BATTLE OF BELMONT REENACTMENT IN PLANNING STAGES

CHARLESTON, Mo. What is described as one of the largest Civil War battle reenactments ever held in this region take place this fall in Mississippi County.

The event will be held near the former village of Belmont, once located along the west bank of the Mississippi River.

Nearly 1,100 Civil War infantry reenactors, more than 200 men and horses of the mounted cavalry and at least 20 pieces of Civil War-era artillery have already been pre-registered for the 130th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Belmont on Oct. 26-27.

The event will include authentic Federal and Confederate Civil War-period camps, living history demonstrations, medical demonstrations and an exchange of prisoners. The event will be highlighted by a reenactment each day of the Battle of Belmont, which occurred on Nov. 7, 1861.

The reenactment will recall one of the early Civil War battles between Federal infantry and cavalry under the command of Col. Ulysses S. Grant, and Confederate forces under the command of Gen. Leonidas Polk.

"It's a `maximum effort' event," said Walt Yancey, battleground commander and member of the Missouri Civil War Reenactors Association. "That means all of our members, and other Civil War reenactors, will make every effort to attend. We're all excited about it. We have units and reenactors pre-registered from throughout the United States."

Although not as large as reenactments held at Gettysburg, Shiloh, Fort Pillow and other well-known Civil War battle sites, the Belmont reenactment will be one of the largest ever held in Missouri, said Yancey.

It is sponsored by the Mississippi County Industrial Development Authority and the Battle of Belmont Reenactment Committee, in cooperation with the Missouri Civil War Reenactors Association and the state of Kentucky.

Mississippi County Presiding Commissioner Fred DeField, who is one of those involved in the organization and planning of the reenactment, said the idea of a re-creation of the Battle of Belmont occurred to him last year when he attended a reenactment event at Freeburg, Ill.

"I got to talking with Liz Anderson, the publisher of our local (Enterprise Courier) newspaper, about the reenactment," DeField said. "I asked her why we couldn't sponsor a reenactment, except ours would be held on the site of the original battlefield."

DeField said a reenactment committee was formed last year with the blessing of the county's industrial development authority.

In January of this year, committee members went to Jefferson City to make a formal presentation to the Missouri Civil War Reenactors Association, which was in the process of planning their annual "maximum effort" events.

"We only schedule two or three of these maximum events each year," Yancey explained. "We try to space them out by order of importance. The two other maximum effort reenactments this year will be in the Kansas City area."

Yancey said after the reenactment committee made its presentation, the association accepted it on the first vote.

Mary Yancey, his wife, is coordinating registration for the event. She said the Belmont reenactment is attracting nationwide attention because of its location, timeliness and strong local support.

"First, it will be held on the original battlefield only a week or so away from the date of the original battle," she explained. "It is also the first reenactment of the Battle of Belmont to be held on the original battle site since it occurred 130 years ago."

She said Civil War reenactment units and individual reenactors from Wisconsin, Canada, New York, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, Oklahoma, California, Colorado, South Dakota and Louisiana are among those pre-registered for the Battle of Belmont.

As of Friday, Mary Yancey said nearly 1,000 reenactors have registered, and the number was expected to reach 1,500 before the Sept. 1 registration deadline. "We also have commitments of at least 200 men and horses of Union and Confederate cavalry, and about 20 pieces of artillery," she added. "And we still have a lot of registrations that have not been returned."

Mary Yancey said it is the hard work of the people of Charleston and Mississippi County that made the upcoming reenactment a reality. "Without those people, the whole project would have been sunk," she said. "To do something like this, you have to have a lot of local interest, support and `want to.'"

In addition to the activities at Belmont, DeField said there will be a Civil War living history involving several hundred reenactors at nearby Columbus-Belmont State Park in Kentucky. The park is located near Columbus, Ky., on a high bluff that enjoys a scenic view of the river and of the Belmont battleground. On Saturday night, there will be a night cannon firing from Confederate artillery batteries located at the edge of the high bluff.

"We're working with the Kentucky people to try to get a ferry in operation during that weekend," he said. "Plans are to shuttle people back and forth between the state park in Columbus, Ky. and the battle site and campgrounds in Missouri."

"We haven't got all the details ironed out yet, but it is looking real good at this point."

DeField said the ferry would carry people only no cars or other vehicles.

DeField said the actual camp site and battlefield is located some distance from where visitors will park their cars. "There will be a tram operation to transport visitors from the parking area, and the ferry, to the campsites," he explained. "We want the campsite and battleground as be as authentic looking as possible. We do not want anything that would remind visitors of the 20th century. When they arrive at battlefield campsites, it will look about the same as it did 130 years ago. That's the way the reenactors want it."

While being transported by tram over the same route taken by Col. Grant and his Federal troops after landing off of Federal steamboats at Hunter's Point, DeField said visitors will listen to a narration explaining what they will see in the campsites, and a brief history of the Battle of Belmont.

Walt Yancey said a commander's meeting will be held next month in Charleston to meet with sponsors and organizers of the reenactment, and to allow the battle commanders to review the final plans for the battle reenactment. They will also tour the battlefield area that day.