Plans for an Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial celebration will bring business to the region and raise interest in events that shaped the history of the state, said Mark Christ, community outreach coordinator for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
“ This is an excellent opportunity for us to use historical preservation as an economicdevelopment tool, ” he said.
Christ spoke at the first meeting of the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission — a group formed to coordinate recognition of the 150 th anniversary of the U. S. Civil War — at the John Q. Hammons Center on Thursday. The group of appointed historians from throughout the state, which met in conjunction with a reunion at Pea Ridge National Military Park, will plan preservation efforts, educational materials and events to commemorate the anniversary in 2011.
A study by Rutgers University proved that preservation tourists, drawn to such events, are “ older, richer and smarter” than other tourists, Christ said.
“ They stay longer, and they spend more, ” he said. The group hopes to use public-private sponsorships and corporate funding to bring a carefully drafted schedule of events to the 17 battlefield sites throughout the state. Northwest Arkansas will be a major player in these events because it is home to the Pea Ridge National Military Park, “ one of the most intact and best preserved national military parks, not just in Arkansas but in the country, ” Christ said.
John Scott, superintendent of the park, said the events would be an important tool to demonstrate the importance of historic events, an idea that doesn’t always resonate with younger and newer residents to the area.
“ We truly had neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother, ” he said. “ Part of the preparation is not just to talk about battle sites, but how do we make the American Civil War relevant for a population that might not have had a relative in the battle ? It’s a story that we have to tell. ”
The group will meet in Little Rock in September to discuss marketing efforts, educational curriculum and themes for events.
(Arkansas Democrat Gazette - June 8, 2007)
Saturday, July 28, 2007
"Our View"
Few Americans enter adulthood without at least some
understanding of where they, their families and their forebears stand or have stood in regard to the Civil War. For some, that understanding is little more than a vague notion, but for others — especially those with ancestors who wore a uniform, blue or gray — it’s far more clear.
Many Americans still bury relatives in the cemeteries where ancestors who took up arms in the Civil War were laid to rest.
For everyone, regardless of family and community history, reminders of the war are all around. In towns and cities throughout former Union and Confederate states, there are parks, statues and other physical manifestations of our memories of this turbulent chapter of U. S. history. On the spots where war was actually waged, bullets and other implements of war are still being extracted from the once bloodsoaked ground. Even vestiges of the old regionalism remains, as some people continue to refer to themselves as Northerners or Southerners.
But Americans today, despite any labels they attach to themselves and others, are — first and foremost — Americans. And that, ultimately, is perhaps the perfect lens through which to view the Civil War — the lens of contrast. The deep divisions of our past, the ones that led to war and existed for a time in its aftermath, stand in stark contrast to the unity that exists in present-day America.
Before you think us naive, let us be clear: We understand the United States is, in some ways, a divided nation. As much as we wish otherwise, it might be impossible, as things stand today, for so many cultures, ethnicities and points of view to co-exist in one place without at least some disagreement.
But our disagreements today take the form of debate, not bloodshed. And where the Civil War is concerned, despite how deeply those years scarred our nation, we’ve consigned the anger and the animosity of those dark times to the past, where they belong. In doing so, we’ve become the union we had to become to thrive and persevere as a nation.
In spite of the occasional passionate flare-up — an argument over the statue on the town square, perhaps ? — we have, in many ways, become the antithesis of our ancestors. We’re a people who can hardly imagine taking up arms against our neighbors, our brothers, our countrymen.
We’ve become a people who can study and learn from even the most painful and divisive period of our history. That’s what happens when the past becomes what it’s meant to become: history.
That history has been observed and celebrated in Benton County over the past several days as the first Festival of Ozarks Civil War Heritage has been held at Pea Ridge National Military Park. Park officials conceived the festival as a reunion for descendants of those who fought in the Battle of Pea Ridge — and, of course, as yet another opportunity for anyone interested in the Civil War to visit the park and soak in its rich history.
