Civil War Activities
Saturday, August 15th – 16th

Visitors to this year’s Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival can get an up-close look at what life was like for the soldiers and their families during the Civil War and Colonial times. The Living History encampment will be Saturday, August 15th, on the riverfront near Dan Emmett’s birthplace home, 501 S. Main St.

Members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 30th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Co. B, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, the 5th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry and the Sons of Confederate Veterans of the Civil War will be on hand. There will be blanket talks, demonstrating the essentials a soldier carried with him in his knapsack; drills, where the soldiers from the 1860s marched and learned battlefield techniques under the watchful eye of their sergeant; and weapon firing demonstrations. Members of the Ohio County Militia will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate life of soldiers during the 1700s in America.

The groups will hold a flag raising ceremony on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on Public Square. At 11 a.m., a portion of Clement Vallandigham’s famous speech will be given in front of the High Restaurant. Vallandigham was arrested following the speech in 1863, where he denounced the ongoing Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln.

Union and Confederate soldiers, as well as soldiers from Early American times, will open their camps from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. so visitors can learn about life in the 1860s and 1700s. Those Civil War soldiers will square off in the “Battle at Owl Creek” at 11:15 a.m. and again at 3 p.m.

The American Minstrels will entertain the audience at 12, 2 and 4 p.m. A cannon demonstration by the 1st Ohio Light Artillery will be at 1 p.m. Members of the re-enactment group will explain the different positions of the six-man firing squads, demonstrating what each soldier is required to do, and then firing off the six-pound cannon. A flintlock musket demonstration will also be available at 1 p.m.

Even with the war going on between the North and the South in the 1860s, there were still plenty of opportunities for men and women to socialize. One of the best ways was a ball, complete with caller, dancing and, of course, socializing. Waltzes and reels were the order of the day, giving men a chance to court a woman in a social setting. A Civil War Period Ball will be held Saturday night from 7 to 9 p.m. in the First-Knox National Bank parking lot on the corner of South Main and Vine streets. Re-enactors will be participating, but the public is welcome to join in on dances such as the Virginia Reel, the Grand March and the Pattycake Polka.

Volunteers from the Knox County Historical Society will be on hand at Dan Emmett’s home from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. They will give information and tours on the home of one of Mount Vernon’s most famous people. Emmett was a songwriter and entertainer in the 1800s, known for his songs “Dixie,” “Old Dan Tucker” and “The Blue Tail Fly.”

The Battle at Owl Creek will be recreated Sunday at noon on the riverfront. The Dan Emmett home and soldiers’ camps will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All activities at lawn in front of Dan Emmett's home (501 South Main Street) unless indicated by **

Saturday’s Events
10 a.m. - Dan Emmett House open
10 a.m. - Camps open
10:30 a.m. - Flag raising on Square**
11 a.m. - Clement Vallandigham speech (in front of High Restaurant on the Square**)
11:15 a.m. - Skirmish (will start at Vallandigham speech site and chase each other down Main Street to riverfront where full-scale battle will happen) **
12 noon - American Minstrels (riverfront)
1 p.m. - Demonstrations (Civil War artillery, flintlock musket)
2 p.m. - American Minstrels
2:45 p.m. - Clement Vallandigham speech (High Restaurant on The Square)**
3 p.m. - Battle at Owl Creek
4 p.m. - American Minstrels
5 p.m. - Dan Emmett house closed
6 p.m. - Camps closed
7 to 9 p.m. - Civil War period dance (First-Knox Bank parking lot)**

Sunday’s Events
10 a.m. - Dan Emmett house and camps open
12 noon - Battle at Owl Creek
2 p.m. - Dan Emmett house and camps close

Note: All schedules and events are subject to change without notice. Please continue to check our website for all the latest updates.

For more information, call 740-392-FEST (3378) or e-mail: [email protected]

For travel and visitor information, visit the Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 1-800-837-5282 or (740) 392-6102