Fort Macon, NC: The kids watch as the soldiers load the cannon with gunpowder and FIRE! I could feel it in my chest. This cannon launches a 6 pounder.
Each of these men has a different duty in the launching of the cannon ball. The worst job has to be that of sticking your thumb in this hole to make it airtight. The poor guy at least gets to wear a leather thumb protector to fend off the heat, but still. The launching of a cannon is quite dangerous. It was our 1st time seeing the cannon FIRE. We got to see a musket FIRE one summer and I thought that was LOUD. 
Seeing the fort come to life with soldiers and women in period costume was really impressive.
It's hard to see, but this is inside one of the rooms of the fort... a bunk with soldiers writing home and a couple playing their violins and singing to pass the time.
Scott got to train as a soldier and was paid with some currency from that time period after his training. He enjoyed the training session though it was quite hot. Imagine what it was like to be in a wool uniform. Whew!Fort Macon, NC came to life this year as we got to witness the firing of a cannon. The rooms in the fort were filled with soldiers in uniform and women dressed in mourning. It was a great depiction of how the fort actually functioned. The gates were opened inside the kitchen, where they were cooking a stew for the soldiers who had spent the night in the fort. We saw soldiers using ink wells to write letters home. There were people playing violins and singing songs of comfort for those in mourning as well as songs to brighten spirits. The hospital ward was open and that was down right scary. Really makes you appreciate the sacrifices our countrymen have made over the years. To see the tools and lack of sanitation, as well as the small medicine drawer, made me cringe. There was an amputated leg on the operating table. When we left the hospital ward, Mackenzie said, "That was Joseph Smith's leg wasn't it?". I thought that was pretty funny. I guess she remembers the movie we saw in the Washington DC Visitor's Center in April where Joseph Smith as a young boy had bone cut out of his leg to remove disease. Then, Sunday morning, when Brother Sinclair came into the chapel and sat down, Mackenzie said, "There's Brother Monson." She was so excited to see the prophet at church. I had to correct her. She makes us laugh. Just too sweet!
