Special events planned for anniversary of battle

The 157th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge will be commemorated by the Pea Ridge National Military Park with numerous events on Saturday, March 9.

There will be living history demonstrations and a concert by the Northwest Arkansas Heritage Brass Ensemble. These events will be presented from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Musket demonstrations will be take place at Leetown Battlefield at 11 and 11:30 a.m., 1, 1:30, 3 and 3:30 p.m. Musket and artillery demonstrations will take place at the visitor center at 11, 11:30, 1, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30.

The NWA Heritage Brass Ensemble will present a one-hour concert of period Civil War music inside the visitor center auditorium at 11:30 a.m. The park will also be unveiling its newest museum artifact, a presentation sword given to Union General Samuel R. Curtis in January 1862 from the officers of his staff at the beginning of the Pea Ridge campaign. While this event is not a reenactment, these programs provide great insight into the lives of the men who fought at the Battle of Pea Ridge.

Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves and commemorates the March 7-8, 1862, battle that helped Union forces maintain physical and political control of the state of Missouri. Administered by the National Park Service, the 4,300-acre battlefield is located six miles east of Pea Ridge, just off U.S. Highway 62. More information on Facebook or at: www.nps.gov/peri.