Civil War Encampment termed a success

Robert Talbott, Kansas City, Mo., Aaron Racine, Overland Park, Charles Hoskins, Washington, Mo., T.J. Brueger, Lawrence, and Brian McCarty, Kansas City, lounge between reenactments during Fort Scott National Historic Site's annual Civil War Encampment Saturday. (Ruth Campbell/Tribune)

Dressed in mid-1860s garb, Aaron Racine and Robert Talbott lounge on the grass in front of a tree on the grounds of Fort Scott National Historic Site.

The men were two of about 60 people who took part in FSNHS's 30th annual Civl War Encampment this past weekend.

Talbott, of Kansas City, Mo., has been participating in reenactments for 30 years and Racine for 29. With the tumultuous weather that blew through Fort Scott Saturday and Sunday, the experience was made all the more authentic.

Gregg Higginbotham, Independence, Mo., (reclining) and Gary Riley, Mountain Grove, Mo., are longtime reenactors who participated in this weekend's Civil War Encampment at Fort Scott National Historic Site. (Ruth Campbell/Tribune)

"Where else can you wear hot clothes and get rained on -- experience what Civil War soldiers went through?" said Racine, of Overland Park. "It's a better way to understand the period."

To help keep their interest in the historic interpretations, reenactors said they conduct extensive research on battles, locations, clothing -- anything they can find.

Racine said there is a tendency to "geek out" as a result.

Jared Brown and Kaitlyn Wilson dressed in period garb for a wedding of Jared's mom, Suzy Brown, to longtime reenactor Dave Ryan. The ceremony was held Saturday at Fort Scott National Historic Site as part of the Civil War Encampment. (Ruth Campbell/Tribune)

"Quite honestly, now it's easier to do research because so much of it is digitized," Racine said. "Believe it or not, there is a lot of the new information."

The reenactors found out who was in Fort Scott in mid-April of 1862 -- the 9th Wisconsin, the Kansas 3rd Infantry, the 5th and 6th Kansas Cavalry and the 2nd Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery, headed by Capt. John Rabb.

"Once you find out who's here, you can look at individual unit history. You can draw from those records to see what they were wearing," Racine said.

Also relaxing around the cooking area, Gregg Higginbotham, Independence, Mo., and Gary Riley, Mountain Grove, Mo., said they got interested in the Civil War as kids. Higginbotham, who resembles Abraham Lincoln, has been a reenactor since 1979 and Riley for 20 years.

"We're historical freaks (about) it. The more you dig, the more you want to know," Riley said.

The weekend, which also included an actual wedding between Suzy Brown and Dave Ryan, went well, rangers said.

"We're dodging the raindrops," Ranger Galen Ewing said Saturday afternoon. "So far we've been able to do all our programs." He noted the fort had a plan in place in case of severe weather.

Additionally, Ranger Robert Thomas headed a war meeting between Gen. James G. Blunt and Gen. or Sen. James Henry Lane. "They were here in August of 1862. They speeches here in Fort Scott," Thomas said. "Basically what they were trying to do was get people riled up about the threat of Missourians."

This was punctuated by the fact that about a week earlier Confederate guerilla William Quantrill raided Olathe. "I was unable to find transcripts of the speeches, so I wrote two speeches. I just knew the gist of their speeches and took it from there."

Stacey Murphy and her family, from Springfield, were in Nevada for a band competition. They decided to visit the Fort. "I haven't been here since I was a kid, so I thought it would be fun for them (the kids)," she said. "They're thoroughly enjoying it, especially with all the people in period costumes."