Clouds hovered in the sky as men and women prepared for the Battle of Pea Ridge in Rand Park. Fires burned as soldiers put the finishing touches on their dress and then marched in formation, ready to fight for the west hill when the battle began.
At 2:30 p.m., the soldiers would take the field for the annual Battle of Pea Ridge Civil War reenactment. Cannons would blow, rifles would pop. Men and women would die.
“How they fall is how they stay,” said 12–year–old Adam McCain of Keokuk, a second–day attendee at the annual two–day event. “The most interesting thing is the war.”
Nine–year–old Justin Winn agreed, adding that he’d learned to load a gun Saturday.
“You put (the paper cartridge) in your mouth, rip it off, then pour (the gun powder) in the top of the gun,” Winn said. One set of campers, among the many, had taken the time to show the pair how to do that.
Dozens of other reenactment campers were ready to show people a variety of trades and give them a host of Civil War information. People could learn the difference between the types of cannons, guns, clothing, tents and flags.
“There’s the A–frame, the pup tent, the round tent and the wall tent,” said 12–year–old Jacob Allison of Paris, Mo., pointing to various tents littering the park.
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