A joyous Thanksgiving to all.

I'm taking a break from blogging for the next few days, in order to prepare for and enjoy the holiday (we'll be visiting friends in Maine). I'll leave you with this autumnal scene, taken the weekend before last, of an encampment of Civil War re-enactors on the lawn of Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, here in Brooklyn Heights. The statue in the background is of Henry Ward Beecher, the fiery abolitionsist preacher who made Plymouth Church a center of opposition to slavery in the years preceding the Civil War.


The unit these re-enactors have recreated is the 14th Regiment, a New York militia unit formed in Brooklyn. Their colorful zouave uniforms, and their courage in battle, got them nicknamed the "Red Legged Devils". You can read more about the unit's history here.

Below is a closer view of the encampment.