May 20, 2013
On March 17th 1865, as the civil war was coming to a close, the small town of Newton was attacked by Union soldiers.
And now, 147 years later, the raid is still taking place.
"Son against father, brother against brother and whatever else as well as the issues that took place in that time. States rights, slavery, whatever else and things like that so it is an important time."
The annual "Battle of Newton" is something people of all ages look forward to attending every year.
On Sunday, they came out in droves to the John Hutto Park in Newton to remember what happened.
Matthew Stallings says the realness of the event is something he'll never forget.
"I liked it. It was pretty realistic. It wasn't the whole war, but it was pretty realistic. The first fifteen minutes we were waiting for someone to die."
"We do this to show the public in the local area what a Civil War skirmish or battle could really look like. This is a very small skirmish, but it's probably the closest that most people will get the chance to so we like to put it on for them."
Smoke filled the air, gun shots rang out, cannons shook the ground, and bodies fell lifeless
So why is it so important to relive this history?
"I'm retired military. I'm also a retired history teacher. So to me, if we cannot only tell the story, but live the story, the children who are coming along in the generations to follow will understand what it was all about."
"It gives it more of a living history instead of just reading about it."
"If you come here, then you get like the full experience, but if you're at school and you just read about it, you only get certain parts. It was really fun to see. I can't wait until next year."
The day ended with a salute to all soldiers still fighting the good fight for our country now, and those who lost their lives defending it then.
