Annual Civil War Encampment April 12, 13 at historic site

National Park Service staff members and volunteers at the Fort Scott National Historic Site invite the public to celebrate the 26th Annual Civil War Encampment April 12 and 13 and witness how Fort Scott appeared during one of the most violent conflicts in American history.

The roar of musketry, the boom of artillery, and the neighing of horses will again be heard as Union troops garrison Fort Scott during a re-enactment at the weekend event. A variety of programs will offer guests the opportunity to learn more about Fort Scott's role during this turbulent conflict, a FSNHS statement said.

The event, which annually features a wide variety of educational programs, living history demonstrations, dramatic portrayals of the Civil War, and traditional music of the period, is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday and conclude with a final program Sunday afternoon.

During the American Civil War, Fort Scott served as a major base of supplies and as a training ground for Union troops. During the encampment, park volunteers will perform as Union cavalry, infantry and artillery units. They will re-enact military training exercises that were commonly used during the Civil War period to prepare soldiers for battle, including marching, weapons and artillery drills, and horsemanship.

Guests will have an opportunity to tour the fort grounds, to visit with soldiers in camp and take a look inside the U.S. Sanitary Commission Tent, meet the Ladies Union Aid Society, and haggle with post sutlers at their tent. During the Civil War, sutlers were people who typically followed an army and sold provisions to soldiers.

Saturday's activities begin at 9 a.m. with the posting of the colors, and will feature programs concerning the vital role women played in supporting the war effort and both Union and Confederate troops. Drills and weapons demonstrations will take place the remainder of the morning. At noon, volunteers Harold Sites and Sandy Wells will discuss the role of Fort Scott's general hospital, including the medical staff and support provided by the Hospital Aid Society.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, guests will have the chance to understand the heartbreak suffered by military wives during a program titled "Civil War Widows and Mourning Customs," which will be presented by local volunteer Michelle Martin. Following a military tactical and weapons demonstration at 2 p.m., former fort historian Arnold Schofield, who is now the superintendent at Mine Creek Battlefield Site near Pleasanton, will discuss the role women played in thwarting the war effort as he presents a program at 3 p.m. titled "Petticoat Spies: Trans-Mississippi Women Espionage Agents in the Civil War."

Activities on Saturday will conclude with a flag retreat at 4 p.m., and a special evening performance called "The Greatest Show on Earth." This program, which was originally presented as a fundraiser for the Fort Scott Presbyterian Church in April 1865, will feature music, dancing and the antics of a clown as entertainment for visitors. These were the same forms of entertainment that soldiers and civilians enjoyed at the end of the Civil War, a FSNHS statement said.

Sunday programs will begin with a flag raising at 9 a.m. Volunteer Tim Field will present a program at 10 a.m. titled "Salt Pork and Hardtack: Feeding the Trans-Mississippi Army," in which he will discuss the importance of food to the common soldier. Volunteer Jim Gallion will present a Civil War-era church service at 11 a.m., and the remainder of the afternoon will include artillery, cavalry and infantry drills.

Park officials said the event is made possible through the support of volunteer members of the Holmes Brigade, the 4th Missouri Cavalry, the Ladies Union Aid Society, the Northwest Arkansas Historical Education Association, the U.S. Sanitary Commission, several fort volunteers, the Western National Parks Association, and the City of Fort Scott through the Transient Guest Tax, the fort statement said.

The Fort Scott National Historic Site includes 11 buildings that house displays depicting life at the fort from 1842 to 1873.

The site is administered by the National Park Service and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Entrance fees are $3 for adults 16 years of age and older, while children 15 years of age and younger will be admitted free of charge.

For more information, call the fort at (620) 223-0310, or visit the fort's Web site at http://www.nps.gov/fosc.