October 16, 2021
As usual, most of the attendees were whites. I usually don't see many Blacks at one of these, unfortunately. I also don't see U.S. Colored Troops re-enactors very often which is also too bad. They have a very interesting history and had a lot to do with the final defeat of the Confederacy.
Walked past U.S. Grant's tent and he was sitting outside it in conference with a Union officer.
I was especially looking to meet with Elijah Haines, the person Hainesville is named after. The person playing him is my old friend and fellow teacher Bob. We go back to my first year at Magee Middle School, 1973.
I soon came across him regaling others about little-known aspects of Elijah's life and the early history of the region. Actually, Elijah owned land where Hainesville was and some of his family lived there, but he spent most of his time in Waukegan and is buried there.
He had already given his talk in the open barn earlier in the morning.
It was sure good to see so many people there. I think this would be a good place for our Civil War Round Table to "recruit" new members as we are getting a bit long in the tooth.
--Old Secesh
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