Highlights Archives
Villa Louis Recalls the War of 1812 in Wisconsin
Booming cannons and muskets will signal the beginning of War of 1812 in Wisconsin: The Battle of Prairie du Chien as it unfolds at the Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien Saturday and Sunday, July 16-17. The true-to-life event will take place on the very ground where it actually occurred, exactly 191 years after the real battle — the only War of 1812 battle ever fought on Wisconsin soil. In July 1814 the encounter pitted 600 British-Canadian fur traders, voyageurs and Native Americans against only 60 American troops. The British-Canadian forces defeated the Americans and occupied Prairie du Chien until the spring of 1815 — five months after the war ended.
More than 100 War of 1812 living history reenactors will set up American and British-Canadian encampments. In between battles they will demonstrate infantry and artillery drills, rum rations, musket shooting, gun cleaning, camp cookery and other details of early 19th-century camp life. Visitors are encouraged to explore the camps and learn how the War of 1812 pitted fur traders, Indians and voyageurs, against British and American political interests in the only international war ever fought in the Midwest.
At 2:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, major events of the two-and-a-half-day battle will be condensed into a narrated battle reenactment highlighted with cannon fire and pyrotechnic special effects. Exhibits and presentations take place throughout the two days with drill tactics demonstrated on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and a musket reliability contest at 10:30 on Sunday morning.
:: Posted July 13, 2005
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