Civil War Encampment Returning This Weekend To James A. Garfield National Historic Site

will host its third annual Civil War encampment July 13 through 15.

About 100 Union, Confederate, and civilian reenactors will be on
site to demonstrate Civil War-era drill and ceremonies, weapons proficiency, battle tactics, camp life and more. And it will all occur outside of the home of President James A. Garfield, who was a Union major general during the Civil War.

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The weekend will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday with a public symposium hosted and presented by the Northeast Ohio Civil War Round Table.

Speakers will present talks in the site’s auditorium on the following subjects: “How Ohio Won the Civil War,” “General Ulysses S. Grant” and “The Medal of Honor.”

These presentations are free and open to the public. However, limited seating is available in the auditorium. The symposium will conclude at 9:30 p.m.

From 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the encampment will be open to the public on the grounds of the Garfield site.

Reenactors from the 7th, 8th and 82nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as well as the 11th Misssissippi Volunteers and 7th Tennessee Dismounted Cavalry will be on hand to demonstrate Civil War drill and ceremonies, weapons, and camp life.

Musicians Steve Ball and the Camp Chase Fife and Drums will play Civil War-era music during both days of the encampment event.

Civilian “sutlers” will be on hand offering a variety of period items for sale to the public.

A number of the Civil War era’s most famous personalities -- including Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, James A. Garfield, Ambrose Burnside, and William T. Sherman -- will be present in the form of portrayals by professional living historians.

Other notable activities and displays will include: Faire Time Toys (19th century toys to play with, a toy making workshop, and contests throughout the day); a Civil War surgeon’s tent with 19th century medical equipment; displays by Hiram College and the Sons of Union Veterans; Civil War Navy reenactors; and U.S. Cavalry artifacts from the Civil War era.