I know this is not Wisconsin specific, but Illinois and Wisconsin share a border, many men from Wisconsin served in one of Grant's commands, and the extreme SW corner, and Madison area of Wisconsin may have citizens that would like to attend this event. Feel free to delete if you think it is not allowed on this board. So here is what I posted on the Illinois site:
If you live in Illinois many of you know that funding for state historic sites has been cut drastically, and we may see these sites closed in the near future. With that said, I would like to bring your attention to a living history preservation event that will take place at the Grant Home in Galena IL on July 18th, and 19th. What will the money raised be going to? The budget for maintenance at the Grant Home has been cut by the state. The money will go to this fund to help where the administrator of the Grant Home feels it can be spent the best; i.e. boardwalk repair, or other areas that get constant use from visitors.
What will the living history be? It will be a faithful depiction of political/recruitment rallies that took place all over Illinois, and the rest of the Union in the summer of 1861. You will see civilian activities, the local militia muster, and be presented with the option to join the local company being raised to for service to the state of Illinois during the Civil War.
What will it not be? It will not be is an unrealistic display of powder burning inaccurate battle scenes, incorrect uniforms or camp scenes. This event is hosted by the ONV. A more detailed description of this event can be found at: http://oldnorthwestvols.org/onv/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 along with information on the ONV.
If you are reading this post, it’s obvious you are into history. If you’re into genealogy, you’ll get a chance to see what your ancestor would have went through to join the Union army.
If you have never been to Galena IL, this would be a good weekend to go to one of the most historic towns in Illinois. Feel free to post any questions you may have, and thanks for reading. bg