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Wilmington, N.C. Historic River District and Island Beaches
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Cameron Art Museum Presents the Battle of Forks Road
Civil War Sesquicentennial Living History Weekend, Feb. 7-8
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Features Reenactments - Camps - Tours - Lectures - Music - Kids Programs
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Wilmington, NC – February 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / One of the lesser-known, yet very important Civil War battles was the Battle of Forks Road, a skirmish that preceded the fall of Wilmington during the Civil War. As the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War approaches, the Cameron Art Museum will present its 10th Annual Civil War Living History Weekend on February 7 and 8 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Battle of Forks Road. This year’s theme “Forks Road…The Beginning of the End” highlights this significant battle which is re-enacted on both days by uniformed Union, U. S. Colored Troop (U.S.C.T.) and Confederate re-enactors.

Reenactments and demonstrations will take place on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 10:00 a.m. each day. For two days the grounds at the Cameron Art Museum will be filled with historic-themed kids and family programming, camp life, sutlers, demonstrations of pottery-making, spinning wheel, basket-making, blacksmith, and an archaeological dig. Other activities include lectures, battle site tours, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Sons of Confederate Veterans, a roll call of those who served, music, story-telling, food vendors and more.

This outstanding educational program affords visitors the opportunity to learn more about the role of African-American troops during the Civil War. Step back in time with re-enactors who will demonstrate life as it was in the mid-1800s on the restored Civil War mounds at the site where the Battle of Forks Road actually took place. Re-enactors will represent Confederate, Union and U.S. Colored Troops—including the 37th USCT Regiment and Battery “B.” Saturday’s opening ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. with special guests, including Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, County Commissioner Chair Jonathan Barfield, and Dr. Malcolm Beech, a U.S.C.T. Infantry re-enactor.
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Cameron Art Museum Presents the Battle of Forks Road Civil War Sesquicentennial Living History Weekend, Feb. 7-8
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Saturday’s events will take place from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. On Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m., there will be a community contra dance with mid-19th century music by The Huckleberry Brothers, a band comprised of musically gifted American Civil War re-enactors. Battle reenactments are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and again on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Special kids and family programming will take place from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. each day. Camps and activities will resume on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and the museum will remain open until 5:00 p.m. Events are free and donations are welcomed. For details and event schedule, visit www.battleofforksroad.org. For information about the Cameron Art Museum and CAM Café, visit www.cameronartmuseum.org or 910-395-5999. 

The original Battle of Forks Road battlefield is located on the grounds of the Cameron Art Museum, a site on the N.C. Civil War Trail, located at 3201 South 17th Street in Wilmington. The Civil War mounds were restored when the Museum opened at this location in 2002. The Battle of Forks Road followed the fall of Fort Fisher, directly preceded the fall of Wilmington, and led to the final surrender of the Confederate armies. It was the final fight to take Wilmington on February 20, 1865. The site is where Major General Robert F. Hoke made his last stand against Union soldiers, primarily made up of African-American troops (referred to as U.S. Colored Troops during that era) from several divisions, before evacuating Wilmington. The “Sable Arm” of the U.S. Army was made up of freed men and former slaves who volunteered for service after the Emancipation Proclamation. For more information on the U.S. Colored Troops and their role in the Battle of Forks Road, see History of the U.S.C.T. [below].

Related Activities:
If your favorite pastime is exploring “past times,” plan to visit the Cameron Art Museum and other area attractions that interpret the region’s Civil War history. And be sure to visit www.WilmingtonCivilWar150.com, a designated web page designed to assist visitors seeking more information about Civil War-related attractions, tours, events, maps and articles that interpret Wilmington’s role during the Civil War. There are also direct links to seasonal specials and accommodations packages.

Other area attractions with Civil War ties include: Fort Fisher State Historic Site & Civil War Museum, Cape Fear Museum (NC’s oldest history museum includes Civil War exhibits), Wilmington Railroad Museum, Bellamy Mansion Museum, Oakdale Cemetery, Wilmington National Cemetery, Thalian Hall, Sugarloaf Sand Dune at Carolina Beach State Park, Orange Street Landing on Cape Fear, Fort Anderson, Poplar Grove Plantation, as well as tours, monuments and markers. Find out more at www.WilmingtonCivilWar150.com.

