Historic Jerusalem Mill Village is hosting its 5th Annual Civil War Weekend Encampment on the weekend of July 19-20, 2008. The event commemorates CS Major Harry W. Gilmor's 1864 raid on McCourtney’s Store, one of the village's beautifully restored buildings (many of which date back to the 18th century).
In mid July of 1864, Major Gilmor and 135 of his men, elements of the 1st and 2nd Maryland Cavalry, passed through Jerusalem Mill, part of Jubal Early march on Washington. The Confederates stopped at the Jerusalem Mill hamlet to requisition supplies and “liberate” horses from McCourtney’s Store and the surrounding area. Gilmor’s immediate objective at the time was to disrupt communications between Baltimore and points north, and his men were on their way to burn the railroad bridge at Magnolia Station over the Gunpowder River. Ultimately, their goal had been to ride all the way to the Federal POW camp at Point Lookout, MD and attempt to liberate as many CS prisoners as possible.
Join us, in the scenic Little Gunpowder Falls valley, for our Civil War Weekend. Each day there will be a small-scale reenactment of Gilmor’s raid. On Saturday there will also be a recreation of Ishmael Day’s shooting of one of Gilmor’s men, as well as a period baseball game. Between events visitors are urged to stroll through the camps, chat with the knowledgeable and dedicated Civil War living historians, and have a closer look at their uniforms and equipment. Throughout the weekend there will be performances of Civil War era music by the Camptown Shakers.
Directions to the site and further information, including event regulations and historical information and pictures of previous years’ event, can be found at the Jerusalem Mill website (www.jerusalemmill.org), then click on the “Gilmor’s Raid” link.
For further details, visit the website, or email me ( cjkibler@comcast.net ) with your questions. Hope to see you there!