Historical group to host Civil War anniversary event June 11-12 in Baldwyn

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
·2 min read

Jun. 4—TUPELO — Local history will come alive, next weekend, when Baldwyn-based Mississippi's Final Stands Interpretive Center and Battlefields hosts a living history event and skirmish in recognition of the 158th anniversary of the Battle of Brice's Crossroads.

Set for June 11 and 12 on the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield in Baldwyn, the event will include a trove of activities for history buffs, including military camps with living historians, a recreation of a Civil War skirmish, and a program about female soldiers of the Civil War.

The Mississippi's Final Stands Interpretive Center will be open on Saturday, June 11, 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. until noon to welcome guests. Exhibits and a film interpret both the battles at the center.

Saturday's activities will begin at 9 a.m. when the military camps open and living historians will be presenting programs all day until the skirmish, which will include both Union and Confederate soldiers, begins at 2 p.m.

Also on Saturday, attendees are invited to take part in Ladies Tea at 10 a.m. This event will recreate an 1860's style party where living historians and re-enactors will enjoy "tea" and cookies with visitors and guests.

Author Shelby Harriel will host "Forbidden, Hidden and Forgotten: Women Soldiers in the Civil War" during the Ladies Tea in a large tent at the battlefield site. Her book "Behind the Rifle, Women Soldiers in Civil War Mississippi" is sold at the center's bookstore.

The event is hosted by the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield Commission and the staff at Mississippi's Final Stands Interpretive Center.

Harriel is a published author and researcher who is a mathematics instructor at Pearl River Community College in Popularville.

The event will also include living historians who will demonstrate the music, sewing, quilting, basket-making, spinning, camp life and food of the 1860's. A $5 fee will be charged for the day.

On Sunday, camps will open at 9 a.m., a church service will be held at 10:30 with living history available all day and the skirmish at 1:30 p.m.