Dates & Times
Saturday, May 9
from 10 am to 2 pm
Admission Prices
$15 - Adults Ages
$12 – Children Ages 5-12
$12 - Senior 62+
Free - Infants/Toddlers 0-4
Free - Museum Members
Admission tickets can also can be purchased upon arrival to the event. This is a Rain or shine event – no refunds.
Today, there sits a stone and plaque commemorating Camp Fuller on the triangular plot at Boilvin Ave. and Ellsworth St. within the Churchill Grove neighborhood.
Camp Fuller - Civil War Day
Make plans to attend this very special, one-day public history event at Midway Village Museum, 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford, IL
Midway’s historic village will be transformed into the Civil War Era with visitors learning about Rockford’s 1862 Civil War training camp for Illinois recruits.
Event Highlights:
- Meet famous people: President Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, General U. S. Grant and many others
- Experience being a soldier, including marching and drilling
- Visit the 1850s Barn to learn about the Underground Railroad
- Experience period school lessons in a one room schoolhouse
- Learn about Civil War doctors and medicine
- Plus, many other Living History stations throughout the village
About Rockford's Camp Fuller
Rockford was a bustling city during the 1860s, with several prominent figures who spent time in the region and played a significant role during the Civil War. It was also home to an infantry training camp that was established in the Churchill Grove neighborhood along the Rock River.
- Rev. Dr. Thomas Kerr, the pastor of Rockford’s First Baptist Church, preached openly about his support for the Union and helped recruit thousands of Union soldiers.
- Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth (pictured) was a “Rockford Greys” drillmaster who studied the French Zouave soldiers’ techniques and implemented them into his training for his own troops. Ellsworth was also the first Union officer to die in the Civil War and a close acquaintance of President Abraham Lincoln.
Camp Fuller was a Civil War training ground for Illinois soldiers, and was
only open a few months in 1862. The site was chosen in July 1862 by the
Illinois adjutant general, General Allen C. Fuller, of Belvidere. General Fuller
named Col. Jason Marsh as commandant who then named the camp after
General Fuller. It was officially established in August 1862 when the first
Illinois troops arrived. Four regiments were formed at Camp Fuller: the
74th (composed of Winnebago County men), the 92nd (composed of Ogle,
Stephenson, and Carroll County men), the 95th (composed of McHenry and
Boone County men), and the 96th (composed of Jo Daviess and Lake County
men). Rockford citizens often took trips to visit soldiers training at Camp
Fuller and enjoy picnics together, demonstrating the depth of local support for
the soldiers who trained there.
Beginning in September 1862, trained soldiers began leaving Camp Fuller for various outposts such as Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and the Atlanta Campaign. By the end of November 1862, all trained troops had vacated and Camp Fuller was torn down by the beginning of 1863.
Questions? Call 815-397-9112.