As anyone who’s been to the park knows, history permeates its structures, monuments and battlefields. It’s almost impossible to take a step without feeling as if the ghosts of Union and Confederate troops are walking beside you, guiding you as you tour this place where they fought and died. One can gaze upon the park’s windswept fields, over which troops once advanced in fighting formation, and almost see the skirmishes that made this patch of earth in the Ozarks a permanent fixture of our history.
Festivals like the one held this weekend are planned for each year leading up to the 150 th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge in 2012. We look forward to each of them, and to the learning opportunities they represent. Of course, learning opportunities are present at the park every day, but the sentiment behind the reunions is something we especially applaud.
The calling together of descendants of both Union and Confederate troops to celebrate a shared heritage — minus the anger that underscored the conflict itself — perfectly represents how far we’ve come as a nation since the Civil War was fought.
We’re in a position now to keep learning from the past, to keep moving forward — together, as one. United. Americans haven’t always learned from the examples set by history, but the way we study and remember the Civil War today shows the conflict’s lessons have indeed been taken to heart.
("Our view", Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
understanding of where they, their families and their forebears stand or have stood in regard to the Civil War. For some, that understanding is little more than a vague notion, but for others — especially those with ancestors who wore a uniform, blue or gray — it’s far more clear.
Many Americans still bury relatives in the cemeteries where ancestors who took up arms in the Civil War were laid to rest.
For everyone, regardless of family and community history, reminders of the war are all around. In towns and cities throughout former Union and Confederate states, there are parks, statues and other physical manifestations of our memories of this turbulent chapter of U. S. history. On the spots where war was actually waged, bullets and other implements of war are still being extracted from the once bloodsoaked ground. Even vestiges of the old regionalism remains, as some people continue to refer to themselves as Northerners or Southerners.
But Americans today, despite any labels they attach to themselves and others, are — first and foremost — Americans. And that, ultimately, is perhaps the perfect lens through which to view the Civil War — the lens of contrast. The deep divisions of our past, the ones that led to war and existed for a time in its aftermath, stand in stark contrast to the unity that exists in present-day America.
Before you think us naive, let us be clear: We understand the United States is, in some ways, a divided nation. As much as we wish otherwise, it might be impossible, as things stand today, for so many cultures, ethnicities and points of view to co-exist in one place without at least some disagreement.
But our disagreements today take the form of debate, not bloodshed. And where the Civil War is concerned, despite how deeply those years scarred our nation, we’ve consigned the anger and the animosity of those dark times to the past, where they belong. In doing so, we’ve become the union we had to become to thrive and persevere as a nation.
In spite of the occasional passionate flare-up — an argument over the statue on the town square, perhaps ? — we have, in many ways, become the antithesis of our ancestors. We’re a people who can hardly imagine taking up arms against our neighbors, our brothers, our countrymen.
We’ve become a people who can study and learn from even the most painful and divisive period of our history. That’s what happens when the past becomes what it’s meant to become: history.
That history has been observed and celebrated in Benton County over the past several days as the first Festival of Ozarks Civil War Heritage has been held at Pea Ridge National Military Park. Park officials conceived the festival as a reunion for descendants of those who fought in the Battle of Pea Ridge — and, of course, as yet another opportunity for anyone interested in the Civil War to visit the park and soak in its rich history.
As anyone who’s been to the park knows, history permeates its structures, monuments and battlefields. It’s almost impossible to take a step without feeling as if the ghosts of Union and Confederate troops are walking beside you, guiding you as you tour this place where they fought and died. One can gaze upon the park’s windswept fields, over which troops once advanced in fighting formation, and almost see the skirmishes that made this patch of earth in the Ozarks a permanent fixture of our history.
Festivals like the one held this weekend are planned for each year leading up to the 150 th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge in 2012. We look forward to each of them, and to the learning opportunities they represent. Of course, learning opportunities are present at the park every day, but the sentiment behind the reunions is something we especially applaud.
