Civil War aficionados transformed Market Square into a living, breathing museum Saturday, as actors ambled around in period garb and taught visitors about Alexandrias unique role in the War Between the States.
The event, held three days before the 150th anniversary of Union troops occupying the city, marked Alexandrias kick-off to four years of commemorating the transformative rift between North and South.
From the very day that Virginias ordinance of secession was ratified on May 23, 1861, it was a town in the path of war, a place where North and South converged, Mayor Bill Euille told a crowd of hundreds. Many of the interpreters and participants in this event will provide a framework for better understanding the Civil War story of Alexandria.
