to regular breaks for the marchers, the uphill climb, and changing weather conditions, the exact arrival time is uncertain. The marchers will walk on public roads, so they can also be seen enroute. But Thunder and Mud organizers ask the public to not follow them in vehicles, and to please stay alert on the roads to help keep these reenactors safe.
Throughout the weekend, other living history programs will take place at Monterey Pass to complement the retreat event. Federal reenactors will be present all weekend at the park (Sat 9-5, Sun 9-2), conducting demonstrations of camp life, Civil War era medicine, and local civilian culture. Infantry drills will be held Saturday at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm. The 10th Massachusetts unit will conduct a military camp life discussion at noon on Sunday. Both Union and Confederate forces will encamp at Monterey Pass over the weekend. The park’s battlefield museum will also be open.
These weekend events will also serve as a fundraiser for the Friends of Monterey Pass. Proceeds from the marchers’ entry fee will be presented in a ceremony after the march concludes. The public is also encouraged to make donations to help this historic battlefield continue its educational mission. For more information about these special July 6-7 events, visit the Monterey Pass website: montereypassbattlefield.org
