Fort Scott National Historic Site to host encampment

When Capt. Benjamin Moore chose to locate Fort Scott on a high point of ground in April of 1842, little did he know then the significance that spot would play in the Civil War, almost 20 years later.

During the war, military units from Kansas began concentrating at Fort Scott as early as August of 1861. In March 1862, they were joined by units from Ohio and Wisconsin along with a formal military command structure that reestablished a military post at Fort Scott using that high piece of ground and the surrounding area. The post would take on importance as a key to the Union war effort in the Trans Mississippi West.

This Saturday and Sunday, visitors can experience the sights and sounds of the Civil War at Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, a news release said.

Union Army re-enactors will represent Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery soldiers of 1862. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, the Civil War was well under way and the belief that this was to be a short confrontation was rapidly fading. Kansans, which had been terrorized in the 1850s by violent conflict over the issue of whether it would be a free or slave state, was swept into a firestorm as bushwhackers and jayhawkers inflamed passions along the Kansas-Missouri border.

Fort Scott National Historic Site gives visitors a chance to experience those events, honor Civil War ancestors and Fort Scott's role in a war that claimed more than 600,000 lives.

Living history volunteers will re-create those times in Fort Scott's history. At 9 a.m. on both days, visitors can watch the Infantry and Cavalry raise the "Morning Colors" above the Fort.

Attendees can walk through a period-correct military camp, talk to the soldiers to learn about life in the mid-19th century.

Those attending can also reenactors march and hear the sounds of small-arms and cannon being fired. Those who prefer something more relaxing to the ears can listen to authentic Civil War music being played by the "Hawthorne String Band" at 1 p.m. on Saturday. At 2 p.m., find out if those hoop skirts were comfortable while watching a Civil War Fashion Show, the release said.

Then at 3 p.m. on Saturday, listen and participate in speeches given by Sen. James Lane and Gen. James Blunt. If your patriotic fever is raised high enough, you can sign up to be enlisted.

At 4:30 p.m. a special program called "Rhetoric of the Civil War Press" will be given exploring how newspapers played a crucial role in shaping public perception of the events leading up to the Civil War. Visitors can also attend as guests a Civil War-style wedding at 6:30 p.m. where a soldier and his fiancée "tie the knot." Learn about the trepidation felt by couples during the Civil War.

On Saturday, Dave Tollefson, a member of Camp No. 5, Sons of Union Veterans in Olathe, will show his private collection of Civil War artifacts. Some of the items will include a rifled musket display, sabers and defused cannon balls, the release said.

On Sunday at 10 a.m., listen to "Salt Pork and Hardtack -- Feeding the Army of the Border," a subject that was always on the minds of soldiers. A period church service is scheduled for 11 a.m. on the Fort Parade Ground.

The last program of the day, "Homeward Bound -- The Indian Expedition of 1862," will focus on a major military expedition leaving Fort Scott in order to restore pro-Union Cherokee land which they had been forced to abandon in 1861 by pro-Confederate Cherokee.

Army drill and historic weapons firings will be featured Sunday afternoon as well.

Also, in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, a special exhibit focusing on the significance of the war in the West will be available for viewing.

The three-panel display will provide information on the cause of the war, why individuals fought, the strategic importance of the war in the West and the impact of the war on civilians.

A schedule of activities follows:

SATURDAY, APRIL 14

9 a.m. - Flag Raising

10 a.m. - Cavalry Drill

11 a.m. - Infantry Drill and Weapons Demo

Noon - Artillery Drill and Weapons Demo

1 p.m. - Civil War Music: Hawthorne String Band

2 p.m. - Civil War Fashion Show

3 p.m. - War Meeting Program

4 p.m. - Flag Retreat

4:30 p.m. - Rhetoric of the Civil War Press

6:30 p.m. - "Till Death Do Us Part" - Civil War Period Wedding

SUNDAY, APRIL 15

9 a.m. - Flag Raising

10 a.m. - Salt Pork and Hardtack: Feeding the Army on the Border - talk

11 a.m. - Church Service

Noon - Artillery Drill and Weapons Demo

1 p.m. - Cavalry Drill

2 p.m. - Infantry Drill and Weapons Demo

3 p.m. - Homeward Bound -- The Indian Expedition of 1862 -- talk