The calling together of descendants of both Union and Confederate troops to celebrate a shared heritage — minus the anger that underscored the conflict itself — perfectly represents how far we’ve come as a nation since the Civil War was fought.
We’re in a position now to keep learning from the past, to keep moving forward — together, as one. United. Americans haven’t always learned from the examples set by history, but the way we study and remember the Civil War today shows the conflict’s lessons have indeed been taken to heart.
("Our view", Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
A Piece of History
PEA RIDGE — On any given day, visitors can peruse the grounds of the Pea Ridge National Military Park, where a significant battle took place during the Civil War. But on Saturday afternoon, it was about more than just the land.
There was the smell of Civil War era cooking — and it attracted a significant crowd.
Doug Laman was all smiles underneath his leather hat, cooking over his hot pan in front of the old Elkhorn Tavern, one of the most recognizable and important structures at Pea Ridge National Military Park. Laman, a Civil War re-enactor, spent the afternoon putting on a cooking demonstration for visitors interested in learning what life was like as a soldier fighting the war.
It was all there, steaming and laid out on the table in front of him.
Parched corn. Roasted peanuts. Beans. Chicken stew. Turnip greens with bacon. Extremely thick hunks of bacon. And cornbread, fried and baked.
“ If you were a soldier, you were marching a long, long way, ” Laman said. “ So you didn’t carry anything more than you absolutely had to. When it came to food, you ate whatever you could get your hands on — whatever was around. So these soldiers ate a lot of corn. They made corn everything. ”
Laman stood over his hot dish, cutting up a freshly baked cornbread cake. And he did it the old fashioned way. Everything he made was cooked in old tin cans with metal hooks, so they could be hung over the campfire. The cornbread was a big hit with visitors on Saturday, as just about every person who passed through the park grabbed a piece. Some came back for seconds.
“ This baked cornbread is what they would have made at winter camp, ” Laman said. “ The menu varied slightly depending on the season and if you were on the march or not. But the bacon was always thick. A lot of times, the rind was left on. It was a big hunk of pork. That’s the way they liked it. ”
Marilyn Vits of Bella Vista was among the many visitors at the park on Saturday who was particularly interested to get a closer look at Civil War cooking.
“ I still have a few letters my great grandfather wrote while he was in the war, ” Vits said. “ He mentions several times how glad he was just to have food. So this is all fascinating to me. To see what he ate and what he had to do. It makes those letters come alive. ”
(Benton County Daily Record)
There was the smell of Civil War era cooking — and it attracted a significant crowd.
Doug Laman was all smiles underneath his leather hat, cooking over his hot pan in front of the old Elkhorn Tavern, one of the most recognizable and important structures at Pea Ridge National Military Park. Laman, a Civil War re-enactor, spent the afternoon putting on a cooking demonstration for visitors interested in learning what life was like as a soldier fighting the war.
It was all there, steaming and laid out on the table in front of him.
Parched corn. Roasted peanuts. Beans. Chicken stew. Turnip greens with bacon. Extremely thick hunks of bacon. And cornbread, fried and baked.
“ If you were a soldier, you were marching a long, long way, ” Laman said. “ So you didn’t carry anything more than you absolutely had to. When it came to food, you ate whatever you could get your hands on — whatever was around. So these soldiers ate a lot of corn. They made corn everything. ”
Laman stood over his hot dish, cutting up a freshly baked cornbread cake. And he did it the old fashioned way. Everything he made was cooked in old tin cans with metal hooks, so they could be hung over the campfire. The cornbread was a big hit with visitors on Saturday, as just about every person who passed through the park grabbed a piece. Some came back for seconds.
“ This baked cornbread is what they would have made at winter camp, ” Laman said. “ The menu varied slightly depending on the season and if you were on the march or not. But the bacon was always thick. A lot of times, the rind was left on. It was a big hunk of pork. That’s the way they liked it. ”
Marilyn Vits of Bella Vista was among the many visitors at the park on Saturday who was particularly interested to get a closer look at Civil War cooking.
