Civil War Weekend slated at Fort Knox

the Civil War during its sesquicentennial, , ,
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Civil War re-enactor Dave Sulin of West Rockport chats with people visiting Fort Knox during its July 2022 Civil War Weekend. The fort will be the site of another Civil War Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23. (Brian F. Swartz Photo)

Join Maine at War as we travel back in time to the 1860s as Fort Knox State Park hosts a Civil War Weekend Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23. Fort Knox is located on Route 174 in Prospect.

The two-day event will feature living history demonstrations of Civil War life, including camp life, cannon firing, garrison operations, and guard mount. Participating units are:

• Co. A, 3rd Maine Infantry Regiment;

• Co. B, 20th Maine Infantry Regiment;

• Co. A, 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment;

• 6th Maine Battery

• 35th Virginia Cavalry (Dismounted)

The scheduled hours for the Civil War Weekend are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday.

Re-enactors will demonstrate military drill and parade. The military camps will be open to visitors, who are encouraged to talk with re-enactors and ask questions about military life during the Civil War. The 15th Alabama will have a dress-up tent for youngsters to check out.

The 6th Maine Battery will periodically demonstrate loading and firing a replica 10-pound Parrott rifle that, when fired at Fort Knox, creates a loud echo over the Penobscot Narrows. Union re-enactors and Confederate re-enactors from the 15th Alabama will demonstrate military maneuvers while skirmishing on the Fort Knox grounds.

I am speaking about Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain at 1:30 p.m., Saturday at the amphitheater beside the park’s visitors center.

For a full list of events, check out the schedule published below or on the Friends of Fort Knox website at www.fortknoxmaine.com. Also, check out the Friends of Fort Knox page on Facebook.

For additional information, call 207-469-6553 or email info@fortknoxmaine.com.

Brian Swartz

About Brian Swartz

Welcome to "Maine at War," the blog about the roles played by Maine and her sons and daughters in the Civil War. I am a Civil War buff and a newspaper editor recently retired from the Bangor Daily News. Maine sent hero upon hero — soldiers, nurses, sailors, chaplains, physicians — south to preserve their country in the 1860s. “Maine at War” introduces these heroes and heroines, who, for the most part, upheld the state's honor during that terrible conflict. We tour the battlefields where they fought, and we learn about the Civil War by focusing on Maine’s involvement with it. Be prepared: As I discover to this very day, the facts taught in American classrooms don’t always jibe with Civil War reality. I can be reached at visionsofmaine@tds.net.