PETERSBURG - With a steady hand, 4-year-old Benjamin Owen braced himself against a tree trunk and lifted his rifle toward the line of troops assembled on the Battersea lawn.
"Fire," he shouted, shaking the gun with enough verve to knock his Colonial-era hat and blonde locks askew. Rings of smoke drifted across the field as British troops advanced towards the Virginia militia.
"They are the king's army, they have not been defeated in 800 years and today will not be an exception," Dennis Farmer's voice boomed over the crack of musket fire. Resplendent in Colonial garb and a five-animal hat, Farmer and his megaphone looped around the yard of the 18th-century Neo-Palladian style home, interpreting the re-enactment of the 1781 Battle of Petersburg.
Bystanders shuffled their Big-Gulp sized lemonades and bags of popcorn to clap for the 100 American, British and German forces participating in the 21st annual Revolutionary War re-enactment at Battersea, commemorating the 231st anniversary of British Brig. Gen. William Phillips' victory over Maj. Gen. Baron von Steuben's militia.
The two-day event draws hundreds of tourists into the city every year that come to tour the Battersea home, watch the battle unfold and interact with historical interpreters. This year featured a 1781 edition of Battle Barn War Gamers, a play-by-play account of the Petersburg conflict using hand-painted 28mm miniatures.
Petersburg's location placed it in the forefront of many of the most critical engagements in American history, which is a source of pride and financial success for the city. Heritage tourism brings in visitors from across the state and the nation, although most have been drawn to Civil War attractions in recent years, according to Kevin Kirby, the city's director of Tourism, Museum and Visitor Services.
"The tapestry of stories from [the Siege of Petersburg] is so rich, that by virtue of that, alone, the Civil War has often out-shined some of our other very significant historical moments here," Kirby said.
"It's an honor to be able to showcase one of the city's preeminent historic sites today," he continued. "Our mission is to showcase and educate the visitor, both local resident visitor and international visitor and everyone in between, to understand the story of Petersburg's history and how relevant it is to world history."
Mission accomplished, said Banning, Calif., residents Ron Willcoxon and Royce Newman, who had traveled to Virginia with their partners before embarking on a cruise to the Panama Canal. The couples had some spare time before they made their way up to the departure point in New York, and decided to take a whirlwind heritage tour of Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg and Petersburg.
"We stopped at a tourism center near Fredericksburg and picked up some literature that led us here," Newman said. "It's been a lot of fun, so far."
Fun is the operative word for Farmer, the battle's narrator, who began a life-long passion for historical interpretation as a child, playing the role of a drummer in Civil War re-enactments. The Michigan native, who has embodied Capt. John Smith and has participated in historical performances ranging from the American Revolution to the War of 1812, said that he finds joy in bringing history to life.
"I go by the adage, 'You don't understand someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes,' and it's an old one but I find it to be really true," he said.
Re-living the Battle of Petersburg literally places Farmer in a family member's shoes.
"Mine was a British ancestor who fought in this battle, but that's not really why I'm here - I only live eight miles away," he said.
Margaret Owen, 30, mother of 4-year-old Benjamin and wife of Jonathan, who participated in the re-enactment, said that many people dip their toes into the water doing family research before becoming full-blown historical re-enactors.
"It's so human to be interested in your own personal story, but when you go back far enough, it becomes everyone's story - they are all our collective ancestors," she said, gesturing towards the costumed men and women heading off to do battle.
Dressed in period garb and posted up on a blanket on Battersea's lawn with her three children, Benjamin, Charlotte, 2½, and 6-month-old Daniel, Owen said that the stories of history are worth repeating, if only to prevent us from re-living the past.
"If we don't appreciate what people have done, and what they've had to give up to get us where we are today, then who knows where we would be," she said.
