Military Through the Ages to feature hundreds of re-enactors for 40th anniversary this weekend

Military Through the Ages – a time-honored event at Jamestown Settlement – is set to mark its milestone 40th anniversary March 16 and 17. 

The event will feature hundreds of re-enactors depicting armed forces from 500 B.C.E. to modern day. Visitors will be immersed in military encampments and will have opportunities to interact with re-enactors and discover how uniforms, weapons and tactics evolved through the centuries.

For its milestone anniversary, the two-day event will present a series of military musical performances from the Revolutionary War, World War I and II to present. There will also be special demonstrations of military equipment use in the air, on land and at sea. 

Comparative artillery-firing demonstrations showcasing weapons ranging from a 17th-century swivel gun to a modern-day howitzer will be held on Saturday at noon. On Sunday at noon, the Virginia Army National Guard’s narrated flyover of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter will take place.

Re-enactment units originating from nine states – Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia – will participate in this year’s event. Three musical groups will perform throughout the weekend, including the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the AEF Regimental Band and 29th Infantry Division Band from the Virginia Army National Guard.

Military Through the Ages is included with standard museum admission, which costs $18 for adults, $9 for children ages 6-12 and is free for children ages 5 and under. Residents of James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg receive free admission with proof of residency.

Other events in and around the Historic Triangle this weekend include the St. Patrick’s Day Market in Yorktown, the Chesapeake Bay and Western Model Railroad Club’s free Spring Open House and Women’s History Tours at Lee Hall Mansion in Newport News.