Fort D Days is underway once again during this Memorial Day weekend. The event is held to commemorate the soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
Several demonstrations have taken place already, and will continue today. These include rifle and cannon firing, cooking, and camp life. A reenactment of the Battle of Cape Girardeau also took place on Saturday. This year marks the one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the attack.
Volunteers are happy to answer any questions visitors have about Fort D, or the Civil War in general. Betty Misener attended Fort D Days for the first time on Sunday. She said she especially enjoyed watching the firing demonstrations.
“It’s been really informative,” Misener said. “The characters are dressed well to represent the time period and they have a lot of information. It was really interesting watching them fire the cannon awhile ago. I never saw that before.”
Project coordinator Scott House said that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. The idea came from General John A. Logan after the end of the Civil War. Logan, who was originally from Murphysboro, wanted to decorate and remember the veterans of the war. Scott said he is simply doing his part by continuing the tradition.
“We’re trying to recognize that heritage and bring it to life for everybody so that they don’t just read about things, but they get to see what it was like in Cape Girardeau during the Civil War,” House said.
Fort D Days will continue today from 9 am until 4 pm, and is free to the public. Fort D can be found at South Sprigg Street and Locust Street.
The fort is open during the rest of the year. The next event will be held on the fourth of July.