Step back in time to experience first hand the history of the Civil War on Hatteras Island and to explore your family’s Civil War heritage by planning a week on Hatteras Island for the Civil War Sesquicentennial Event. This one hundred and fiftieth anniversary to commemorate the events that occurred on Hatteras Island in August of 1861 will be held August 21 to August 28, 2011. There will be three different events during that week:
1.The Blue-Gray Reunion (August 22-August 24, 2011)
2.The Civil War Conference (August 25-August 27, 2011)
3.Living History Programs (August 27-August 28, 2011)

The Blue-Gray Reunion is by invitation only to descendents of soldiers who participated in the action at Hatteras Inlet (Confederate and Union) in August of 1861. This event will provide an opportunity to meet descendants of men your ancestor served with or fought against during “The Battle of Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark,” “The Capture of the Fanny” and “The Chicamacomico Races” August – October 1861. The reunion will be at the Hatteras village Civic Center in Hatteras starting August 22 to August 24, 2011. Activities will include sharing information about your ancestor, memoirs, journals, photos and related relics or artifacts. There is no registration fee for this event, but you are encouraged to register for the event committee to know how many attendees to expect.

The Civil War Conference will feature three nationally known Civil War authors and scholars: James M. McPherson, Ed Bearss and Craig L. Symonds. Each evening (August 25-August 27, 2011) one of them will give their talk following dinner at the Hatteras Village Civic Center in Hatteras. The registration fee is $175 which includes 3 dinners, 3 nationally known speakers, refreshments, additional speakers and power point presentations, Civil War exhibits, collections, ‘Living History’ programs, Civil War music and ‘Monument Dedication’. Attendance is open to the general public and registration is limited to 250 attendees.

Additional speakers during the conference include:
Dr. Patricia Click (professor at the University Of Virginia), Harold (Harri) Jones, (Curator of the African American Civil War Memorial & Museum) KaeLi Schurr (Curator of the Outer Banks History Center), Joseph Schwarzer (Director of the N.C. Maritime Museums), Col. Gary Riggs, (CSA Medical Authority), Drew Pullen (local historian), Danny Couch (local historian), Gerald Roxbury (Civil War Confederate cutlasses authority) and ‘Dirty Billy’ (Hatter, hand crafted period head wear).

The Living History Programs will be held at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse grounds from Saturday, August 27th, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM to Sunday, August 28, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. These programs will feature re-enactors of the regiments involved in the action at Hatteras Inlet in August of 1861. These re-enactors will present artillery demonstrations, encampments, drills and period music. In addition, a civil war era’ Ladies Fashion’ show will be presented as well as an actual Civil war era forge. These programs are free of charge and are open to the public.

For more information and registration visit www.flagsoverhatteras.com.