Visitor Information:
Go with the flow and see where the water takes you! Wilmington and its island beaches offer one destination with four unique settings. Wilmington is an easy drive from I-95 via I-40 and US74. Prefer to fly? The Wilmington International Airport (ILM) provides many non-stop flights to popular destinations within the U.S. For a free Official Visitors Guide to Wilmington, North Carolina and the island beaches of Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach, call 866-266-9690. For online visitor information, visit the official destination website at www.GoWilmingtonAndBeaches.com and find seasonal activities and special rates at www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/season/2015-winter-highlights. Before traveling great distances for an event, please confirm details (subject to change without notice) directly with event organizers.

History of the U.S.C.T. (provided by Cameron Art Museum)
When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation effective January 1, 1863 it was a turning point for the war and the fight for freedom by authorizing the engagement of African Americans as soldiers in the Civil War. And on May 22, 1863, the Bureau of Colored Troops was established under General Order No. 143 to coordinate and organize regiments from all parts of the country. This coordination effectively impacted the war through 39 major engagements and more than 400 lesser ones fought by the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) in support of the Union Army. Twenty-four African American soldiers received the Congressional Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery in battle in addition to their white officers. One such event was the Battle of Forks Road which led to the fall of Wilmington and was fought by 1600 U.S.C.T. alongside other Union soldiers. And three of the U.S.C.T. Medal of Honor recipients fought at the Battle of Forks Road in Wilmington, NC though they received their Medal’s at a later date as indicated: 1st Sgt. Powhatan Beaty: 5th U.S.C.T. Battle of New Market Heights, April 6, 1865, Sgt. Milton M. Holland: 5th U.S.C.T. Battle of New Market Heights, April 6, 1865, 1st Sgt. Robert Pinn: 5th U.S.C.T., Battle of New Market Heights, April 6, 1865. 

In contrast to many Civil War battles, at Forks Road there were white and African American soldiers serving in both the Union and Confederate forces. Furthermore, many soldiers in both forces were local men—North Carolinians for generations. Three-fifths of all African American troops were former slaves, but they were, nonetheless, on their home ground in Wilmington as were the white Confederates.

It was at great personal threat to their lives that African American soldiers participated in the Civil War. The Confederate government threatened to execute or sell into slavery any captured U.S.C.T. soldiers--and it was not uncommon for them to carry out such threats. President Lincoln threatened punishment against Confederate prisoners whenever black soldiers were killed or enslaved.

During the war, African American troops battled against discrimination in pay, promotions, and sparse medical care. Blacks were in separate regiments with white officers as their commanders. They received less pay, inferior benefits than white soldiers, and food and equipment was lacking. Blacks received just $10 a month--$3 less than whites, out of which $3 was deducted for clothing—while whites enjoyed a $3.50 clothing allowance and the black soldiers were refused enlistment bonuses, common to white soldiers.

There were African American soldiers, too, who had been sent, as slaves, to serve in their owner’s place, throughout the Confederate army. These men, along with other Union troops, were victorious at Forks Road, defeating the Confederate forces, taking control of Wilmington, and hastening the end of the war. The U.S.C.T. emerged from the war as heroes, viewed by former slaves and freemen alike as liberators of their people. Very soon after the end of the war Wilmington’s population shifted from a majority white population to a majority African American population; an effect that some have attributed to the influence of the soldiers who remained to make Wilmington their home. The cultural and political effects of that population shift were profound and are still reflected in the social and political life of the region.

Media Contact:
Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau
Connie Nelson
Communications/PR Director
910-332-8751
866-266-9690 ext. 120
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The New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority d/b/a Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization of New Hanover County, North Carolina that stimulates economic development through the promotion of travel and tourism.

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Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau
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Placement Dates: 02/03/15 – 04/03/15
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