Wednesday, September 15, 2010
 
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Featured Railsplitter event

10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment encampment

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[September 15, 2010]  The 40th annual Abraham Lincoln National Railsplitting Festival is fast approaching. With so many great options for families to enjoy, the weekend won't disappoint.

A highlight of the festival is the 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. They will be encamped in Lincoln from Friday to Sunday.

The regiment will provide a flag-raising ceremony on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10. Throughout the day there will be demonstrations about firearms, horse training, dismounted cavalry drills, cooking over a campfire for an army, and communications on the battlefield, as well as living historians who will transport you back to the 1860s.

Other re-enactors who would like to participate, including Confederate brothers, are asked to contact Col. Ted Henry, commander of the 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, at 217-652-1696.

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The original 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was mustered from Camp Butler near Springfield in November 1861 and was known as "Lincoln's Own." Many of its troops were from Logan, Menard and Sangamon counties. It drew troops from all over Illinois, however -- from Quincy to Danville, from Chicago to East St. Louis. The 10th Cavalry saw action at Prairie Grove, Ark., and the siege of Vicksburg, Miss., as well as many points in between. It was part of the Army of the Frontier and was assigned west of the Mississippi for most of the war.

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Today's 10th Cavalry is a family-oriented not-for-profit group with re-enactors who come from all over Illinois, from much the same areas as the original unit. They participate in re-enactments around the Midwest, as mounted and dismounted troops, with a medical-surgical hospital, signal corps and field musicians, as well as civilians who include a chaplain, members of the Christian Commission and Sanitary Commission, a field artist, a scout, and a journalist. Besides re-enactments, the 10th participates in parades and community events as well as providing educational services for schools and civic organizations.

The 10th Cavalry LIVES history. And they are recruiting. If you don't mind wearing 100 percent wool on 95-degree days, let them know! The 10th Cavalry wants YOU!

For more information about the 10th Cavalry, visit www.10thillinoisvolcavalry.com.

For more information about the festival, check the website at www.railsplitting.com.

[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County]

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