The annual Civil War Encampment & Living History Weekend is set for Saturday October 5 and Sunday October 6. Sponsored by the J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust, the event will take place at Laurel Hill, the birthplace of Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart.
Gates will open at 9 a.m. and parking is free. Admission is $8 per person, but those 12 and under enter for free.
Trust member Tom Bishop said the event will include battle scenes on both Saturday and Sunday by authentic Civil War reenactors.
“We have on premises Civil War generals such as Robert E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart and then they interact with people and tell their stories from the past. We have a Jefferson Davis reenactor,” he said.
There will also be a women’s fashion show, a women’s tea, a Saturday night dance, a Sunday morning church service, String Band Music, and multiple vendors.
“It’s sort of like a homecoming because a lot of these people gather from year to year at this very notable site, which is J.E.B. Stuart’s birthplace and see each other and just have a good time weather permitting,” he said.
Bishop said the encampment, which has been going on for more than 30 years, is a step back in time as women will be dressed in era appropriate attire and men will be in Civil War uniforms.
“Flags flying, and horses, and cannons – the cannons are pretty impressive, they sue those in the battle scenes,” he said.
Bishop believes the Encampment is a great opportunity for people to experience and see a Civil War site in Patrick County and learn about J.E.B. Stuart, the namesake of the Town of Stuart.
Sometimes, Bishop said, a Stuart family member will show up during the event. While he doesn’t know if one will appear this year, in past years they have made several appearances.
For more information, go to www.jebstuart.org or Facebook.com/JEB.Stuart.Trust.
