Battle of Bordentown

Battle of Bordentown Patriots
Originally uploaded by esthergirl.

Never have I seen so many pony-tailed men and women wearing homemade outfits, camping in a field since my last Phish concert. And perhaps there might not be a better way to describe the “phandom” of colonial actors.

To help celebrate the 325th anniversary of historical Bordentown City, hoards of colonial-heads set up camp on the Divine Word Missionary campus to reenact the Battle of Bordentown. Apparently Mercer County has several of these events around the year (Washington’s Crossing being the most notable). But consider it cool that this battle was staged within walking distance of my house.

I could smell burn gunpowder and campfire just outside my door.

Call it living history. Each actor was dressed in authentic garb, eating authentic grub, and appropriately grouped. Yeah- imagine wearing a wool jacket on a June afternoon. The “lobster-backs” (Brits) held down one side of camp, while the colonists were staged at the other end. German and French forces were also present. Each and every colonial actor could roll off tomes of historical knowledge off the top of their head, and were more than happy to answer every bystander’s question.

Of course if you wanted in on the action, you could buy authentic-looking reproductions: clothing, weaponry, bedding, and colonial currency. Everything but food was for sale (colonial cooking craft doesn’t mesh with contemporary FDAA regulations). Like any other tourist trap, "shakedown" street was conveniently situated near the exit/entrance. Some of the vendors appeared to be well stocked. It wouldn't surprise me if some of them follow a summer tour of reenactments, venue after venue, selling their wares. But hey, I have no beef with cashing in on colonialism, especially considering the event was free to the public.

The battle reenactment itself was somewhat lame. From my point of view, a group of guys stood in a field for 30 minutes shooting off cap guns and cannons. My complaint isn't that real amunition wasn't used. Don’t get me wrong, dodging musket pellets would add a certain dramatic and realistic appeal (although somewhat gory). My beef was that no one feigned death throughout the battle. They aimed their weaponry at one another for 30-minutes and no one fell. Bleh. Call that unconvincing.

Tags: colonial, war, reenactment, battle, Bordentown