Even with clouds from a tropical depression, Civil War re-enactor Philip Brown began walking backroads May 11 on a 166 mile. 13-day journey from New Bern to Durham. The "Soldiers' Walk Home" event, organized by Duke Homestead State Historic Site in Durham, recalls the trek Washington Duke made when delivered to New Bern by the Union Army in 1865. Although Brown does not portray Duke, his route is similar to the one Duke might have taken.
Tropical depression, extreme heat and breaking in new period shoes have not deterred Brown, who has been heartened by meeting a re-enactor requesting him to deliver a letter to Durham station and another asking for information on her son. He has met with other re-enactors, school children and veterans of 20th century wars along the way. Follow his journey on the Duke Homestead Facebook page or #walkhomenc.
"We have conducted a wide variety of public programs, including lectures, exhibits, and large-scale battle reenactments, to commemorate the Civil War Sesquicentennial in North Carolina," noted N.C. State Historic Sites Division Director Keith Hardison at the May 10 ceremonial opening at the Tryon Palace Commission House. He added, "However, the 'Soldier's Walk' program is unique. It is the only sesquicentennial program of its kind in the nation."
"The theme of the walk is homecoming," explains Historic Interpreter Julia Rogers. "'A Soldiers' Walk Home' focuses on the transition from soldier to veteran and offers us the unique opportunity to think about the wide range veterans' experience across history."
"I just love history, I was lucky enough to have a father who loved history," Brown explained by way of explanation for undertaking this excursion. "I have a particular interest in how people encounter and interact with history."
As Hardison explained, the Civil War 150th commemoration is not a celebration because we cannot celebrate an event that cost 650,000 lives, but that it should be observed. He said the complexity of the blue, gray, black, white and red made the Civil War fascinating for historians.
At the launch, New Bern Mayor Dana Outlaw spoke about New Bern's Civil War history, saying that after Union occupation in 1862, many soldiers stayed even after the war. New Bern Historical Society President Nelson McDaniel referenced New Bern's mix of free and enslaved blacks, history of trade, and its position as a cosmopolitan center.
Among the occupying forces in post war New Bern were soldiers of the U.S. Colored (USCT) troops. USCT Re-enactor Bernard George explained that one of the first USCT brigades to be raised was in New Bern as the First African Brigade and became the 35th USCT. He noted that free and the formerly enslaved joined the brigade and demonstrated that blacks were able soldiers. World War II veteran Kaz Barcynski spoke on his experiences and those of his uncles in that war.
"A Soldiers Walk Home" ends May 23 at Duke Homestead State Historic Site in Durham, ancestral home to Washington Duke and origins of the American Tobacco Company. The site's annual Bull Fest will be underway with music, crafts and food, but will also have a focus on doing without, as families did at the end of the Civil War.
The 13-day journey has been a year in the planning, explained Historic Site Director Mia Berg. "I want to thank all our sponsors and partners, the communities that helped make this possible. The walk includes stops in Cove City, Kinston, Seven Springs, Goldsboro, Princeton, Clayton, Princeton, Smithfield, Raleigh, Morrisville and Durham."
For additional information call (919) 477-5498 or (919) 807-7389. Also visit Duke Homestead on Facebook or www.ASoldiersWalkHome.com. Duke Homestead State Historic Site and Tryon Palace are within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.