Glover's Regiment to Battle British This Weekend

If you run into a Red Coat in Marblehead this weekend, don't shoot when you see the whites of his eyes. Leave that to the fighting fishermen of Glover's Regiment.

The re-enactment group is setting up camp at Fort Sewall Saturday and Sunday. And things will get explosive.

"There will be tactical skirmishes with the British," said Captain Larry Sands, who runs the re-enactment group. There's a sea battle off Gas House Beach. "We have a longboat and artillery and cannons," Sands said.

The annual Fort Sewall encampment is a popular tradition in town, when dozens of people dress up in colonial attire and portray life in the 1770s. There will be soldiers, of course, but that's not all.

"We have a regimental surgeon, merchants, a tin smith making lanterns, a blacksmith with a forge and all kinds of craftsmen," Sands said. There will be women cooking period dishes and musicians singing sea shanties.

"We bring people through the camp on guided tours," Sands said. "We'll describe all the things going on, what people are wearing, the weapons they're carrying, the food being prepared."

And there's lots for kids to do. Fiachra Daly, 12,  and brother Eoghan, 7, have been battling the British for the last four years -- with their parents, of course.

The family sets up camp and lives at Fort Sewall for the weekend. The boys' father, Seamus, is a lieutenant in Glover's Regiment.

"I love it because we all lose our 21st century identities," Daly said. "It's the comaraderie. You totally remove yourself from your normal environment and lose yourself in this world."

What do his sons like most?

"Not changing our clothes for the whole weekend," said Eoghan.

"We also love the scurvy powder," said Fiachra, referring to the mixture of ground lemon rinds and sugar plums that soldiers ate to fend off scurvy. "It tastes like sweet tarts."

The Daly boys have an arsenal of wooden muskets and swords. Kids visiting the encampment learn how to march with colonial weapons.

The original Glover's Regiment -- made up mostly of Marblehead men and led by General John Glover --  worked closely with George Washington during the Revolutionary War. They were known as the "fighting fishermen" because many of the men worked the sea before the war.

The regiment was re-formed for the bicentennial and has been attracting  enthusiasts since.

"We have a love of history, a love of educating people," said Sands. "We like to bring history alive for others, so they can actually see uniforms close up, feel how heavy a musket is, hear the fife and drum."

Members include teachers, financial consultants, even an airline pilot. Many families join the regiment with their children to expose them to Marblehead's impressive history.

In addition to the encampment, the nonprofit regiment visits schools and scout groups throughout the year.

Fiachra Daly said it's important to remember Marblehead's special history. "Without John Glover, we would've lost a lot of battles against the British. We might have lost the revolution."

The Glover's Regiment encampment at Fort Sewall opens to the public Saturday at 10 a.m. For a complete schedule go to http://www.gloversregiment.org/.