The annual reenactment of the Civil War was staged over the weekend in Knights Ferry, with a pair of battles on Saturday and two more on Sunday. The realistic fire fights saw cannons booming across the valley, soldiers making their way through the bright green grassy hillsides of the Ferry and camps set up on both sides of the Stanislaus River.

In between battles, reenactors met with visitors to discuss life in the Civil War era, from the dress to the food to the bitter division of the country during the war.

There was a mercantile, blacksmith shop, the local Rainbow Girls and Knights Ferry School were among the groups offering food and beverages, and the weekend was a virtual living history lesson.

The American Civil War Association puts on the event with the cooperation of the Army Corps of Engineers, the battles staged around the historic covered bridge at Knights Ferry.