|
 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.
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.
[to top of second column] |
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] |
