Fort Loudoun re-enacts siege

By Paul Leach

Correspondent

VONORE, Tenn. - Visitors to Fort Loudoun State Historic Area witnessed re-enactments of key events of the outpost's six-month siege and surrender over the weekend.

The weekend program, "1760: Cherokee Victory at Fort Loudoun," marked the 250th anniversary of the colonial fort's surrender.

Park Manager Jeff Wells, who also portrayed the fort's garrison commander, said the event had a good response.

"People are already asking us if we plan to do this again next year," he said.

Park visitors witnessed dramatized scenarios of war declarations, combats and surrender negotiations. In between these events, re-enactors gave them glimpses of daily life in wartime for the inhabitants of the fort and the nearby Cherokee villages.

Musket fire punctuated the event Saturday at random intervals when Cherokee warriors sniped at British sentries, who returned fire at their elusive foes.

The day's siege reached its crisis when the garrison sallied forth from the reconstructed fort walls to recover the outpost's ambushed doctor. A tense exchange of musket fire ensued as the British soldiers and Cherokee warriors maneuvered against each other.

Park visitors Vicki and Liza Law spent Saturday afternoon watching the dramatizations and engaging various re-enactors about the lives of the 18th-century people they portrayed.

"We learned a lot and took a lot of pictures. My camera's dead," Liza Law said.

The living history re-enactors stressed their goal to educate visitors about the region's people during the time of the French and Indian War (1754-1763).

"This particular time in history is near to not-learned in schools. It's so glossed over," said Jim Strong, who portrayed a member of the Fort Loudoun garrison.

Joseph Privott, who assumed the role of a tribal warrior, wanted to dispel stereotypes and movie mythology and offer a glimpse of what the real Cherokees were like.

Even though historical re-enactments took center stage, Fort Loudoun offered a variety of related experiences, including lectures and guided bus tours of Cherokee village sites.

Guest speakers addressed the intertwined history and culture of the region's Cherokee and colonial inhabitants at the visitor center/museum. The lecture room, seating 50, was filled for all presentations.

The bus tours, coordinated by the Fort Loudoun Association, Sequoyah Birthplace Museum and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, proved quite popular, with all reserved seating booked.

Mary Hendershot, president of the Fort Loudoun Association, hoped park visitors left the weekend celebration with a "deep understanding of how important the events at Fort Loudoun were to the colonial history of the United States."

Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. E-mail him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events