Civil War Weekend

A glimpse into New Bern's Civil War days is the focus of Tryon Palace's special weekend of events Friday through Sunday.

Following the March 1862 Battle of New Bern, about five miles east of town, the city fell to Union forces, which occupied the town for the next year. In those days, New Bern had about 5,000 residents.

The Civil War Weekend tells the story of the occupation through theater, re-enactors, interpreters, film and song.

A small musicians' encampment - fife and drum - will be located behind the Dixon House, which is adjacent to the Palace's main gate on Pollock Street.

Interpreters at the Stanley and Dixon houses will provide insight to the times during which Federal troops called New Bern home.

The John Wright Stanly House, which dates to the 1780s, was home of the prosperous New Bern ship owner, merchant and molasses distiller - at one time the wealthiest man in town.

Now located beside the Palace's Visitors Center, the Stanly House was at the corner of Middle and New streets in 1862.

It was chosen by Union commander Ambrose E. Burnside as his headquarters. After Burnside was redeployed later that year, the house served as a convent for the Sisters of Mercy, a New York-based group of Catholic nuns who worked as nurses in the Stanly Hospital Complex.

Interpreter Karen Ipock said many visitors are interested in the story of Stanley descendant Lewis Addison Armistead, the most notable family member to serve in the war. He was a Confederate general and died during Pickett's Charge on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Dixon House, built around 1830, was the home of merchant George Dixon. For a time during the occupation, it served as a regimental hospital. During Civil War, it is noted that twice as many troops died of disease as they did from battle wounds.

The houses will be open Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

The weekend events begin Friday evening with a special performance of Allan Gurganus' 1999 novel, Oldest Living Confederate Widow, at the Palace Visitor Center auditorium. That performance requires reservations. Tickets are $25 and include a reception after the show. Call 514-4956 for ticket information.

A free film presentation of the Academy-Award-winning film Glory will be shown at the auditorium at 2 p.m. Saturday. It is based on the true story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, one of the first US Army units made up entirely of black troops.

Along with the Civil War programs, a 10 a.m. garden lecture is schedule Saturday at the auditorium, sponsored by the Harold H. Bate Foundation. The program, "Destination Hellebores," will be presented by Barry Glick, plant breeder and owner of Sunshine Farm and Gardens.

Glick plans a humorous, yet factual talk on the popular winter-blooming perennial plant, sometimes referred to as a Lenten Rose. Hellebores are evergreen and shade-loving, providing variety and color when many other plants are not blooming.

On Sunday, the auditorium is the site of a 3 p.m. musical program, Southern Women, Southern Voices: Civil War Songs by Southern Women.

Mary Cooke, an accomplished soprano from Charlotte, will perform a collection of Civil War-era songs written by women of the Confederacy. She will be accompanied on the piano by Lorraine Robinson, a musician and teacher who lives in New Bern.

Tickets are required. The Saturday garden lecture and showing of Glory are free, as is the Sunday concert.

For information, call Tryon Palace at 514-4900.

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