Nevada City’s Constitution Days Weekend Revolutionary War Days in Pioneer Park
Saturday September 16: 10AM - 5 PM Sunday September 17: 10 AM - Noon
Visitors to Pioneer Park will experience many aspects of civilian and military life and music during the American Revolutionary War through authentic interpretations by members of the California Consolidated Drum Band, Delaware Regiment, 33rd Regiment of Foot, New Jersey Loyalists, Soldados y Californios de So. Cal., and the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.
Guests will see historically accurate military uniforms and civilian dress, hear authentic music meant to inspire both Patriots and Crown Forces alike, and watch well-regulated demonstrations of then state-of-the-art military weapons. Visitors of all ages will have the opportunity to learn more about smallpox “variolation” (inoculation) controversies during the Revolution, the role Spain played in America gaining its independence, how the 18th century stumbled into a “world war,” stories and myths of the era, and how to march and drill like a professional soldier.
Period music will be performed by California’s official State Fife and Drum Band, the California Consolidated Drum Band. They are Northern Californian musicians and reenactors who portray the Revolutionary War through Civil War eras with authentic instruments and attire. A fife is a small flute or reed and has been around since ancient times. Fifes and drums play a major role in military musical tradition. They were used to boost soldiers’ morale while in camp and on the march as well as for sending military commands, since they can be heard for long distances.
The Continental Army will be represented by soldiers of Haslet’s Delaware Regiment, one of the state regiments which served alongside the Continentals. The Delaware Regiment was raised in 1776, gained a reputation as the most efficient in the Continental Army, and served throughout the Revolution from Long Island to Yorktown.
Joining the Thirteen Colonies of British North America were the Kingdoms of France and Spain, the Dutch Republic, rebel Native American tribes, and, in India, the Hindu Kingdom of Mysore (led by the brilliant usurper Hyder Ali, who founded his own Muslim sultanate). They will explain how this unlikely coalition of long-time antagonists of the British Empire worked together to free its North American colonies and to achieve their own war objectives.
New this year will be a portrayal of Bernardo de Gálvez, a career Spanish soldier and the colonial governor of Spanish Louisiana. The role of Spain in the birth of the United States is a little known and little understood aspect of U.S. independence. Through actual battles and sieges, and provision of supplies and silver, Spain helped the young British colonies succeed in becoming an independent nation. Gálvez is best remembered for his role in denying the British the ability to encircle the American rebels from the south by pressing British forces in West Florida and for maintaining a flow of vital supplies to Patriot troops across the colonies. Gálvez was officially recognized by George Washington and the United States Congress for his aid during the American Revolution. More recently his portrait was hung in the U.S. Capitol, and he was honored with honorary U.S. citizenship.
The Crown Forces will be represented by soldiers of the 33rd Regiment of Foot and New Jersey Volunteers. The 33rd Regiment of Foot was commanded by Lord Cornwallis himself and was known as the best trained Regiment in the British Army. It landed in North Carolina in 1776, fought in nearly every major engagement, finally surrendering at Yorktown in 1781. The New Jersey Volunteers were a loyalist unit fighting for King George. They were raised in 1777 and fought in many raids and battles, eventually being disbanded in Canada in 1783, where many chose to live.
Joining the soldiers of the British Empire were American loyalists from other Colonies, Canadian militia, mercenaries from various German dominions of the Holy Roman Empire, and loyal Native American tribes. The Crown Forces will explain how the entangling alliances of the American Revolutionary War turned the initial conflict between the British Empire and its American colonies into a global war, with land and sea battles on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. After the October 1981 siege of Yorktown there were still 49 battles or actions around the globe in which the British had to fight to protect their interests in disputes precipitated by our Revolution. The war did not end until the 1783 “Peace of Paris”—when Britain signed separate treaties with the new United States of America, France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic.
Colonial civilians will also be represented, both camp followers and town folk. Cooking, nursing, sewing, mending, laundering, and preaching were vital activities for the army’s physical and spiritual well being.
Members of Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution (SAR, DAR) will be available to help you learn about tracing your family history back to a relative who may have been an early patriot. They are descendants of people who served in the American Revolutionary War or who contributed to establishing the independence of the United States. Their purpose is maintaining and extending the institutions of American freedom, an appreciation for true patriotism, a respect for our national symbols, the value of American citizenship, [and] the unifying force of 'e pluribus unum' that has created, from the people of many nations, one nation and one people. The Sons of the American Revolution helped establish official recognition of Constitution Day, Flag Day, and Bill of Rights Day. They are involved in historical research, raising funds for local scholarships and educational awards, and preservation of sites and documents related to the American Revolution. The SAR petitioned Congress to store Revolutionary era documents in a fire-proof area and make them available to the public, leading to the creation of the National Archives. And if that weren’t enough, some members are experienced reenactors and will participate with the Delaware Regiment’s activities.
CONSTITUTION DAY PARADE AT 2 PM, SUNDAY, IN NEVADA CITY
