October 17, 2019 - On Saturday, October 26, Mansfield State Historic Site will re-create the gruesome aftermath of a Civil War battle by taking visitors on a special night tour of the Mansfield battlefield. Authentically costumed tour guides will take visitors onto the battlefield by candle lantern, where re-enactors in period dress will act out various scenes at stops along the trail. Tours will last app. 30 minutes and run ongoing starting at 7:30 pm, with the last tour departing at 9:15 pm.
“This is one of our most popular events,” says Scott Dearman, park manager. “While the program is definitely ‘spooky,’ it is also educational in that it shows the public how truly horrific the aftermath of a Civil War battle could be.” Dearman points out the grim work didn’t stop after the sun set. “Surgeons were operating and amputating by candlelight, soldiers were being buried, and perhaps most tragically, wives, daughters and sons were searching the battlefield by lantern, looking for their loved ones.”
According to park interpretive ranger Aaron Gates, visitors may even experience something “ghostly” while on the tour. “Civil War battlefields are considered some of the most haunted places in America,” says Gates. But he points out that explaining the real horror that took place over 150 years ago is hard enough. “That’s why making the scenes as realistic as possible is important. It shows the aftermath of war is far from glorious.”
Admission for this special event is $5.00 per person, all ages. Parents should know that some of the program’s content may be too intense for small children.
Mansfield State Historic Site is located on State Highway 175, three miles south of Mansfield. For more information, call 318.872.1474 or 888.677.6267.
