Living historians of America's military will be present at Bennett Place this Memorial Day to salute all who have served. These living historians represent some of the first soldiers from the American Revolution, Union and Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War, Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, dough boys of World War I and up to the War in Iraq.
Military veterans also will bring various displays of original artifacts and the uniforms they wore while in service. The free event will be Saturday, May 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, May 29, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Each day there will be a ceremony at the Unity Monument to pay tribute to all American military personnel throughout our nation's history.
The tragedy that was the American Civil War prompted Sen. John A. Logan, a former Union officer on the staff of Gen. William Sherman, to seek the holiday. Seeing the families of Confederate and Union soldiers visiting the graves of lost loved ones led Logan to become instrumental in establishing what is now Memorial Day.
"We want to recognize the service and sacrifice of all American soldiers," says Site Manager Diane Smith. "We hope everyone will take a Memorial Day moment from the cook-outs to say a special thanks to our service men and women."
Bennett Place in April 1865 was the site of the largest surrender of troops during the Civil War. Logan served under Gen. Sherman at the surrender negotiations. That surrender of the nearly 90,000 troops of the armies of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas effectively ended the Civil War.
For additional information, please call (919) 383-4345, email bennett@ncdcr.gov or visit website www.bennettplacehistoricsite,com. Bennett Place is located at 4409 Bennett Memorial Rd., Durham. It is within the Division of State Historic Sites of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.