Village of Hainesville Annual Civil War Encampment & Battle
Saturday, October 19, 2024 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 20, 2024 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Relive history as knowledgeable re-enactors, both military and civilian in period costume, recreate an American Civil War Encampment and Battle in a rural setting in Hainesville, Illinois. Event highlights include: a narrated military battle between Union and Confederate uniformed military forces (the Atlanta Campaign, May 7 to September 2, 1864), military and civilian bivouacs and encampments, battlefield surgeries, undertakers and period medical displays. Visitor participation in the instruction of military drill is also available.
Historical presentations are provided by such luminaries as Abraham Lincoln, General Grant, Elijah Haines (village founder), Mary Todd Lincoln, Harriet Tubman (who escaped Southern slavery to rescue some 70 other slaves) and Thomas Morris Chester (the only black war reporter for a major Civil War daily newspaper, the Philadelphia Press). Vendors of food, soap, wool and period military souvenirs will also be available.
Opportunities will exist for visitors to question participants about their knowledge of and their character’s role in that period of our history. They are very knowledgeable of that period and their role in it. This event provides a great history lesson and perspective.
Admission and parking is FREE. Additional event information and re-enactor registration can be found on the Civil War Event Page.