JONESVILLE, Va. -- People from nine states came this weekend to view a re-enactment of Civil War battles that occurred in Jonesville 145 years ago.

Brigadier General J. R. Parsons said Company E 37th Virginia was formed in 1991. “The first battle we did here, there was three of us that actually had weapons, the rest of us fought with wooden guns and that was in 1991. Look at us now. They called us Jerry’s Kids. Jerry’s Kids have three in Iraq now. Jerry’s Kids is no longer nine or ten years old, they are serving our country overseas. You know where they got their start? It was right here in Lee County, Va. I am proud of where I’m from and I’m proud of my ancestry. I have ancestors that fought for the blue as well as the gray and I’m proud of what they believed in,” Parsons stated.

Not knowing how residents of that era felt, he said it was a celebration to honor them and said, “We owe it to them. They were Americans whether they wore the gray or blue,” he said.

There were both a Union and a Gray hospital in Jonesville, within yards of each other. They long existed and now only the Confederate hospital remains and is owned by a lady that also lives in Middlesboro. There are still bullet holes and a cannonball is still showing where it struck the building, but did not explode.

“This shows it (the war), was not political to them. It means a lot to Jonesville, because there is a lot of heritage here, a lot of history here that a lot of people don’t know about,” explained Ronnie Montgomery, on whose land the battle was fought this past weekend as well as 145 years ago.

“Jonesville was founded in 1794. Lee County and Jonesville are some of the areas that were first formed in the state,” Montgomery stated. His ancestors came from a portion of Tennessee, at that time was part of Claiborne County and is now in Hancock County. He stated that his family fought for the north. “Our third great-great-great grandfather, Alexander Montgomery, died during the Civil War and was buried, in Lexington, Kentucky, in the federal section the cemetery on old route 23,” he explained.

Ronnie and his wife Sandy have been sponsors of the Battle of Jonesville among others. Over 17 years the program has gown and is getting larger each year.

“It gets bigger and better each year. It gets larger and you attract different people, especially learning of our area. This is something that is good, family education and fun. You will find that for most of these re-enactors it is a family-type event,” Sandy stated.

Parsons stated that the reinactment is an important part of our history. The Civil War was the only one where American fought against Americans as well as families against relatives, but were reunited as Americans and families.

“Whether they wore Gray or whether they wore Blue, it does not matter, they were Americans. They are part of our history and we can not deny our history,” stated Parsons.

The troups really know this history and action that took place in Jonesville.

“We try to recreate the battle as close as we possible can and they did an excellent job. We don’t know all the details, but we try to recreate the action, as close as possible, and still be safe,” he said.

Parsons said it is very unique viewing the battle as visitors sit on one side of a hill and look down into the short valley and up another hill to view the battle. “We do anywhere between 26 to 28 battles a year, in about nine states and this is an unique battle field and this is the orginal battlefield,” Parsons point out.

Parsons said when they were training in April for the battle they found enough original artifacts to fill two tin cans.

“We are actually living historians. You can go up to each and everyone, no matter where they serve, they can actually recite the Civil War off the top of their head. They don’t need a book to research it. They are true living historians,” Parsons explained.

C.J. Harte is a Correspondent for the Daily News. He can be reached via e-mail at charte@middlesborodailynews.com.

Photos: The Civil War of Jonesville, which took place 145 years ago, was recreated this past weekend on a portion of the original battlefield. Thousands watched as troops from nine states fought in the battle that the Union won.