Civil War cavalry troops to train at Camp Kane

On Saturday, May 9, the Camp Kane Heritage Foundation and the 8th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment will present a daylong "Train the Troops" event at Camp Kane, lower portion of Langum Park, along Route 25, in St. Charles, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is free to the public. It will feature Civil War cavalry troops being put through actual drills, including uniform and weapons inspections, firing drills, saber drills, marching drills and more.

"This is part of what is required to be a member of the 8th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment," explained Captain Jeff Johnson. "There are specific requirements each man must meet in maintaining his equipment and uniform, in firing his weapon, and more. This is representative of life as lived by the original members of the 8th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Civil War.

"We invite people of all ages to come and watch, or even better, kids of all ages and their parents and other adults are invited to join the troops in their training exercises, so they really get to experience some of the things the 8th Cavalry volunteers went through."

The timing of the event is no accident, as pointed out by members of the Camp Kane Heritage Foundation.

"This is the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln's death," points out David Richards, foundation board member and Marketing Committee chairman. "It was President Lincoln himself who commissioned Colonel John Farnsworth, a St. Charles resident and U.S. congressman, to recruit and train a volunteer regiment of men to fight in the Civil War.

"This portion of Langum Park, recently rededicated by the city of St. Charles as Camp Kane, is the site where 1,100 volunteers from the greater Fox Valley area were trained in 1861 in preparation for battle," Richards said. "These men were soon nicknamed by President Lincoln as 'Farnsworth's Big Abolition Regiment,' and fought in many major battles of the war, including Antietam, Gettysburg, Bull Run and many others.

"They also were among the honor guard at President Lincoln's funeral and, the first weekend of May, current members of the 8th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment will participate in the 150th anniversary services in Springfield. I'm sure they will have some very interesting and moving stories to tell."

Another regiment, the 17th Illinois Cavalry. of some 800 additional men was trained at Camp Kane in 1863.

The "Train the Troops" event is an opportunity for residents to come out and experience some of the activities and training those Civil War volunteers would have experienced. It combines living history from the Civil War on one of the last remaining Civil War training sites in Illinois.

The day's events include:

10 to 10:15 a.m.: Flag raising/salute

10:30 a.m. to noon: Drill: uniform inspection, weapons inspection - carbine, pistol, saber

• Manual of Arms, troop demonstration/NCO practice

• Saber drill, troop saber demonstration, saber presentation

Noon to 1 p.m.: Civilian questions and answers, camp life demonstration

1 to 2:30 p.m.: Firing drills: fire by file, volley fire, fire by file from the right, fire by file from the right rapid, six shots in a minute

2:30-2:45 p.m. Break; civilian Q-and-A

2:45-3:30 p.m. Marching drills, keeping step, marching to skirmish order, right and left wheels, obliques, turning the column, right and left into line, two ranks to single rank, single rank into two ranks

4 p.m.: Closing presentation, firing salute, flag lowering, closing remarks.

In addition, cavalry members will bring their horses.

"We had to get city approval for that," admits Kim Malay, Foundation Board President. "The city administration and staff, and the council, have been very supportive of the short- and long-term goals we have for this historic site. It's a collaborative effort.

"We encourage people to come out for the day and bring a picnic lunch, or come out for a couple of hours," Malay said. "There is a lot to see and do, and an opportunity to talk with the soldiers and learn what life was like for them."

Parking is free, and is available at the Langum Park parking lot on 7th Avenue.

For information, visit the Camp Kane Heritage Foundation website at www.campkane.org.