MovieChat Forums > North and South (1985) Discussion > So the women and children just hang out ...

So the women and children just hang out and watch the battles...

posted 12 years ago by daughterofolaf
5 replies | jump to latest

like they are watching a play or a show? That is so bizarre! This totally makes me want to read up more on the civil war.

"It's Minnie Pearl's murder weapon."

[–] faithheeld 12 years ago

In fact this actually happened at Bull Run I believe. Look it up. The spectators came out to watch, like a common sporting event and chaos broke out as everyone ran.

[–] spooky1912 11 years ago

That's correct--the First Battle of Bull Run. As far as I know, it was the first and last Civil War battle to have spectators on this scale!

[–] daughterofolaf 11 years ago

Thanks for the info. This just boggles my mind. :)

"It's Minnie Pearl's murder weapon."

[–] pullman1881 11 years ago

My understanding is that the rifles of the time couldn't really fire that far - many of them were still equipped with bayonets for close combat. It wasn't unusual for people to watch battles fairly close up.

[–] taylorje 11 years ago

In the beginning, the feeling was that the war wouldn't last long. It was like a spectator sport. That story was true, entire families turned out to watch the Battle of Bull Run. Brought lunch and had a picnic.