Survivor Man of the Civil War and Upcoming Civil War Reenactment

By: Jonathan Jones 07/09/2013

Imagine this… you’re on a battlefield in the middle of a war and you’re shot between the shoulder blades, paralyzed  from the neck down, shot two more times and left for dead. Oh, and it’s 1862.  That’s Edward Murray’s true life story of serving in the 96^th Illinois Regiment during the Civil War.

[caption id="attachment_1674" align="aligncenter" width="218" caption="  Against all odds,  Edward Murray lived to tell his tale."][/caption]

Murray was miraculously rescued on the brink of death, and even regained his ability to walk through pure determination.  In honor of his “movie worthy” story, his mother, Agnes Riley Murray hand made a copy of the American Flag that included 13 stars to symbolize the original colonies.  The flag was tucked away… over and over again, and 150 years later, was found inside of a shoebox with a ribbon identifying Edward Murray.  This year, his flag is on display at Civil War Days encampment at Lake County Discovery Museum.

The flag was found, researched and donated to the museum by Edward's great, great, great granddaughter, Millie.

[caption id="attachment_1673" align="aligncenter" width="259" caption=" Millie  and husband David Ramsy"][/caption]

1,900 pro-union soldiers from Lake County fought the good fight and even though the Civil War has been over since 1865, it’s definitely not forgotten.

This photo is of actual Civil War soldiers lining the streets of Downtown Waukegan.

Civil War Days is Northwest Illinois’ largest Civil War encampment has a lot more than a battle scene or two to offer.  What could that be you ask?  How about a skillet throwing contest, a camp cooking contest, a Calvary weapons & Horsemanship challenge, and  a recreation of the 1863 Agricultural Fair, that features a Civil War era shopping area, period music and entertainment.

Oh, and if that’s not enough, Saturday’s battle re-enactment is the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou that originally took place in December of 1862, and Sunday’s is the battle of Champion Hill.  Honestly, I have no idea what happened in these battles, but I think the whole weekend sounds fascination, and I just might learn a thing or two.

Civil War Days is held at the Lakewood Forest Preserve, at the corner of Route 176 and Fairfield Road, near Wauconda, Illinois.

Images from Lake County Discovery Museum