A Civil War encampment will be held during the Iris Festival at the Andrew Johnson Homestead and the Nathanael Greene Museum this Saturday, May 17.

The event is part of the Andrew Johnson Bicentennial celebration.

Both sites are located along South Main Street. Activities start at 10 a.m., and will continue until 4 p.m.

A special part of the program will be a military tribute at the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery at noon with the playing of "Taps" by Brandon Foster and Audrey Barnett, Greeneville High School students.

The ceremony is a tribute to U.S. forces, military veterans, their families, and especially those who have given "The Last Full Measure of Devotion."

The day's activities will include talks by reenactors portraying Union leaders, a period fashion show that will highlight ladies' attire of that period, demonstrations in military drills, medical techniques, camp life, and signal corps techniques, and a PowerPoint presentation on the historic Battle of Blue Springs.

During the 1861-1865 Civil War, Greeneville changed hands between Confederate and Union Forces more than 30 times.

The Homestead, home then of Andrew Johnson, the nation's 17th president, was occupied by both armies during the war.

Some soldiers treated the Homestead harshly, leaving written messages on the walls for Andrew Johnson to read upon his return home in 1869. Visitors to the Homestead can still see some of those writings today.

For more information call Jim Small at 639-3711 or visit: www.discovergreeneville.com/andrewjohnson or www.nps.gov/anjo