Fort Croghan to host Civil War group’s Fall Muster

Officials with the Burnet County Heritage Society say the public is welcome to attend the free Fall Muster for the 9th Texas Infantry Regiment on the grounds of the Fort Croghan Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. 

“This is not an actual reenactment but merely a practice drill leading up to their reenactment of a Civil War battle,” said museum director Milli Riley Williams. The official battle reenactment will take place Sept. 20-21 in Georgia.

The fort, built during the 1800s by the Army to protect the frontier from American Indian attacks, is located at 703 W. Buchanan, just off Texas 29.

The word muster describes a gathering of people who volunteer to gather and begin their military service.

“This group is the Texas chapter of the 9th Infantry, and most of their members live around Houston and San Antonio. With gas prices the way they are, they didn’t want to travel as far as they normally do to practice, so they needed to find a more central location,” Williams said.

The group’s battalion adjutant Tom Corll and his wife visited the fort on at least two occasions to make sure the site was right for their gathering. 

During their Burnet stay, the re-enactors will set up camp on the museum grounds and practice drills, maneuvers and firing volleys with black powder blanks in preparation for a reenactment honoring the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga.

The battle, fought in September 1863, is considered the most significant Union defeat of the Civil War, which marked the end of the Union offensive in south-central Tennessee and northwestern Georgia, historians said.

Although soldiers are not allowed to interact with museum guests during their practice, the group will have at least two representatives available to answer questions and explain the drills and exercises.

“When they came to inspect our grounds, they found it ideal for what they wanted,” said Carole Goble, who was the director of the museum until April. She still serves on the board of governors for the heritage society.