the 51st Tennessee Infantry, slated to get another crack at them Damyankees (even if a make-believe one)!
Several things you thought might be over aren’t over. The Civil War, for one. At least via reenactment, the guns will flare again in Bartlett on Saturday and Sunday, November 5-6.
And one more notable Déjà vu: the Stars and Bars of the Confederate Battle Flag, tucked away in embarrassment here and there after the horrific 2015 murder of 9 African-American churchgoers in Charleston, S.C. but due to be flying once more on that weekend (in tandem with the Stars and Stripes, to be sure).
Perhaps we should let the press release on the event — from the “Battle of Bartlett Association,” through the medium of Lee Miller, a prominent spokesperson for remembrance of Confederate history — speak for itself:
The Rebs and Yanks will be skirmishing through Bartlett, TN (once called Union Station) in two reenactments of the 1864 battles in Bartlett. This is the 152nd anniversary of the Civil War battles and held in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the chartering of the town. The two different battles are at 1:00 pm both days on Sat Nov 5 and Sunday Nov 6, and will feature mounted cavalry, cannons, infantry and pyrotechnics.
The reenactments will be held at W. J. Freeman Park, 2629 Bartlett Blvd, in Bartlett, TN 38134, NE suburb of Memphis. There will also be a free (with admission) Grand Civil War Ball with the 52nd Regimental String Band on Saturday night plus a night cannon fire, a period 1860’s church service on Sunday morning, and sutlers, guest speakers, period clothiers and crafts, and food vendors all weekend.
Admission is $5.00 per person each day. Commemorative souvenir booklets will also be on sale.On Friday Nov 4, the Battle of Bartlett Association will host a Civil War School Day at Freeman Park from 8am to 2pm, which will feature 12 ‘stations’ for the 5th, 8th and 11th grade students to tour. The stations will present various aspects of life in the 1860’s, including a doctor, cannon, women, Black Southerners, farm life, soldiers’ camp, music, and more.
Sponsored by the Battle of Bartlett Assn with support by the city of Bartlett and the Bartlett School District. Contact (901) 550-5772, www.battleofbartlett.org, email battleofbartlett@yahoo.com .