Actors re-create Civil War at Greenfield Village

This holiday weekend, hundreds of actors re-enact scenes from the Civil War at the amazing Greenfield Village Museum in Dearborn. We visited the site Saturday to take in all its splendor. At 240 acres, it is the largest indoor-outdoor museum complex in America. Nearly one hundred historical buildings have been moved to the property from their original locations and arranged in a "village" setting. The museum's intent is to show how Americans lived and worked since the founding of the country. This weekend, feel the Civil War come alive all around you as bustling camps, cavalry and period music enliven an entire weekend filled with reenacted events.

This year marks the sesquicentennial of 1864, the turning point and final full year of the war. 1864 witnessed Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, the fall of Atlanta and Gen. William Sherman's subsequent March to the Sea, and the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, a series of battles that led to Lee's surrender.

This weekend in Greenfield Village, hundreds of Union and Confederate reenactors, civilians, musicians and historic presenters - all in period clothing - converge, eager to share their knowledge with you. There are dozens of opportunities to learn more about this pivotal time in American history: exhibits, presentations, battle tactics demonstration, hands-on activities and insights from historians.

Join the actors in honoring the sacrifices and achievements of all those who bravely fought and continue to fight in defense of our great nation. The Henry Ford will participate in a national moment of silence at 3 pm Monday as signaled by the Armington & Sims shop whistle.