STATESVILLE - Join thousands of other visitors at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, to hear cannons roar and muskets thunder as soldiers, Indians and civilians recall the 1754-1763 French and Indian War. The fourth annual “War for Empire” program will recall the epic struggle between England and France for control of North America. Scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, the event will feature “battle” between period-costumed North Carolina provincial soldiers and French and their Cherokee allies, which was fought in 1758. The reenactment will be presented at 1:30 p.m. each day. Admission to all events is free.
Young and old alike will have a chance to immerse themselves in colony life of 250 years ago, when America—and North Carolina—was gripped by war. Visitors can inspect the artillery Britain used against the fortresses of New France and learn about the men who led North Carolina’s provincial soldiers through these tumultuous times. Historical interpreters will recreate the American Indian war councils of the Cherokee as they decide whether to support the British campaign of 1758.
Other highlights will include “wagoneers” describing military transportation in the campaign of 1758, using an original 18th-century Conestoga wagon. Visit with the ordinary settlers who endured the hardships of a colony at war but whose spirit endured. Period music will fill the air as children enjoy 18th century games and pastimes. Walk through the market faire or join in a typical divine service at 11 a.m. Sunday. On-going presentations will include military drills, military and civilian camps, blacksmithing, 18th century medical care, Cherokee camps, old-fashioned cooking and dishes typically eaten by the colonists, a hunters camp, artillery demonstrations, sutlers (peddlers who sold supplies to soldiers) hawking period wares and much more!
On Saturday at 3 p.m., guest lecturer Dr. David Dixon of Slippery Rock College will also present a talk on the 1758 Forbes campaign, an attack by British forces on the French stronghold Ft. Dusquene at what is now Pittsburgh. Today, historians mark 1758 as the year the French and Indian War turned in favor of the British Crown.
The role of Ft. Dobbs and North Carolina in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the first true world war, makes up an important chapter in North Carolina’s colonial history. Built in 1756, the fort was named for Royal Governor Arthur Dobbs and manned by provincial soldiers. It was garrisoned from 1756-1761, sheltering frontier settlers during the war and serving as the colony’s western frontier company headquarters. The fort was attacked February 27, 1760, when soldiers fought off more than 60 Cherokee.
Ft. Dobbs’ mission is to preserve and interpret the history of North Carolina’s only French and Indian War fort and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering living history programs daily. It is part of the Division of N.C. Historic Sites and Properties within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history, and culture. For more information on Ft. Dobbs, visit www.fortdobbs.org or call 704/873-5882, email info@fortdobbs.org.
This program reflects the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources 2008 theme “Telling Our Stories,” a yearlong celebration that showcases the story of North Carolina’s rich arts, heritage, and cultural life. For more information on Cultural Resources programs, visit www.ncculture.com.
