Lake County Gazette

Residents and visitors in Hainesville, Illinois will have the chance to attend the annual Civil War Encampment & Battle this October. The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 18, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, October 19, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The program will feature re-enactors in period costume who will recreate scenes from an American Civil War encampment and battle. A narrated military engagement between Union and Confederate forces will depict the Battle of Bentonville, which took place March 19-21, 1865. Attendees can also observe demonstrations of battlefield surgeries and view displays related to period medical practices and undertakers.

Visitors will have opportunities to participate in military drill instruction. Historical presentations are set to be given by individuals portraying figures such as Abraham Lincoln, General Meade, Elijah Haines (the founder of Hainesville), and Thomas Morris Chester, known as the only Black war reporter for a major Civil War daily newspaper.

Food vendors and merchants selling soap, wool goods, and period military souvenirs are expected at the event. Organizers encourage attendees to engage with participants about their historical knowledge and character roles during the era.

Admission and parking for the event are free. More information about the event schedule or how to register as a re-enactor is available on the Civil War Event Page.