For the second time in as many weeks, officials in northern Virginia are canceling a planned Civil War re-enactment in the wake of the deadly unrest in Charlottesville.
Judy Pedersen, a spokeswoman for the Fairfax County Park Authority, said Wednesday that would-be participants in next month’s Civil War Encampment Weekend have been notified that organizers have pulled the plug on the annual event.
The encampment had been scheduled for September 23-24 at the Sully Historic Site in Chantilly. The note to re-enactors cited ‘recent events’ as the reason for the cancellation.
Officials in Fairfax County, Virginia, are canceling a planned Civil War Encampment Weekend in the wake of the deadly violence in Charlottesville. This file photo from the 2009 re-enactment shows Confederate re-enactors firing their muskets
Confederate site: The event was to take place at the former Sully plantation in Chantilly – a 130-acre estate that was once owned by Richard Bland Lee, an uncle of General Robert E. Lee
The decision by Fairfax County comes after the City of Manassas earlier this month nixed a Civil War Weekend, citing the recent national tension over Confederate monuments.
The Fairfax County event was to have been held at the site of the former Sully plantation – a 130-acre estate that was once owned by Richard Bland Lee, an uncle of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
At the center of the sprawling, verdant property stands a three-story house that was built in 1794, surrounding by several out buildings.
Living history: As part of the event, re-enactors dressed as Union and Confederate soldiers (pictured in 2009) recreate Civil War-era daily life at camp and act out skirmishes
Mike Naliborski, a Union re-enactor playing a private in the 4th US Infantry, awaits orders before a major skirmish during the Civil War Encampment Weekend at the Sully Historic Site in Chantilly on August 15, 2009
As part of the event, re-enactors dressed as Union and Confederate soldiers recreate Civil War-era daily life at camp and act out skirmishes between infantry, artillery and cavalry.
Confederate memorials have been under increased scrutiny since deadly events of August 12 at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which had started out as a protest against the removal of a statue honoring Robert E Lee.
The violence surrounding the neo-Nazi rally culminated with James Alex Fields Jr, 20, ramming his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer and seriously injuring others.
On August 18, the City of Manassas announced the cancellation of its annual Civil War Weekend, planned for August 25-27, citing a desire not to exacerbate recent tension over Civil War monuments.
In a statement, local officials said that ‘recent events have ignited passions in this country surrounding the Civil War and the symbols representing it.’
Manassas spokeswoman Patty Prince said the city has hosted the weekend since 2011, when it was launched in connection with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. She said the weekend is one of the smaller events on the city’s tourism calendar.
The Manassas area was host to two major Civil War battles.