Battle of Richmond reenactment to take place this weekend

Aug. 24—Sierra Marling

Galloping horses, roaring cannons, and battle cries were some of the final noises heard by soldiers as they fought in the Battle of Richmond on August 29-30, 1862.

Those soldiers were likely unaware of the historical impact of that battle or that one day the Battle of Richmond would be cited as the second-largest Civil War battle in Kentucky.

According to the American Battlefield Trust, "This battle opened the state of Kentucky to the Confederacy and gave a much-needed boost for the campaign to bring the state under Confederate control. Several days after the battle on Sept. 2, Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky, fell to Confederate forces, the only Union capital to fall to the South during the war."

"It's one of — if not the most — complete victory that one side had over the other during the entire Civil War," explained Richmond Visitors Center Curator Phillip Seyfrit. "It's the only time that a Union army ceased to exist when the battle was over. The Confederates just annihilated them."

The Union lost 87% of the soldiers that they sent to the battle, however in the end, the Union army would be victorious in the Civil War.

The impact and struggles of the 15,000 soldiers who fought in Richmond will not be forgotten, in no small part due to the annual reenactment hosted at the Battle of Richmond Battlefield Park.

Seyfrit noted the battle reenactment is quite immersive and informative, giving people a scaled-down, up close and personal look at how history played out.

"You are so close to it, you are almost a participant," said Seyfrit. "Depending on where you're standing out there, you're going to be 30 yards away from a cannon from the Civil War that's firing like crazy. You're going to feel the ground shake when the horses go hot. You're going to feel and smell the gunpowder just like they would have."

This year, the festivities will be hosted on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26 and 27. Gates will open at 10 a.m., and battles will begin at 2 p.m. each day. The event costs $10 per car.

According to Seyfrit, the events will kick off with a period baseball game at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, where the Cincinnati Red Stockings will play the Georgetown Gentlemen playing in reproduced vintage uniforms and playing by rules from the 1860s.

Seyfrit remarked that patrons can come to learn about the old rules of the game and how "America's greatest pastime" has its roots in the Civil War era.

The teams will be playing for the Patrick Cleburne Cup, named after an Irish Confederacy commander known as the "Stonewall of the West."

He was quoted as saying, "If this [Confederacy] that is so dear to my heart is doomed to fail, I pray heaven may let me fall with it, while my face is toward the enemy and my arm battling for that which I know to be right."

"Last year was the first year we had a period baseball game. Patrick Cleburne was one of the generals that fought this battle and we're excited to have them play for the cup again this year," Seyfrit said.

In addition, hungry history buffs will be able to find food and merchandise for sale. Seyfrit said that attendees will experience a mixture of immersion with modern convenience. For example, he said that there will be a vendor attending who sells sarsaparilla, a popular old-time beverage, to give people an idea of what it was and add to the experience.

However, to beat the heat, patrons can bring their own water and chill out at cooling stations or partake in what vendors have to offer.

"Civil War soldiers would have loved to have a snow cone at the Battle of Richmond — I can tell you that right now," the curator joked.

Anyone who would like more information about the event can contact Seyfrit at 859-248-1974 or 869-624-0013.