Military Through the Ages Celebrates 25th anniversary at Jamestown
You never quite know what you’ll find at the Military Through the Ages event at Jamestown Settlement each March.
This year marks the 25th consecutive year for the special event that will be held on March 15-16. Reenactors representing nearly 2,000 years of military history will be on hand, showing how soldiers dressed, armed and fed themselves through the ages. In many eras, women and children followed along, so spectators get the full spectrum of life in wartime.
The groups also demonstrate military tactics and weapons and stage skirmishes and mock battles throughout the weekend. Past exhibits have included a medieval unit slinging cabbages with a trevochet, the Devil’s Nightmare Brigade with their colorful clothing and long lances, and military checkpoints with orders barked in foreign languages.
This is an outstanding event, with numerous field demonstrations and reenactors eager to answer questions. The units are judged throughout the weekend for historic authenticity, public interaction, military skills and, for those that choose to participate, historically accurate cooking.
Visitors this year get the added bonus of the special World of 1607 exhibit which runs through April 9, providing a global view of life in 1607, with the social, intellectual and economic changes that accompanied the development of the “New World.”
Even if you visited Jamestown during last year’s “America’s 400th Anniversary” or any of the past 24 MTA events, you’ll want to stop back for MTA weekend and the current museum exhibits. There’s always something new during this look at the past. I’ve participated in this event as a spectator and as a volunteer and I look forward to returning each year to see what the reenactment units have come up with to impress the judges this time.
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