"We're angry. We're appalled and shocked."

Reed Lewis, the organizer of

, said he and others who participate in Civil War re-enactments are upset over the

. The FBI launched an investigation after an unidentified device was found on the property, leading to an evacuation and early end to the event.

Days beforehand, the organization behind the re-enactment reported

of "bodily harm to attendants of [the] event."

"What this is going to do, it's just going to put it on the event organizers to make sure that security is heightened," said Lewis.

While he was not at the Cedar Creek event over the weekend, Lewis said there was a change in the atmosphere at his own event in September, with some concerns over security. A re-enactment in Manassas, where the first and second battles of Bull Run occurred, was canceled in late August amid safety worries.

Lewis said fear would not silence those participating in re-enactments, however.

"We will never lay down our uniforms and our gear and our weapons because it is what we use to teach the history of the period," he said.

State Police "rendered" the object found on Saturday safe. Investigators asked anybody that witnessed suspicious activity to contact the FBI at 804-261-1044.

Civil War reenactments and landmarks are a huge force for tourism in the Shenandoah Valley, bringing thousands of people and nearly $300 million overall each year. You can learn more about that impact and the people who participate as "living historians" in reenactments through

.