The Knoxville Civil War Roundtable and the City of Knoxville will commemorate the Civil War Sesquicentennial on Nov. 9th and 10th with the 150th Fort Dickerson Civil War Weekend, at Fort Dickerson Park. Join historians, authors and local re-enacting units to celebrate veterans, past and present. This event commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Siege of Knoxville.
The free event is sponsored by the City of Knoxville’s Parks and Recreation Department and hosted by the Civil War Roundtable. Fort Dickerson Park is located just off Chapman Highway in South Knoxville at 3000 Fort Dickerson Road.
It will run from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9th, and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 10th. Activities will include living history campsites, infantry drilling and firing, a Civil War medical and surgical exhibit, ladies fashions, battle re-enactments, cannon firings and much more. Visitors are invited to park for free at the Disc Exchange across from Shoney’s, where they can ride a free shuttle to Fort Dickerson.
Fort Dickerson was one of 16 earthen forts and battery positions surrounding Knoxville that were built by the U.S. Army during the Civil War. It was one of three forts constructed upon the heights across the Holston (now Tennessee) River from Knoxville, the other two being Fort Stanley and Fort Higley.
The fort was named for Cap. Jonathan C. Dickerson, 112th Illinois Mounted Infantry, who was killed in action near Cleveland, Tenn.
Tentative schedule of activities:
Saturday, Nov. 9th
10 a.m. – Camps Open to Public
10:30 a.m. – Ladies’ Fashions
11 a.m. – 150th Remembrance
11:30 a.m. – Infantry Drill
12 p.m. – Civil War Arms by Gerald Augustus
12:30 p.m. – Medical & Surgical Demonstration by Ed Archer
1 p.m. – Artillery Demonstration
1:30 p.m. – History of Fort Dickerson
2 p.m. – Battle Of Fort Dickerson Re-enactment
3 p.m. – Pass In Review (Special Commemoration)
3:30 p.m. – Civil War Medical Demonstration
4:30 p.m. – Camps Close to Public
Sunday, Nov. 10th
10 a.m. – Vesper Service
11 a.m. – Camps Open to Public
12 p.m. – Civil War Arms by Gerald Augustus
12:30 p.m. – Infantry Drill
1 p.m. – Civil War Medical Demonstration
1:30 p.m. – History of Siege of Knoxville
2 p.m. – Civil War Skirmish
3 p.m. – Pass in Review
4 p.m. – Camps Close to Public
For more information on this event as well as Civil War History in Knoxville, please visit http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnkcwr/KCWRT/Fort_Dickerson.html.
