After having lived in this area for over 10 years now, I finally got around to going out to visit Ft Delaware.  

This weekend was one of their 3 POW weekends at the Fort.  And while I wasn't able to particpate as a prisoner (went as a spectator with my son), my nephew was able to go.  He fell in with some guys from another group and together proceeded to raise some issues with the Federal guards.

The trip to the Ft was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that we pulled up just as the Ferry was leaving and would not return again until an hour later.  Once we got over there, it was a nice ride to the fort.

We were greeted by the volunteer explaining the programs and presentations going on.  My son wanted to look around the inside of the fort, so we made a sweep of the inside and talked to a couple of the people.

Then we wandered down to the prisoner barracks and talked to a couple of the prisoners.  For my son the highlight was to see his cousin shackled and sitting under guard.  And then to see them fire off the mortar there in the middle of the fort.

Now I need to see about getting a pass for one of those weekends where I can go play prisoner because it looked like they were enjoying themselves out there.

I went back this weekend for the 3rd and final POW weekend for the season at Ft Delaware.  This time I went as a Prisoner.

The period they were portraying was August 1864 and we were to be some of the first prisoners being brought up from around Petersburg.

We were put up in the reproduction prison barracks and once the first couple of visitor trams came through with people we were marched out and brought to the fort to go through the in processing.  Our gear was searched and contraband items were confiscated.  We were registered with the clerk who filled out the forms about name, regiment etc..

We were then asked if any wished to take the oath of allegiance.. and of course given our warnings about how to behave at the fort.  Then marched to our barracks where we were dropped off.  From this point we were then free to relax in the barrack and talk with the spectators.  We spent much of the time doing first person, we could "take our hats off" and talk to them in a 3rd person.  We sometimes did this for groups that had mostly kids in so we could talk to them about the uniforms and the stuff we had.  

At the same time, we also worked trying to "escape".  Me and some of the boys built a raft and made for one of the sea walls to get off the island. But we were spotted and also one of the boys in the barracks turned us in to the guards for an extra ration.

The guards put us through period punishments for the display of the spectators.  

When the park closed we took a "ghost tour" of the fort which was interesting but nothing that spooky.  It was neat to be able to see the inside of the fort and just the size and scope of the place.

Sunday was much of the same in terms of activities.

Greg.

Did they take your canteens?

Quote :

Bill wrote : Greg. Did they take your canteens?

During the in-process, they took our canteens, and knives and anything else they thought we could use.  They also confiscated any Federal gear that the boys might have been wearing.. (hats, jackets, etc..)  

A couple of the guys had brought their federal kits with them because they were going to try to recreate an occasion where some of the confederates were able to steal some officers uniforms and went into the officer's party that was happening in the fort.