In honor of the Village of Barrington’s 150th birthday, a couple hundred volunteer “soldiers” — complete with period costumes, muskets and horses — will stage a free Civil War reenactment performance at Citizens Park on Saturday and Sunday.
“Barrington was incorporated in 1865, and that is when the Civil War was going on … so it was founded in the midst of civil strife,” said Jeanne Hanson, chair of the Civil War reenactment committee for the village’s sesquicentennial. “There was an impact on Barrington and surrounding villages for volunteers. So our roots here in Barrington are really drenched in Civil War blood, and there’s a lot of honor to remembering those brave men and women that fought for our liberty and the emancipation of the slaves.”
Co-sponsored by the park district and the village, Saturday’s daylong activities will kick off at 10 a.m., when the camp grounds open to the public. At 10:30 a..m, an actor playing General William Tecumseh Sherman, who captured Atlanta for the Union, will address spectators at the Pavilion.
There will be artillery practice drills at the battlefield at 11 a.m., and a woman portraying Mary Todd Lincoln will host a fashion show at noon at the amphitheater, featuring those sporting the best period-piece garb.
“I have a period piece costume that I wore for the fourth of July parade, so I’ll be wearing that,” said Hanson, who encourages others as well to dress like it’s 1865. “It’s a long midnight blue dress, it has black lace, a high collar, long sleeves and a matching blue hat.”
The main attraction, the battle reenactment, will begin at 2 p.m. Hanson said historically accurate commentary will be provided for the specific battle that will be played out, and she expects 100-200 volunteer “soldiers” from around the area to participate.
“These fellows put out the call, they have email lists, and then people just respond and they register when they get there,” she said. “We give them a little stipend to try to reimburse them for gun powder and fake blood and such, but basically (these volunteers) just love to do this fake history.”
Hanson said the volunteer actors have their own Civil War uniforms with their own artillery and some even trail in their own horses. Each man knows what role he plays and which brigade he’s in depending on which battle they are reenacting, Hanson said. The commentary is a helpful addition that helps the audience understand the strategy and sacrifices of war.
Closing out the day will be a post-battle medical surgery demonstration at the 17th Corps Hospital Tent at 2:30 p.m., where spectators can see what medical care looked like on the battlefield in 1865.
“Illinois, I think, was the biggest recruiter of volunteers for the Union because Abraham Lincoln was from Illinois,” Hanson said. “We wanted to honor our history and the brave men that went off and, honestly, didn’t come back, most of them, except in caskets. And that impacted (the town); that was the formation of Barrington.”
Sunday events will last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and follow much the same schedule sans some featured activities. The battle reenactment will begin at 1 p.m. followed by the medical demonstration at 1:30 p.m.
“(Sunday) is sort of a shorter version of Saturday,” Hanson said.
The first of its kind in Barrington, Hanson said she hopes local families come see the Civil War reenactment and take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the town’s history. If it is a good turnout, she said the committee will consider hosting more historical battle reenactments in the future.
Dayna Fields is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
