In front of about 200 onlookers Saturday, Jefferson Davis walked to his perch in the balcony of the Old Court House and bid the City of Vicksburg farewell.

The Confederate President, played by local stage actor Jack Burns, delivered the address to a crowd on the East Lawn of the Old Court House on Cherry Street one day after the 150th anniversary of Davis’ original speech.

On Feb. 11, 1861, after being told he had been named President of the Confederacy, Davis, who lived south of Vicksburg, stepped off a boat at the Jackson Street landing where he gave his farewell speech before departing for Montgomery, Ala.

To celebrate the occasion Saturday, about 40 reenactors, and many more onlookers, turned out in full military and civilian attire.

The event, sponsored by the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, is one of many events throughout the South that will commemorate the 150th anniverasry of the War between the States.

“The purpose of this event, and all the others that we have had and will have, is to mark the 150th anniversary of the war,” Chuck Rand of the SCV board of directors said. “Also to see that the public has a chance to learn about these events and to reflect upon that history.

“Many of these people have ancestors that were participants in that history. So basically we are doing what the Sons of Confederate Veterans meant to do, in keeping that history and heritage alive.”

The militia was called to attention and the crowd of civilian reenactors and modern-day spectators applauded as Burns approached the Court House and proceeded up to the second floor balcony to give the same address the real Davis had given in 1861 next to the river.

“The empathy between the crowd and the President and of course the stirring display by the militiamen was awesome,” Burns said of the role. “I tried to get a feel for who was saying this and where they had been and where they were going and I found that to be extremely useful.”

Many of the reenactors, who dressed in authentic garb and equipment, came from all over Mississippi for the event. The soldiers were dressed mostly in red shirts and tri-cornered hats, which were uniforms typical of Mississippi militiamen at the beginning of the war.

“It’s quite an experience to be able to be in the areas where Jefferson Davis actually had to speak 150-years ago,” reenactor Charles Tucker of Brandon said. “It’s an interesting way of studying history and it is a very fun part of it.”

This event is one of many sesquicentennial celebrations to be put on by the SCV. Next weekend in Montgomery the group will reenact the swearing in of Davis at the Alabama state capitol building.