A Civil War re-enactment will be held at Change Point Church, 3525 Hwy. 89 in Cabot, on Friday, April 28 through Sunday, April 30.
The Cabot Civil War Muster event will be led by re-enactors from the 1st Michigan Battery G, organizers said.
The re-enactment is intended to be an annual event and will coincide with Strawberry Festival in Cabot.
According to a news release, “The 1st Michigan Battery G took to planning this local event due to there being very few historical re-enactments in Arkansas. Re-enactments are educational events for children and adults alike,” “It is our mission to promote history and the hobby alike, as well as give the public the opportunity to see history come to life.”
School groups are invited to attend the events to see what life was like in the 1860s.
“There will be historical demonstrations where the students will be able to stop and observe, touch and hear stories about the American Civil War. Children will be able to meet with soldiers from the infantry, artillery, cavalry and engineers, as well as field hospital personnel. They will also be able to see blacksmiths performing their trades, visit sutlers (Civil War-ear peddlers who sold their goods to soldiers) and check out local Civil War artifacts that will be on display,” the announcement said.
The activities on Saturday and Sunday will include battle re-enactments of the campaign for Little Rock, which was fought along the old highway from Little Rock to Searcy that runs directly behind Change Point Church.
Approximately 400 re-enactors are expected to participate. Most of them will be from around Arkansas, but many will travel from other states.
“On Saturday, we will be representing the Battle of Reed’s Bridge, which was the Confederate victory that thwarted the advance of the Union Army near Jackson-ville. Sunday’s battle will recreate the Battle of Fourche Bayou, which ended with the Union gaining control of the capital of Little Rock,” the group said.
These battles will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. In addition, there will be an artillery night fire Saturday evening at dusk on the main battlefield. Camps are open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday.
“Our sutlers are merchants that sell Civil War era goods, uniforms, dresses and novelties and are traveling from as far away as Florida to be with us for this event. We will also have local food vendors on site with a variety of favorite foods,” the announcement said.
Organizers expect 3,000 people to attend the event over the three-day event.
“We are proud to have the support of the community, residents and businesses to put on this event. We also received funding from the Cabot Advertising and Promotion Commission, for which we are very grateful. The Cabot Civil War Muster will be running in conjunction with Cabot’s very own Strawberry Festival,” the announcement said.
For more information, visit 1stmichiganbatteryg.com, email batteryg@hotmail.com or view the group’s Facebook page, @1stMichiganBatteryG.
