Interpreting the Revolutionary War Era

A two-day living history interpretation of a military encampment during the American Revolution. Professional historians developed guidelines for training and evaluating 300 costumed interpreters who demonstrated military life, education, women's work, attitudes toward death, and medical practices during the eighteenth century. The encampment, which was held at historic Sully Plantation, attracted over 5200 visitiors who watched demonstrations and discussed life during the Revolution with interpreters. A similar event conducted in 1978 used scholars in the humanities to present lectures. Because these sessions were not as well attended as the demonstrations, the project directors revised their procedures and used the humanists to work directly with the interpreters. The historians who participated responded enthusiastically with one chairman of a history department commenting, "I do not believe that I exaggerate when I say that I have never seen learning and teaching joined in a more congenial atmosphere." Partial funding for the encampment was received from the First Virginia Bank.