Smoke filled the air surrounding the Carter Mansion as a blank was fired from a rifle dating back to the Civil War.

Stuart Shelton, a re-enactor who works in tandem with Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, was dressed in the traditional parade garb a typical Union soldier wore during the Civil War for a demonstration on Wednesday.

Rifle and canteen in hand, Shelton set out to tell what life was like for these soldiers, and for William Blount Carter of the Carter Mansion.

Carter is thought to have played a large part in encouraging Union supporters to burn numerous bridges in East Tennessee during the Civil War.

According to Shelton, the Confederate soldiers began searching the cities for the individuals responsible for the arson. When the soldiers arrived at the Carter Mansion, Carter’s wife Elizabeth redirected them. She ordered her husband to hide in the bed and told the soldiers she was ill, assuring them “neither of his feet were on the plantation.” The soldiers believed her and left empty handed.

Shelton then displayed and demonstrated the various items a Union soldier would carry with them, including tin cookware, eating utensils and a journal.

Having been a reenactor since he was 17 years old, Shelton sees a tremendous importance in historical reenactments.

“It allows them to see what a battle or an event may have looked like in that time,” Shelton said. “I mean, I’m all about reading books, but sometimes that’s just stale.”

“The general public, at large, are more visual learners — they’ll remember what they see in a reenactment more than what they see in a book,” he added. “There is a reason why our brains are wired to witness all these different senses.”

The Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park has several reenactments and other activities on their schedule for 2017, which is available on their website.