Fort Harker re-enactment coming to Stevenson

News

Friday, 26 February 2021 10:26

In July of 1863, Union General William Rosecrans established his headquarters at Fort Harker, from where he directed a successful campaign against the position of Confederate General Braxton Bragg in Chattanooga.
The City of Stevenson is excited to allow the Hardee’s Guard Battalion to use Fort Harker for a living history. Re-enactors will be portraying the United States 6th Kentucky on Friday, February 26 through Sunday, February 28. Several re-enactment companies will be attending this year: the 18th Alabama, 31st Alabama, Cotton States Battalion, 125th Ohio and the Georgia Division, who will be arranging a school of the artillery at the event.

The schedule is as follows:
Friday, February 26: 8 a.m.: arrival and set up camps

Saturday, February 27: 6 a.m. – 4 p.m.: reveille, first call, form companies, school of a soldier, artillery and A Company, bugle call, lunch, School of NCO and Battalion. Georgia Division will have additional instructions and times for School of Artillery.

Sunday, February 28: 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.: each battalion in attendance will take charge of battalion for additional school of a soldier, company and battalion drills.

If interested in participating, the basic Western federal uniform suggestions are as follows: forage cap/federal or indigo blue wool with a correct leather bill and documented patters; civilian slouch hat/the brim should be stitched and include a sweatband; Hardee hat/should be black wool felt with a sweatband and stitched on the brim.

Shirts should be U.S. regulation issue with off-white domet flannel and hand-stitched with flat-felled seams; contract shirts should be blue, gray or tan cotton, machine stitched with hand-sewn button holes; civilian shirts should be hand-sewn 100% wool or 100% cotton-woven checks, or muslin with hand-sewn button holes.

Sack coats and frock coats: fatigue blouse, lined or unlined, made of wool with a four-button front. There should be hand-sewn button holes. (Schuylkill or Cincinnati arsenal recommended.); commercial blouse should be civilian manufactured and lined with four, five or six button blouse, hand-sewn button holes; frock coat should be lined and padded in the chest and lined in the sleeves with a nine-button front with pockets in the tails and hand-sewn button holes.

All trousers should be sky-blue and made of wool kersey with stamped-tin paperback buttons of documented pattern and worn with suspenders or waist belt; any type of period civilian model with tin or brass buckles.

Civilian pattern drawers and military issue drawers should have hand-sewn button holes.
Civilian socks should be particularly hand-knitted cotton or wool.
For shoes, Jefferson booties/brogans should be black with pegged, stitched or pegged and stitched soles; civilian boots should be identified.
All tents/gum blankets/ground cloth should be as follows: A-frame tents or wall tents; shelter half should be made of canvas twill with no brass grommets. They should also have rope and hand-sewn button holes; U.S. issue gum blanket or poncho with small grommets. Participants’ blankets should be brown or grey U.S. issue with brown being the preferable color; civilian blankets should be 100% wool and should be muted earth tones.
For accoutrements, haversacks should be U.S. issue tarred type. Canteens should also be U.S. issue smooth side with or without jean or wool cover. Knapsacks are optional but should be U.S. issue double bag, and blanket rolls are also encouraged.
Cartridge boxes may be .58 caliber issue boxes and may be carried on a belt. Proper tins must be included. Cap boxes must be U.S. M 1850 with U.S. shield front. The bayonet scabbard must be U.S. two, seven or eight rivet and must have an attached tip.
Waist belts must be U.S. issue plate with appropriate blacker leather.

Check out their Facebook page, Friends of Fort Harker, for more information. This is a free-entry, family-friendly event.