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Battle of Aiken re-enactment set for this weekend

From Staff Reports

Friday, Feb. 24, 2012

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The 17th Battle of Aiken re-enactment takes place on the outskirts of Aiken, but the real skirmish it depicts happened within the heart of town. While the Feb. 11 fight is just a footnote in Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s march to Columbia, it was also one in a string of battles between Union Gen. Judson “Kill-Cavalry” Kilpatrick and Augusta native Gen. Joseph “Fighting Joe” Wheeler.

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EMILY ROSE BENNETT/STAFF

Ed Mann, portraying Maj. Thomas Jackson, teaches Elijah Sturdivant, 4, how to use a toy rifle at the Battle of Aiken re-enactment. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. today and Sunday, with part one of the battle set to start at 2:30 p.m.

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Looking to settle a grudge between the generals that traveled all the way from the ruins of Atlanta, Kilpatrick pleaded with Sherman to ransack Aiken and eliminate any chance Wheeler and his calvary could harass Sherman’s flank. With Sherman’s reluctant consent, Kilpatrick charged into Aiken, only to be quickly boxed in and routed by Wheeler’s troops.

The Battle of Aiken re-enactment includes extra elements of that battle, including cannons. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. Saturday to the public wishing to tour the grounds and talk with re-enactors, with part one of the battle scheduled to commence at 2:30 p.m. The same schedule holds for Sunday. Entrance to the battlegrounds at 1210 Powell Pond Road, Aiken, costs $10 per adult and $5 for children ages 6 to 12.

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avidreader 02/25/12 - 10:19 am

Word was spreading around the

Word was spreading around the high schools yesterday that Wild Will Christman at ARC wore his full Civil War battle regalia to school. If this is true, all I have to say is, Whoopie! Christman is an imaginative fellow.