Sounds of the battlefield roar at American Revolution reenactment
EASTAMPTON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- "No, I'm not from the 1700s, although I feel like it's sometimes," said Paul Loane.
Loane has been a history buff since his childhood. It was around the time of America's bicentennial that he became invested in the Revolutionary War.
"I've been reenacting now for 49 years," said Loane, who is a commander with the Second Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line and the 43rd Regiment of Foot. "It's a wonderful hobby. I like history and this is really a unique way to enjoy it."
Loane led a troop of Revolutionary reenactors through a musket-firing and cannon-blasting demonstration for dozens of onlookers at Historic Smithville Park.
"You feel, like, the ground rumble," said Christine Belonis from Hamilton, New Jersey. She was excited for her two young children to get a close-up history lesson today.
"This gives them a chance to actually learn what it may have been like to live back then," she said. "What these people actually fought for is the reason we're able to celebrate this holiday today."
That holiday, of course, is Independence Day. It was July 4, 1776, when the United States unanimously declared independence from Great Britain. But a years-long war was waged to actually achieve it.
"During the Revolution, it was very busy around here," said Loane about Burlington County and the state of New Jersey. "And we're here to inform the public as to what was going on in their backyard in those days."
To learn more about the Second Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line and the 43rd Regiment of Foot, visit their website.
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