Culpeper, Va., an hour west of Fredericksburg, will be the site of a commemoration of the Grant Bicentennial this weekend. Grant was born on April 27th, 1822 and events are being held in at least a half-dozen states over the next two weeks. According to local press reports:
Brian Withrow, portraying Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), and other living history reenactors will gather April 23–24 at the historic Burgandine House, 807 S. Main St. for the educational program. Saturday’s event will run 10 a.m. until after dark and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Volunteer caretakers Susan Williams and David Reeves have organized the Grant event for several years now. It was in Culpeper, in fact, where the to-be president in 1864 launched the Overland Campaign with the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-7.
…Visitors can interact with historians to learn about their various roles during the war. Inside the house, a new corner with games from the past are sure to be of interest, including Captain’s Mistress, checkers and chess.
“We’re keeping her open after dark this year,” Williams said of the colonial cabin. “We’ll start at sundown, turn off all the electric lights, just oil lamps to show them what it looked like.”
Reeves will be out back cooking over the open fire, fare like turkey and fried bread that Union troops would have had to eat during their Culpeper Winter Encampment. If they didn’t already have it with them, they wouldn’t find it here, William said, of how depleted the county was in those war years.
This is a free event but donations are appreciated for Burgandine House upkeep.
