July 30, 2007 For: Immediate Release September 1, 2007 To help celebrate the end of the summer season, the staff at Fort Pulaski National Monument invite you to attend a special one-day "Blue vs. the Gray" Celebration on Saturday, September 1, 2007. Activities at Fort Pulaski will include cannon firings, skirmish drills, Civil War soldier talks, and guided fort tours. Activities are scheduled from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The highlight of the day will be an 1862-style baseball game between members of the 48th New York and the 8th Georgia Regiments. The "historic" game begins at 11:00 AM, followed by a 12:00noon game for kids and families. The public is invited to be a part of history and play a game of baseball inside Fort Pulaski. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and non-alcoholic beverages. During the Civil War soldiers at Fort Pulaski often played baseball to escape the boredom of garrison life. One of the earliest known photographs of a baseball game was taken inside Fort Pulaski, and featured members of the 48th New York Volunteer Infantry. Baseball was popular before the Civil War in the Northeastern United States, but its popularity spread rapidly as thousands of young men from other parts of the country joined the ranks. The baseball game on Saturday, September 1, will feature vintage 1862 rules. The hurler (pitcher) must throw underhand. The ball was literally pitched like a horseshoe. Overhand pitching was not allowed until 1884. Gloves were not used, so a "club nine" (team) was awarded an out by either catching the ball on the fly or after one bounce. The batter was known as a "striker," and ground balls were called "daisy cutters," Though the phrases and rules have changed, the great tradition of baseball lives on today. Schedule of Events for Saturday, September 1: 10:00 Guided Fort Tour 10:30 Cannon Firing 11:00 Historic Baseball Game 12:00 Family Baseball Game 1:00 Cannon Firing & Skirmish Drill 1:30 Musket Demonstration 2:00 Cannon Firing 2:30 Civil War Medicine Demonstration 3:00 Cannon Firing & Skirmish Drill 4:00 Cannon Firing |
Last updated: April 14, 2015