Rain or shine, the small army of faux Civil War soldiers encamped at Confederate Park will fight the Battle of Aiken Feb. 19 through Feb. 20, 2010.
The annual Civil War reenactment commemorates the original battle in 1865 that saved Aiken from being burned to the ground by federal troops. Confederate forces surprised the Union Army in what is now downtown Aiken, forcing them to flee to nearby Montmorenci.
Federal cavalry troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick entered what is now Aiken County near White Pond and battled Confederate forces Feb. 9. He stationed some of his troops in Montmorenci and made for downtown Aiken with a force of 2,000.
Gen. Joseph Wheeler, commanding 4,500 Confederate cavalrymen, skirmished with the Union troops in Montmorenci and eventually consolidated his forces in Aiken, using the buildings to hide his true numbers.
Gen. Wheeler planned to trap Brig. Gen. Kilpatrick and charge the main Union column as it entered town.
On Feb. 11, the Federal troops reached Park Avenue, Richland Avenue and Barnwell Street in what is now downtown Aiken. An Alabama trooper fired his gun prematurely, tipping off the Union troops that they were walking into a trap, and Brig. Gen. Kilpatrick ordered them to attack.
All plans fell apart in the ensuing fight, but the Federals fled back to Montmorenci. Reported numbers of casualties differ, but the Union would never again reach Aiken during the war.
Click here for a history lesson »
Click for spectator, reenactor, sutler, modern/food vendor and tourist information.
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
We are a non-profit group and all volunteers. No one on the board of directors is paid for his or her work. All of the the net proceeds raised from this event will go toward historic preservation efforts in South Carolina. |
