Cannon fire will explode across Fort Meade as Civil War re-enactors relive the Battle of Bowlegs Creek along the banks of the Peace River.
While the war’s outcome hardly hinged on this battle, it was nonetheless a significant loss for the Confederates.
“The Cow Cavalry in Fort Meade was supplying cattle for food to the Confederate troops,” said Priscilla Perry, the event organizer. “This battle halted that, forcing the Confederates to look elsewhere for cattle.”
Participants will stage a re-enactment of the battle Saturday and Sunday at the Fort Meade Outdoor Recreation Complex, along the Peace River.
In 1864, the Union Army marched into Florida to shut down the food supply to Confederate troops. On April 7, Union soldiers clashed with the Confederate Army near the area where Bowlegs Creek splinters from the Peace River, just south of Fort Meade.
Along with the battle, the group will have an encampment with sutlers, which are tradesmen or vendors with period-correct stores under canvas tents. They will have books, toys, furs, leather goods, clothing and handcrafted antique beading.
Living history exhibits in the encampment include cooking demonstrations and musket firings.