HUMBOLDT — War returned to Southeast Kansas this weekend as Humboldt celebrated its annual Civil War Days. With a history that featured the town of Humboldt burned twice by Missouri pro-slave raiders, the spirit of the conflict is still alive and strong today.
Friday night festivities started with a dance and social event at Humboldt Elementary Charter School. More than 50 from around the area attended in Civil War-era dress. Dress ranged from women’s formal ball gowns to men attired in a variety of military wear from both sides of the conflict. Even though the dance hall became warmer as the evening wore on, the attendees still managed a festive mood while Richard Thomas, dance caller, taught steps to the crowd. The Camp Hunter String Band provided music. The quartet played through a list of Civil War-era tunes that featured familiar songs such as, “Dixie.”
“It was a lot of fun,” said Nathaniel Day, Humboldt resident. “I thought the Virginia reel was a lot of fun to learn.”
Saturday featured an array of activities at Camper Hunter Park. For the third year in a row, an Abraham Lincoln re-enactor performed, delivering a monologue on the president’s thoughts about the war prior to giving the Gettysburg Address.
A John Brown re-enactor also spoke about the cause of freedom and the evils of slavery. Brown is historically known as a firebrand abolitionist who fanned the flames of discontent along the Kansas-Missouri border.
After the two performances, Professor Farquar and Polecat Annie, two entertainers who used era games and music, kept things going, wandering around the campground playfully teasing kids with the tricks they had to offer. Farquar used a variety of magic tricks to keep kids guessing. Annie spent time teaching kids how to use a lasso, figure out “mind puzzlers,” and balance plates on sticks, popular games during the 1860s.
“We enjoy getting out here to give the kids not only fun, but a taste of history as well,” Farquar said. “The crowd has been really enthusiastic despite the temperatures getting up there.”
The heat, which topped out at 91 degrees, did have an affect on the crowd. Many families with smaller children left in the early afternoon, while others who brought lawn chairs sought shade under the trees near the re-enactment stage.
The highlight of the early part of the day was a military drill performed by the Texas 9th re-enactment group. Twenty men went through the progression of marches and orders that were used during the period on the battlefield. The group punctuated the performance with a demonstration of rifle and musket fire which startled many of the attendees.
“The guns were really cool,” Zach Sigler, 12, said. “They were really loud and they had a lot of smoke coming out of them.”
Afterward, fellow Iolans Brian Pekarek and Bill Peeper gave a presentation on medicine of the era, cutting off a simulated arm with tools that would have been used during the period and describing in somewhat graphic detail the steps in an amputation.
The evening events were well-attended along with Sunday which was an abbreviated repeat of the previous day’s schedule.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Karen Works, Humboldt resident, said. “I think they did a great job and the kids really enjoyed it.”
