"Everybody else does scripted battles, so why us too? This is more fun," Pratt said.
The Charles Town event also differs from many re-enactments in that it is not the re-creation of a single battle but a re-enactment of the type of skirmishes that happened frequently in Jefferson County during the Civil War.
"This area had five Aprils of constant battles. Nothing major, but almost daily skirmishes," Pratt said.
Frank Gift, vice president of the Charles Town Heritage Association and an event organizer, said the Charles Town area saw many Civil War skirmishes because of its proximity to Harpers Ferry, a strategic Civil War location, and the lush farmland in the Shenandoah Valley.
Gift, who also runs the Broken Spoke Saloon, a countertop and tent set-up at the main campsite, said the re-enactment was important because, "We're honoring the people that came before us."
Darlene Albin of Harpers Ferry, a spectator whose grandson was participating in the re-enactment, said: "I like the history. And it keeps history alive so generations to come will understand about it."
Gilbert Carpenter, 47, of Clarksburg, W.Va., also said showing younger generations what life was like and what happened during the Civil War is important.
Carpenter, who worked a front-line confederate cannon Saturday, said it is also fun "just to relive the Civil War like our ancestors did."
Lori Amodeo, 32, of Woodbridge, Va., came to re-enactment with her boyfriend, a Confederate re-enactor. Amodeo, who was cooking a pot roast over an open fire near her tent, said, "I like the camaraderie, and being outdoors and learning a little bit about how we used to live."
Pratt, the victorious general Saturday and a developer during the week, said: "I like everything (about re-enactments). The teaching, the research, the battles, camp life. ... I just hate going back to the modern day."
