Mike Parker: November 16 features “Militia Muster” and “Naval Rendezvous”
On Saturday, November 16, two living history programs will be offered in Kinston.
From 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on November 16, the CSS Neuse II, the full-scale replica of the CSS Ram Neuse on the corner of North Herritage and West Gordon Streets, will host a living history program titled “Naval Rendezvous.”
When the CSS Ram Neuse received its commission 160 years ago, the ironclad gunboat needed more crewmen to flesh out its skeleton crew. To attract more crew members, a recruiting event called a “Naval Rendezvous” was held in Kinston.
The name of the event may sound odd to us today, but “naval rendezvous” was the correct term for a recruiting drive sponsored by any individual naval ship or shore station. The current practice of training and then dispatching naval recruits from a regional training camp was far into the future.
Some reenactors are likely to arrive on Friday, November 15, to set up camp. Others will be in place by Saturday morning. This re-creation of recruitment will be largely imaginary, but it will feature an enlistment officer, drilling of recruits, and various naval and military demonstrations throughout the day. You can view a display of period weapons, an exhibit on the rations served, and an artillery demonstration.
Please make plans to spend at least part of Saturday at the CSS Neuse II for this living history events.
The Caswell Historic Site will also be doing a living history program on Saturday, November 16. This event focuses on an earlier period of our local history, the pre-American Revolution period. The program is called “Milita Muster: Before the Revolution.”
Historic sites staff members and reenactors will honor Richard Caswell’s long service as a political and military leader of the British colony and, after the Declaration of Independence, of the fledgling State of North Carolina.
This living history event will feature the Dobbs County Militia reenactment group. Members of the Militia will show how they prepared for the conflict with Great Britain. The group will portray camp life and present musket and cannon firing demonstrations of the Revolutionary War period.
Caswell took an active part in the Battle of Alamance against the Regulators to squash forces that tried to enrich themselves at the expenses of the citizens they supposedly served. Later, when relations with England became strained, Caswell served in the Continental Congress. During the war, he commanded Patriot forces at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge.
He was North Carolina’s first elected governor and headed the committee that wrote the first constitution for the new state.
This event is part of the “Revolutionary NC” theme of America 250 NC, directed by the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy wrote for American Heritage that the study of history is no mere pastime, but the means by which a nation establishes its sense of identity and purpose. Kennedy wrote:
“There is little that is more important for an American citizen to know than the history and traditions of his country. Without such knowledge, he stands uncertain and defenseless before the world, knowing neither where he has come from nor where he is going. With such knowledge, he is no longer alone, but draws a strength far greater than our own from the cumulative experience of the past and a cumulative vision of the future. … The American past is a record of stirring achievement in the face of stubborn difficulty.”
Take advantage of these two events to become more familiar with our collective history.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
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