To Arms! The Union is Dissolved - Bentonville's 146th Anniversary Event
To Arms! To Arms! The Union is Dissolved!
Bentonville’s 146th Anniversary Event
Bentonville Battlefield will kick off special programming for NC’s Civil War Sesquicentennial celebration with the 146th Anniversary of the Battle of Bentonville Living History Program on March 19 & 20, 2011 from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. The theme of the program is “The Union is Dissolved: Mustering Soldiers Off to War.” Living history scenarios will begin at 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on both days. Concessions will be offered for sale by the Bentonville Volunteer Fire Department. Highlights of the event include living history vignettes, encampments, and drills.
During the first half of this living history scenario, visitors will witness raw recruits as they answer the call for volunteers to join the Confederate army in late May of 1861. Enlistment will take place at John Harper’s home just outside of the village of Bentonville. Military re-enactors will portray enlisting officers, recruits, and the army surgeons charged with certifying the health of the new soldiers. The surgeon would have performed a physical examination of each recruit and asked a series of questions about their medical history. These strange questions included “Have you ever had the fits?”, “Are you in the habit of drinking? Or have you ever had the ‘horrors’?”, and “Are you subject to the piles?” The surgeon will explain exactly what these questions referred to if you dare to ask!
The second half of the living history scenario will follow the recruits as they report to their camp of instruction. There they would have been issued uniforms, equipment, and weapons. They would also learn how to be soldiers through daily drills. Recruits will arrive at the camp, change into military uniforms, and commence drilling. Re-enactors will portray raw recruits with no formal military training, so visitors should be entertained by mistakes and mishaps!
Visitors are encouraged to participate throughout the day by filling out an enlistment form and participating in the drills.
Re-enactors interested in participating in this event should contact the site at (910) 594-0789 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .There is no fee to register for this event.
The Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19-21, 1865, involved 80,000 troops and was the last Confederate offensive against Union Gen. William T. Sherman. Bentonville Battlefield is located at 5466 Harper House Road, Four Oaks, NC 27524, three miles north of Newton Grove on S.R. 1008. For more information, visit www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi or call (910) 594-0789.
Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.
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