Published April 10, 2014
The University of Louisiana at Monroe History Department will present a Civil War
reenactment at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 15, in ULM’s Bayou Park, located off Northeast
Drive behind Starbucks.
Dr. Jeffrey Anderson, associate professor of history, is organizing the battle as
part of his U.S. History course. During the battle, each unit called a “regiment,”
will be commanded by a “colonel” and will combine to form larger units commanded by
higher-ranking officers.
The rules of the battle require students to maneuver using formations and tactics
similar to those used during the Civil War.
Weapons for the battle will consist of PVC-pipe blowguns in place of rifles, and large
marshmallows fired from slingshots in place of artillery.
Although students will likely find the battle fun and entertaining, Anderson hopes
that it will give insight into why Civil War battles played out as they did, and why
casualties were high.
“Students always wonder just what caused such high casualty rates during the Civil
War and why armies insisted upon marching toward each other in straight, tightly packed
lines,” said Anderson. “This battle should explain those things better than I can
during a lecture.”
The event is free and open to the public, and will be rescheduled in case of rain.
For more information, contact Jeffrey Anderson at jeanderson@ulm.edu, or at 318-342-3387.
