A crowd gathered around the Confederate monument at the state capitol building this morning to honor soldiers who died during the Civil War.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans organized the annual event, combining the observance of Confederate Memorial Day, Arkansas Confederate History and Heritage Month and Confederate Flag Day. The ceremony began with the reading of the names of soldiers who had died in the war and the ringing of a bell to honor them.
"My mother raised me to honor my ancestors," Danny Honnoll, commander of the Army of Trans-Mississippi, SCV, said. "It's important for everyone to remember history accurately or we are doomed to repeat it. This is a way for me to honor my five ancestors who died in this war."
Various Confederate flags stood on display around the monument and along the sidewalk.
"It's a commitment our family has made to honor our causes and Confederate dead," Bobbie Barnett, matron of the SCV Arkansas Division, said. Barnett, who wore a 1860's Victorian black dress, researches historical figures and hand stitches dresses modeled after them, she said. "I make a dress to bring that person to life."
Re-enactors, who were dressed in period attire, stood at attention during the ceremony.
"It's a way to experience some of the things that they went through as close as we can without modern conveniences," Mike Loum, a re-enactor and commander of the Little Rock SCV camp, said. "I've eaten raw bacon. I've gotten to boil coffee in a pot. It's about history, but re-enactments are also about camaraderie. "
This is the 16th year the event has been held.