Annual Black and Blue Civil War Living History events at Historical Jefferson College address the issue of the long omitted history of the self-emancipated (runaway) enslaved persons who helped to obtain theirs and other enslaved peoples’ freedom during the Civil War.

They were some 24,000 and 18,000 Louisiana and Mississippi Union soldiers of the Mississippi Valley respectively.  In addition there were estimated thousands of A. D. (African descent) Union sailors and civilian supporters.

On Oct. 27 the Friends of the Forks of Roads Society’s (FRSI) At Historic Jefferson College, will  be the 11th year of bringing forth another living history program about the systemic hidden history of self-emancipated enslaved people of the Mississippi Valley as successful Union fighters for their own freedom and liberators of other enslaved people during the civil war.

There will be a special event for parents, children and horse riders who want to ride along.

At 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Natchez, A. M. 3rd U. S. Colored Cavalry re-enactors led by Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten, will ride their horses from Martin Luther King Jr. and B streets to Main Street, down Main to Broadway and onto North Broadway park (old pecan building lot). They will be reenacting the April 1865 preparations for traveling by boats on the Mississippi River from the Natchez Landing for Fort Adams in Wilkinson County.

Bring children to meet the Black Horse Cavalry, see them ride, shoot, saber fight and take photos. Local horse riders please drop trailers on Broadway and horses on vacant lot across from Bilbo’s

At Historic Jefferson College Our theme is“Stopping Fugitive Confederate President Jefferson Davis and 500 Cavalrymen from escaping across the Mississippi River to Texas and continue the civil war after it ended in 1865.”

We draw upon information from official Civil War Union army reports.

Starting at 10 a.m. will be a special forum — Visually addressing the absence of Mississippi’s African American U. S. Civil War troops’ regiments in The New Two Mississippi Museums of History and Civil Rights!

Presentations will be made by Tony Schnadelback, program assistant – digital communication coordinator and Lance Wheeler, museum manager of exhibition for Mississippi’s History and Civil Rights Museums.

During question and answers, Brigadier-General Robert Crear, U. S. Army Retired will be the moderator. Resource persons will be Natchez National Historical Park Historian David Slay and Vicksburg National Military Park Historian Andrew Miller.

Starting at 1:30  p.m., role character actors and Third U. S. Colored Cavalry re-enactors from Florida in first person living history, will bring alive local African descent Union military Civil War heroes and sheroes, ranging from the Freedom Summer of 1863, all the way up to the time of stopping Confederate President Jefferson Davis from escaping across the Mississippi River to Texas to continue the civil war after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses Grant to end the war in April of 1865.

Special guest in attendance will be descendants of enslaved Mary Thompson of Jefferson County who was born on a ship of captive Africans in Atlantic Ocean in 1804. Nine of her sons, grandsons and son-in-law were 71st into 70th U. S. Colored Regiment freedom fighters at Natchez in 1864-65. Descendant, Deborah Fountain author of forthcoming book, “Nine at Natchez: The Remarkable True Story of Nine Former Slaves from One Family Who Became Civil War Solders” (Rich Soil Press 2018) & Brishette Mendoza and other descendants will be in our audience. Also will be: Genealogist Antoinette Harrell & a “Devil’s Punch Bowl” documentary producer. Gaynell Brady Owner/Educator of Mammy’s “Plant a seed, so next generation can enjoy the fruit of the trees.” and DR. Artemus W. Gaye seventh generation grandson of Prince Abduhl Rahman Ibrahima Sori and Isabella, enslaved for forty years near Natchez, Mississippi who just Published A Biographical Narrative Of The Origin Of The Transatlantic Route To That Of His Ancestors: Rooted Beyond Boundaries Finding Faith, Hope, and Courage in the midst of tragedies

Third Eye Express Drummers from Jackson will drum for an Ogun/Herukhuti Drums-Libation.

Admission is free rain or shine and  bring children and chairs.

Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-CM Boxley is the coordinator and program designer.