RELEASED: Sept. 26, 2002

DANVILLE, KY—Some 25,000 visitors are expected to attend a Civil War battle re-enactment Oct. 5-6 just a few miles away from Centre's campus.

Up to 5,000 participants will re-enact the Battle of Perryville on both Saturday and Sunday. The re-enactments will take place at 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day.

On Oct. 8, 1862, more than 7,500 soldiers were killed or wounded at Perryville. The lack of a decisive Confederate victory meant that Kentucky remained in Union hands for the rest of the war.

Clarence Wyatt, president of the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association, said the re-enactment not only will tell how the battle played out from a militaristic standpoint but also how the battle affected the area and its people.

"We think we're distinctive among all the country's Civil War sites," said Wyatt, an associate professor of history and special assistant to the president at Centre Collge, where he graduated in 1978. "Certainly others are better known, but we're working to remedy that. One of the things that makes us distinctive is the totality of the story that can be told here."

He also said the use the original battle site for the re-enactment makes this a unique event.

The College played a role in the famous battle. Old Centre, constructed in 1819 as the College's first building, was used as a hospital by Confederate troops and then by Union soldiers after the battle of Perryville.

There will be several other highlights to the weekend with a dance, parade and crafts fair, just to name a few.

Volunteers are needed, and they will receive free admission with their help. Those interested should contact Wyatt at wyattc@centre.edu.

For more information on the event, go to http://www.perryville2002.com.

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