I live near Perryville, KY, where they have re-enactments every year. After watching the first one, I realized where they got all those “extras” for the movie. The scene where the camera scrolls by all the firing canons gave me goosebumps. Heck, just writing about it brings tears to my eyes.
You really got a fairly good feel for what it would have been a participant in such an event. Well, as good as a movie can bring. Your own understanding can add to it.
On a side note, having now lived in Kentucky for six years and learning all about ticks and chiggers on my forested property, I honestly don’t know how any of those soldiers back then survived the bugs.
And Longstreet so badly wanting not to send the men forward that, at the end, he just nods his agreement to start the march to Pickett. Definitely goosebumps. I’ve never seen a re-enactment. Must be amazing. Weren’t more of the soldiers lost to diseases than to battles?
I remember reading about that during the making of the movie. The Hollywood actors said that they were loaned many authentic pieces of equipment by re-enactors to preserve the authenticity of the film. The re-enactors also spent a lot of time explaining exactly how equipment was used, how manuevers were made and what had gone on in the battle so that the movie actors could better get "in" their roles.