This past weekend marked the 16th Battle and 15th reenactment of the Battle of Aiken. Local news reports said that as many as 13,000 came out to see the action of nearly 800 soldiers, 20 cavalrymen and more than a dozen cannons.
Again, Confederates kept Union forces from capturing Aiken. Author and playwright David Chauters played Lee. Said an organizer, "Hopefully people took home a little bit of history with them."
After Sherman took Savannah, he prepared to march his army through South Carolina, predicting dire consequences. "The devil himself couldn't restrain my men in that state." His cavalry commander,Judson Kilpatrick, reportedly purchased $5,000 worth of matches for the invasion.
On Feb. 11, 1865, after looting Barnwell, SC, he set fire to it and sarcastically renamed it "Burn-Well." He was heading for Aiken when, on Feb. 11th, Confederate cavalry under Joseph Wheeler scored one of the final Confederate victories, possibly saving Aiken and Augusta from the torch.
Sounds Like Quite a Show. --Old B-Runner
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
