A mock Court Martial at 'Camp Now or Never.' Photo provided by Saratoga National Historical Park Chief of Interpretation Lisa Dittman.
STILLWATER – Visit the Neilson House (ca. 1775), the site of “Camp Now or Never”, to see men, women and children portraying the lives of Continental Army and militia personnel who inhabited the very same ground 240 years ago—in September and October of 1777—during the Battles of Saratoga.
The event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16 and 17, at Saratoga National Historical Park, located on Routes 32 and 4 in Stillwater. The camp will be open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At this anniversary of the “most important battle of the last 1,000 years,” visitors will be surrounded by some of the sights, smells and sounds of military camp life from the American Revolution.
Re-enactors will portray American Continental and militia soldiers and women followers from the 1777 Battles of Saratoga. Join in a historical court-martial and decide the prisoners’ fate; listen to soldiers, surgeons and women as they talk about wartime experiences; and check out what sorts of foods they really ate.
A special historian-led guided tour of the Freeman Farm battlefield will be offered on Saturday. Special youth activities include setting up tents, musket or cannon drills, and a special scavenger hunt activity.
On Sunday, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at 2 p.m. by Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution at Tour Road Stop 2. The public is welcome to attend.
The event is free. For more information about this or other events, call the park’s Visitor Center at 518-670-2985 or visit its website at www.nps.gov/sara.