Destiny's March

Every year, since 2002, Shippensburg, PA has celebrated, or rather honored it's role in the American Civil War. Besides the hundreds of men from the local area who went off to fight and sacrifice their lives, Shippensburg is just across the South Mountain, north of Gettysburg, and from June 23rd through the 30th of 1863 was occupied by 20,000 Confederate troops as they prepared for the coming battle. This weekend, the last full weekend of June, Shippensburg hosts the March To Destiny. This weekend is full of activities such as encampments, a Victorian Ball, music and reenactments. Yesterday I attended the street skirmish which involved probably 80 soldiers and cavalrymen. They fought back and forth showing how battles were fought close up and disciplined. They fired cannons, rifles and shotguns and on more than one occasion you could hear the famed rebel yell. when it was over they marched back to their encampments, the southern troops singing Dixie. There were speeches by "Abe Lincoln" and "Gen. James Longstreet", portrayed by a local man who has posed as Longstreet from painters and sculptors.