THOMASTON – Visitors to the Gen. Henry Knox mansion Montpelier stepped back in time this weekend as the sweeping lawn was converted into a Revolutionary War encampment.

Re-enactors from Capt. Samuel Goodwin’s company and Gen. George White’s company of the 11th Massachusetts Regiment cooked and ate fare similar to that consumed in the 18th century, except for a few red hot dogs spotted at the French Emissary’s tent, spent their nights in period tents and their days telling visitors what life was like when revolution formed a new country.

White’s company consisted of soldiers recruited from Lincoln and Cumberland counties who served with distinction through the American war for independence. They took part in the battles of Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga in New York and endured the hardships of Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. Before becoming part of the Continental Army, White and his men served in various militia regiments guarding the Maine seacoast.

Goodwin’s company was a group of soldiers that served along the Kennebec River during the French and Indian War, which was fought between 1754 and 1763. The company was created to protect Fort Shirley in what is now Dresden. They were paid by the governor of Massachusetts to protect corporate land interests along the river.

“It’s a chance for us to get to see how they lived for a weekend,” said Matt Payson of Lee, N.H.

Payson’s task on Saturday was to create a camp kitchen. The kitchen was basically a trench that had an area carved into its sides below ground that served as a wood-burning oven. A small hole was cut through the surface and a metal grate placed over it. Payson said every five soldiers were assigned a pot and they shared the rations among themselves.

“It was mostly salted meat,” Payson said as he checked a boiling pot of beef. “That and anything else they could find or get from the land. They also ate a lot of peas.”

Payson said he has traveled to many of the Northeast battle sites to take part in large re-enactments. He said the re-enactments at Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga were major events that attracted large crowds. Last year’s 230th anniversary of the Battle of Saratoga drew nearly 3,000 participants and as many spectators.

Approximately 50 re-enactors pitched tents, tended campfires and displayed their muskets in the typical military style of the period. The men, in full uniform, performed musket and marching drills. Their children, in period dress, went about their assigned chores and played 18th century games. The women did chores such as sewing and weaving. There were peddlers, scribes, blacksmiths, gunsmiths and even a school.

Payson, who is a warehouseman in the real world, said he was attracted to re-enactment by its historical nature. He said he enjoyed researching the period uniforms and equipment. He said he usually takes part in an event every month, including winter when re-enactors move indoors and garrison themselves at historic homes and sites.

“We do it to try and get the historical accuracy. We wear the same clothes, eat the same food, use the same equipment, use the same drill manuals and tactics,” Payson said. “We just like doing it.”

wgriffin@bangordailynews.net

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