An important part of the country's history soon will return to life in Clay County. The annual reenactment of the Battle of Chalk Bluff will be held at the state park located at the historic site. The event will encompass the entire weekend of Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4.

This year's event will coincide with historic dates, as the actual battle took place from May 1 through May 2, 1863. This year's event celebrates the 145th anniversary of the most famous Civil War battle in Northeast Arkansas.

This year also is important for Civil War enthusiasts, as 2008 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

One of the event's coordinators, W. Danny Honnoll of Jonesboro, has been hard at work making preparations for this year's event.

Honnoll, a Civil War historian, has been a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization for the last 28 years. He also is president of the Arkansas Civil War Heritage Trails Foundation.

"The history of the Civil War and its impact on our state and country as a whole is something I've always been interested in," Honnoll said. "This is a big part of our history and it's important that we do what we can to honor that and keep it relevant in our minds."

Honnoll says this year's event is shaping up to be one of Chalk Bluff's largest celebrations.

"I think we'll have more reenactors and cannons this year," Honnoll said. "Right now, it looks like we'll have six to eight cannons that take part in the battle. It also looks like we'll have right at 100 reenactors and camp followers involved, as well."

Honnoll also said he expects to have more cavalry troops on horseback for this year's event than were present in year's past.

"I think having more cavalry and more cannons will help the reenactment. I think that adds more excitement for the crowd. The cannons especially help draw in people."

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Members of the Turner Brigade and friends from the Civil War Roundtable of Cape Girardeau gathered at Fort D Saturday and will be there today to deliver living history as part of the weekend's Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive.

The Civil War re-enactors talked with a few local youngsters visiting the fort who stopped to watch the costumed men of Fort D Bissell's Engineers of the West, Company G.

Bark was shaved from logs with a carpenter's hatchet by Turner Brigade member Scott House for use in making a chevaux de friese, or horse fence. Linked together, the structures provided a good defense against horses and infantry. As re-enactors drilled holes into the logs with an auger, visitors Omar Wiley, 13, of Cape Girardeau, Tyler Park, 12, of Southern Illinois and Vario Bry, 5, of Cape Girardeau, all got a chance to turn the auger and create the hole to be occupied by a log.

Created by Union forces for the four years of the Civil War, Fort D protected the city of Cape Girardeau from attack.

"Fort D was an engineer troop. They were trained to be fighters but primarily built roads, bridges and rebuilt railroads," House said.

Nearby a camp was set up where men ate and women sewed by hand, weaved and prepared food.

Women's roles

Jennifer Litteken of Cuba, Mo., embroidered initials on a soldier's quilt. Women used American Indian weaving sticks, a hand-held weaving device, to produce narrow strips of woven material that could be joined to make larger items.

During the Civil War, women served as laundresses and nurses. But there was a group of about 400 Union women known to have disguised themselves to serve in the Civil War, said Diane Zelinske, a member of the Turner Brigade. "They figure about 250 Confederate women served, but it's almost sure there were more because they wrote no letters for fear of being found out." And many papers were burned before and after the war, she said.

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This year, the "Show Me" state is hosting the National Genealogy Society's annual conference May 14-17, called "Show Me the Nation's Records," in Kansas City, Mo. Local co-hosts for the conference are the Missouri State Genealogical Association, the Mid-Continent Public Library, the Northland Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists Heartland Chapter, and the Johnson County, Kansas, Genealogical Society.

The conference will be conducted in the Hyatt Regency Crown Center Hotel in downtown Kansas City. The keynote speech and opening session will take place May 14. Robert M. Sandfort, Ph.D., will speak on "Emigration to the Mouth of the Missouri – and Beyond." Then the rest of the day, as well as the next three, will be divided into sessions and workshops in the following tracts: Skill-building, Midwest, Migration, Methodology, Ethnic, Military, Land, Workshops, GENTECH, Internet, Research in the States, NARA, Records, ICAPGen (International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists), Genealogical Essentials, DNA, and Computer Workshops. Around 90 speakers will be contributing on the different tracks. Each day, there will be a choice of different luncheon addresses to attend, as well as dinner, then receptions and workshops after dinner. An exhibit hall including more than 200 vendors and displays will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.

On May 13, the day before the conference opens to the public, the NGS will stage its special pre-conference for librarians, with special speakers and a lunch. Other events held outside the conference will include a Kansas City tour, a reception at the Mid-Continent Public Library, and a reception at the National World War I Museum, sponsored by the National Archives.

Price of the conference for all four days is $245 for non-members and $210 for NGS members. Single-day admission is $100. Luncheons, banquets, and workshops are extra, as are the hotel accommodations. Conference pre-registration must take place by May 4. For more information, go to www.ngsgenealogy.org, contact conference@ngsgenealogy.org, or call toll-free 1-800-473-0060.

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If it's April in Olathe, it must be time for war.

Now in its 12th year, Civil War on the Border at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm, 1100 Kansas City Road, features authentic camping, old-time music and a battle re-enactment. More than 300 re-enactors are expected for this event, which drew about 5,000 spectators over two days last year.

"I think (the popularity) has to do with the fact that it's a complete citywide effort, and we try to bring in different activities," said Alexis Radil, interpretive specialist for special events at Mahaffie. "We don't just try to do the same things year after year."

This year the new activities include some historical elements that don't involve weapons. The Kansas City History Alive series will have "Clarina Nichols" speak about her life here before and after statehood. There's also a program with "Thomas and Sarah Johnson," the namesakes of the county.

Bill McFarland of Topeka will sign copies of his book, Keep the Flag to the Front: The Story of the Eighth Kansas Volunteer Infantry. And the Heritage Center, the site's visitors center, is hosting the exhibit "I Knew It Was Fine Country," with information on Mahaffie during the border war.

Also, the Kansas State Historical Society will display one of its actual Civil War flags.

A returning favorite, the Fort Riley Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard, will handle a demonstration of cavalry tactics, but the highlight of both days should be the battles staged by the re-enactors. The battles will be held at Stagecoach Park across Kansas City Road, which will be shut off during the event.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Hundreds of Civil War buffs and preservationists will explore the "War in the Ozarks"

Hundreds of Civil War buffs and preservationists from around the country will converge on Springfield next month as part of the Civil War Preservation Trust's (CWPT) annual conference. The 4-day event will be held at the University Plaza Hotel and Conference Center from April 17 - 20, 2008.

The annual event gives CWPT members an opportunity to celebrate the organization's successes while learning about the rich Civil War heritage of Missouri and the trans-Mississippi region. The conference is made possible in part by a generous contribution from The History Channel.

Participants in the conference will experience tours and presentations by some of the nation's most accomplished Civil War historians and authors, including: Edwin C. Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service, and scholars Vernon Burton, David Hinze, Connie Langum, Arnold Schofield and William Shea.

The theme of this year's conference is the "War in the Ozarks," and it will explore Civil War battles in the trans-Mississippi region. The focus of the event will be the 1861 Battle of Wilson's Creek, although engagements at Pea Ridge, Ark.; Fort Scott and Mine Creek, Kan.; Carthage and Newtonia, Mo.; and Cabin Creek and Honey Springs, Okla., will also be examined. These bloody struggles helped determined the fate of the war west of the Mississippi.

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