* Battle of Port Jefferson, Civil War Reenactment
Date – Time
School day Friday; public days Sat & Sun
– 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location
Jefferson Railway
400 E Austin
Jefferson,, TX 75657 US
Jefferson Railway
400 East Austin
Jefferson, TX 75657
Additional Information
On Friday, May 2, 2014, there will also be a Day of Learning for school groups, sponsored by the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, to draw attention to the history and romance of the Civil War way of life. The Living History Camps will demonstrate Camp Life and Military Activities and includes a train ride aboard the Historic Jefferson Railway as the story of The Andrews Raid unfolds alongside the Big Cypress Bayou. Price for Living History is $3 per student; train ride is $5 per student. School day hours are 9am-3pm
Imagine being carried back to the year 1864! The first weekend of May every year, the whole town of Jefferson, Texas is transported back to that time when the Civil War was coming to a close. For many years, the Marion County Chamber of Commerce hosted the Battle of Port Jefferson, a Civil War Reenactment, possibly the largest in the state of Texas. This year, the Chamber is supporting the Naval Battle of Port Jefferson, in conjunction with the Great Locomotive Chase held by the Historic Jefferson Railway.
Downtown Jefferson is overtaken with people walking the brick-lined streets in period clothing, and here and there you'll also see re-enactors riding around town on horseback.
You'll experience living history and what it's like to see historic type tent avenues filled with folks sitting by the fire sharing stories and tales of battles fought and those to come. In these encampments, you'll see cooking items from the past being used today. In fact, everything is of a historic nature, from the tents to the cots and bed-rolls, buckets, pots and dishware from the past. You can see these tent camps all over town, stop by and talk to the re-enactors if you get a chance - they love to share with civilians. Be sure to stop by any of the Sutler's tents to buy some of their wares.
The Union mounted several attempts to capture the trans-Mississippi regions of Texas and Louisiana from 1862 until the war's end. With ports to the east under blockade or captured, Texas in particular became a blocking-running haven. Referred to as the "back door" of the Confederacy. Texas and western Louisiana continued to provide cotton crops shipped to Europe by means of blockade runners in exchange for supplies. The Union's disastrous Red River Campaign in western Louisiana, including a defeat at the Battle of Mansfield, effectively ended the Union's final invasion attempt of the region until the fall of the Confederacy. Had the Union soldiers not been stopped at Mansfield, they would surely have been looking upriver to Jefferson, a major river port of the time. Jefferson now takes that history and brings it to life each year.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Train departs depot in downtown Jefferson
11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 6:30
Sunday, May 4, 2014
11:30
Ticket Price
$15, plus tax
Lap children under 4, free
http://www.jeffersoncivilwardays.com/