PERRYVILLE - The Confederate and Union monuments at Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site will be rededicated at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at as part of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War battle.
Several events will be held during the day, highlighted by the rededication ceremony for the Union and Confederate monuments at the park. This event is free and open to the public.
Kurt Holman, park superintendent, is attempting to get descendants of veterans of the Confederate and Union armies who fought at the Battle of Perryville to represent their ancestors during the rededication.
“We're looking for the closest relatives of the Civil War ancestors to help with the ceremony,” Holman said.
Robbie Mayes of Perryville will represent the Union at the ceremony.
Holman said the family of Harvey K. Hay of Co. A, 6th Kentucky Cavalry, CS, including his daughter, Ella Hay, and Annie Tribble, daughter of Zan Tribble and descendants of Alexander Tribble of Co. A , 6th Ky. Cavalry, of Junction City, unveiled the Confederate monument in 1904.
However, he currently has no contact with members of that family.
Annie Hopkins Tribble was 33 years old in 1904 when she unveiled the monument. She died Aug. 20, 1949, in Danville.
Anyone with a family connection to Confederate veterans who fought at Perryville is asked to contact Holman at (859) 332-8631.
The rededication event follows the annual battle re-enactment weekend, Oct. 6-7.
William Webster, former CIA and FBI director, is scheduled to attend the Oct. 8 event.
Webster is the great-grandson of George Webster, a Union officer who died at the Battle of Perryville.
Also scheduled to attend is Simon Bolivar Buckner IV, a descendant of Simon Bolivar Buckner, a Confederate commander at Perryville and a Kentucky governor after the war.
Online tickets available for re-enactment
Guests planning to attend the 150th commemoration of the Battle of Perryville, Oct. 6-7, can save money and avoid long lines by purchasing advance tickets online.
The Kentucky Department of Parks is offering advance tickets for the first time, with savings of between $5 and $7.50 on the ticket price. Advance sales will be available through Sept. 28.
The Battle of Perryville was the largest Civil War battle in Kentucky. Casualties numbered more than 7,600 soldiers killed, wounded or missing.
Each year, Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site commemorates the battle with re-enactments, living history programs, battlefield tours, authors and book signings, period entertainment, vendors and more.
Online tickets for adults are $15, compared with $20 at the gate. Advance tickets for children ages 6-12 are $7.50, compared with $15 at the gate. Guests ages 62 and older can get advance tickets for $10, compared with $15 at the gate. (There is a 95-cent per ticket convenience fee charged for online purchases).
