Hundreds of men, women and children dressed in muslin and wool clothing will camp in the fields along Big Sugar Creek north of Pea Ridge this weekend.
They will build campfires and cook in cast-iron Dutch ovens; children will play in the alley ways between tents; soldiers will drill and prepare for battle. And, on Saturday night, all will gather to dance under the stars on Sutlers' Row.
FAQ
Battle of Pea Ridge
Reenactment
WHEN — Through Sunday with battle reenactments at 4 p.m. today; 2 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. Sunday
WHERE — Webb farm, 17398 Patterson Road in Pea Ridge
COST — $10 a day or $22 for a three-day pass
INFO — battleofpearidge.com
FYI
Battle of Pea Ridge
Called “the battle that saved Missouri for the union,” the Battle of Pea Ridge was fought March 7-8, 1862. The 4,300 acre Pea Ridge National Military Park battlefield honors those who fought for their beliefs. Pea Ridge was one of the most pivotal Civil War battles and is the most intact Civil War battlefield in the United States.
The reenactment event will take place on the Webb family farm, a picturesque and pristine 340-acre, seventh-generation farmstead near the 4,300-acre Pea Ridge National Military Park.
"We certainly don't do this to memorialize our nation's worst tragedy," says Steve Bailey, the organizer of the reenactment of the 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge. "Our efforts are purely public charity."
Money raised goes to the Pea Ridge National Military Park Foundation.
"It has nothing to do with hate," Bailey adds. "It's so the park can be preserved for future generations ... so they can learn that a house divided cannot stand. We can't ever go through another Civil War."
Bailey says his first big event was in 1995.
"This will be a first event for many reenactors. I want to make it memorable," he adds.
The battle re-enactment is on private land instead of at the Pea Ridge National Military Park because battle reenactments are not allowed on federal land, although encampments are.
The nearly 200 acres south of Sugar Creek along the Arkansas-Missouri state line will be turned into battlegrounds and Civil War encampments as reenactors set up camp Thursday. Camp tours will begin that day, with battle reenactments starting Friday.
Bailey, president of the Arkansas Reenactors Education Association, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Northwest 15th Arkansas Infantry, says 600 reenactors registered early and, depending on weather conditions, there could be as many as 800 attend.
Bailey says he anticipates more than 10,000 people will attend over the three-day period.
Rick Hunt, brigadier general of the Trans-Mississippi Brigade, says a reenactment of this magnitude is long overdue. Hunt will help lead the Confederate troops in the battle reenactment, which involves reenactors coming from as far west as California and as far east as Maryland.
"It's time we have a major Civil War reenactment this side of the Mississippi River. Pea Ridge is the event we need in the West," says Hunt.
"About three-fifths of the U.S. is represented with reenactors coming from Maryland to California, from Washington state to Florida. We've never been represented like this in the Midwest," Bailey says. He explained that typically registration at national events is $20 but here it is only $8 and he says he provides well for the reenactors.
Local volunteers including the Pea Ridge Athletic Booster Club and area Boy Scouts will be on location during the event to help park cars and assist people in reaching the front gates.
NAN What's Up on 09/25/2015