“ I still have a few letters my great grandfather wrote while he was in the war, ” Vits said. “ He mentions several times how glad he was just to have food. So this is all fascinating to me. To see what he ate and what he had to do. It makes those letters come alive. ”
(Benton County Daily Record)
Reenactment Announced in Bentonville 7-20-2007
BENTONVILLE — The re-enactment may be three months away — and the war over a century past, but two Union soldiers were already casualties Friday.
It was an unexpected victory for the Confederacy on the Square. Unable to withstand the heat while wearing their wool uniforms, the two soldiers passed out from the heat during the announcement of the Peel House Foundation’s fourth bi-annual Civil War Re-enactment, to be held Oct. 27-28 on 130 acres near Price Coffee Road, north of Bentonville.
Local history buff and retired physician Don Cohagan briefly tended to the first soldier as emergency responders with the Bentonville Fire Department headed toward the Square.
Just as the first soldier was walked toward the ambulance, a second man went down. He was immediately taken to receive medical care.
“ That’s the way they did it in the Civil War, ” Cohagan said. “ With water and prayer. They didn’t have anything else. ”
Cohagan went back to promoting the re-enactment, which will mark the 145 th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge. The battle took place March 6-8, 1862.
The purpose of the event is to educate the public on the importance of Civil War history and Benton County’s heritage through historical preservation, reenactment and living-history presentations. More than 2, 000 Civil-War re-enactors are expected for the event.
“ The most important part of this is to teach, … to let us feel and see, ” Cohagan said. “ There is no better way to teach our young people history than to actually have them see where (soldiers ) live, to bring that history alive. ”
“ We are the home of a rich history, not the least of which is the region’s part in the Civil War, ” said Ed Clifford, president and CEO of the Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce. “ Few counties in America participated in that war like Benton County, and we were the site of the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi. ”
Organizers anticipate this event to bring 10, 000 spectators and approximately $ 750, 000 in revenue for the city.
For more information, contact Leah Whitehead with the Peel House Foundation at (479 ) 273-9664 or visit www. peelmansion. org.
(Benton County Daily Record - 7/21/2007)
It was an unexpected victory for the Confederacy on the Square. Unable to withstand the heat while wearing their wool uniforms, the two soldiers passed out from the heat during the announcement of the Peel House Foundation’s fourth bi-annual Civil War Re-enactment, to be held Oct. 27-28 on 130 acres near Price Coffee Road, north of Bentonville.
Local history buff and retired physician Don Cohagan briefly tended to the first soldier as emergency responders with the Bentonville Fire Department headed toward the Square.
Just as the first soldier was walked toward the ambulance, a second man went down. He was immediately taken to receive medical care.
“ That’s the way they did it in the Civil War, ” Cohagan said. “ With water and prayer. They didn’t have anything else. ”
Cohagan went back to promoting the re-enactment, which will mark the 145 th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge. The battle took place March 6-8, 1862.
The purpose of the event is to educate the public on the importance of Civil War history and Benton County’s heritage through historical preservation, reenactment and living-history presentations. More than 2, 000 Civil-War re-enactors are expected for the event.
“ The most important part of this is to teach, … to let us feel and see, ” Cohagan said. “ There is no better way to teach our young people history than to actually have them see where (soldiers ) live, to bring that history alive. ”
“ We are the home of a rich history, not the least of which is the region’s part in the Civil War, ” said Ed Clifford, president and CEO of the Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce. “ Few counties in America participated in that war like Benton County, and we were the site of the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi. ”
Organizers anticipate this event to bring 10, 000 spectators and approximately $ 750, 000 in revenue for the city.
For more information, contact Leah Whitehead with the Peel House Foundation at (479 ) 273-9664 or visit www. peelmansion. org.
(Benton County Daily Record - 7/21/2007)
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