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Discover Mid-America — September 2005

Reenactors mark 1861 battle

The boy, a husky 8 year old, sat on the grass at Shoal Creek Village with his grandma. Civil War interpreters were about to reenact an1861 battle.

Nearby, four cannons, reproductions of Civil War-era 12-pounders, were being tended by costumed reenactors dressed in the garb of mid-1800s Secessionists who had retreated to Shoal Creek after raiding the Liberty Arsenal. To the south, horsemen and foot soldiers were gathering to demand the surrender of all males between the ages of 15 and 50, and the recovery of the stolen weapons. Clearly, the action was about to start.

The boy had a lot to say. “Those men don’t look like soldiers,” he said. “One’s even wearing a top hat! All they’re doing is pushing big sticks in the guns. What do they do, yell, ‘Bang!’ when the battle starts?”

At that moment, a reenactor yelled, “Fire!” The cannon nearest the boy went off with a ground-shaking BOOM, filling the air with blue smoke.

The boy jumped to his feet and excitedly watched while Union forces mounted a counter-charge with a cannon of their own. Blue-coated cavalry and infantrymen with muskets advanced toward the village, where they faced a similar group of Confederates. When the combatants closed within 50 yards, both groups fired a volley. Men on both sides fell, and another volley was fired. This time the Confederate ranks fell back, took up another position, and fired again. The Union forces returned fire, with a similar result.

Meanwhile, cannoneers filled the air with loud explosions and clouds of blue smoke. The Union forces began to overwhelm the Secessionists, chasing them into Shoal Creek Village and beyond. Within an hour, the battle was over. “Dead” soldiers picked themselves up from the grassy field, and cannon barrels were capped, ending the day’s second reenactment.

The Secessionists’ cannon was part of Collins Battery B, led by Lou Dunlap from nearby Holt, MO. Dunlap said their group represents a Confederate artillery battery attached to Gen. Joe Shelby during Sterling Price’s raid through Missouri in 1864.

“There are about 40 of us, counting wives and family,” Dunlap said. “Everybody participates in the reenactment events.”

At Shoal Creek Village, the Battery B wives were stitching a quilt in the shade of a tree. The Battery will participate in other regional events this fall, including a battle reenactment Sept. 17-18 in Centralia, MO, an Artillery School and Living History Oct. 1-2 in Harrisonville, MO, and a reenactment Oct. 22-23 in Bentonville, AR.

Some 20 military units and 350 reenactors participated in the Shoal Creek event. Others, dressed in 1800s garb, served as interpreters in the 19th century village. Elsewhere, politicians presented both sides of the question of secession, a hotly debated issue in Missouri.

Another colorful interpreter at Shoal Creek Village was Sanford Lee, whose 1800s persona, “Professor Farquar,” delighted the crowd with jokes and slight-of-hand.

Lee, from Concordia, MO, said he and his wife met at a Renaissance Festival in 1982 and have been participating in living history events ever since. The “professor’s” magic tricks would have lured customers to medicine shows in earlier days.

Shoal Creek Village, a living history museum, is located in Hodge Park on N.E. Barry Road, west of Liberty, MO. Several buildings date from 1807 to 1885. During special events, interpreters bring history alive for visitors.

Shoal Creek is owned and operated by the Kansas City Parks, Recreation and Boulevards. Fall events include Chez Les Canses Sept. 10, and a Harvest Festival Oct. 8. For details about events, or to become a member of the Shoal Creek Association, call Cindy Udris at 816-792-2655.

Discover Mid-America founder and Senior Contributing Editor Ken Weyand files regular reports on notable Midwest destinations. He can be reached at kweyand@gbronline.com.

> Traveling with Ken Archive — past columns