Durham
Sep 13, 2016
Imagine heading back to school in the fall, but instead of studying algebra, you're learning to fire a weapon. During the Civil War, citizens who rushed to join the army also needed to go to school to learn how to be a soldier. Come to Bennett Place Sept. 24 and 25 and watch as members of the 6th and 26th North Carolina Reenactment groups demonstrate some of the basic rudimentary drills that every soldier needed to learn.
Walk through their camps and see how they lived in the field. Learn about their uniforms and the flags that were carried during the war. Learn how the dog tent got its name, how many steps it takes to load a musket and why soldiers would stand in line and fire, as well as answers to many other questions you may have thought about while studying North Carolina's military history.
Ongoing demonstrations during the day include mail call, pay call and weapons demonstrations. Civilians will also be on site explaining how and what they did to assist their loved ones who were living and fighting far from home.
On April 26, 1865, the farm of James and Nancy Bennett became the location of the peace negotiations for the largest surrender of the American Civil War. Union Gen. William T. Sherman and Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston met in the parlor of the Bennett home and reached an agreement that surrendered more than 89,270 Confederate soldiers. The site interprets the history of the surrender and the lives of yeomen farmers such as the Bennetts.
For additional information, please call (919) 383-4345, e-mail: bennett@ncdcr.gov or check out the website at www.bennettplacehistoricsite.com. Bennett Place is in the Division of State Historic Sites and is located at 4409 Bennett Memorial Rd., Durham, N.C. 27705.