
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 7, 1994                   TAG: 9403070061
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C2   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FAYETTEVILLE, W.VA.                                LENGTH: Short

W.VA. TOWN PREPARES FOR BATTLE

The Battle of Fayetteville may be one of the Civil War's lesser-known conflicts, but for Tom Boggs it is as familiar as Antietam, Shiloh or Gettysburg.

Boggs, of White Sulphur Springs, will lead Confederate forces against Union soldiers in a re-enactment of the battle on June 12.

The battle will cap a 10-day Civil War celebration, hosted by the Fayette County Historical Society and Fayette County Chamber of Commerce.

About 300 people are expected to take part in the battle, which will portray one of about 20 Civil War skirmishes fought in Fayette County, he said. The actual battle erupted Sept. 11, 1862, near the current-day site of town's high school.

"Actors will play the roles of the soldiers," said Dale Payne, president of the Fayette County Historical Society. "They come from all over the United States. We've got groups from Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other states."

"They are very precise in what they do and very accurate," Payne said. "Everything they do is authentic, right down to the buttons on their uniforms and the laces in their shoes."

Meanwhile, Boggs said he is studying Civil War books and records to learn all he can about the Fayetteville battle. He also plans to meet with his Yankee counterpart, Maj. Mike Butler, of Galax, to draw up a battle scenario in advance of the re-enactment.

The conflict ended after Confederate troops forced withdrawal by the Yankees after a daylong engagement in Fayetteville, he said.

"It was a pretty hot little fight, from what I can gather," Boggs said.

by CNB