In addition to reenacting camp life, a battle is staged each day of the weekend event. The skirmish is recreated, but not necessarily the way it happened. The battle reenactment is good to teach children history, but it's not always true. The grounds open to the public at around 10 a.m. A battle takes place at about 2 p.m., and the raids are over after the battle.
All events are free.
Reenactors, some 300 in all, come from all over Florida. Usually at the River Raids, the Confederates outnumber the Yankees at least four to one. We travel to reenactments every other weekend. Phyllis Zaresky of Fort Lauderdale and Roberta Hickey of Weirsdale, both dressed in Civil War-period clothes, were recalling the granddaddy of reenactments. We were both in New York in 1976, for our country's celebration.