Civil War re-enactment in Port Gamble

Scenes from the two-month Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., which culminated in a Union victory in early July 1863, are the highlight of the fifth annual Battle of Port Gamble, a Civil War re-enactment event taking place this weekend in the Kitsap County town.

Battles featuring cavalry and several artillery pieces are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday. But there are other things to see, including the fife and drum corps, a Magic Lantern presentation, field hospital demonstrations, a fashion show and a period wedding.

The period-perfect buildings in Port Gamble, a pretty blink-and-you'll-miss-it town near the Kingston Ferry Terminal, make it the ideal place to hold a Civil War re-enactment, said Howard Struve, vice chair of the Washington Civil War Association, which hosts the event. More than 600 are expected to attend.

The wedding, which is real but open to the public, will be held on a Navy landship in the Union camp sometime around 4 p.m. Saturday. Organizers haven't nailed down an exact time; there's a war on, after all.

"We have a battle at 3, so it'll be sometime after that," Struve said.

Blythe Lawrence: blawrence@seattletimes.com