1-25-12 —    It's been 150 years since Union and Confederate troops clashed in  

the Battle of Mill Springs, set in the rolling hills of Nancy, Ky.,  

but the battle—and those who waged it—have not been forgotten.

    "I want to reinforce the notion that it is extremely important we  

preserve and protect these battlefields and the history associated  

with each because they serve as a physical reminder of our national  

sacrifice, a spiritual reminder of what our forefathers invested in  

us," said Brig. Gen. Robert Alan Harris, the keynote speaker during  

Saturday's event held to remember the 150th anniversary of the  

battle. "And as a guidepost for our future direction as a nation."

    A large crowd gathered at Zollicoffer Park, located on Ky. 235 in  

Nancy, Ky., Saturday to brave the cold weather in honoring those who  

served in the Battle of Mill Springs, which was fought around 150  

years ago.

    The battle, which claimed 148 Confederate soldiers and 50 Union  

soldiers, occurred on Jan. 19, 1862 and served as one of the first  

major victories in the west for the Union Army, and it would set the  

stage for a number of strategic setbacks in the area for the  

Confederate forces.

    On Saturday, a group of volunteers held a reenactment of the battle,  

which lasted only around four hours when it was fought in 1862, for a  

crowd of spectators, many of whom had never seen such an event before.

    The massive cannon booms and the sounds of gunfire echoed across the  

area during Saturday's reenactment, giving a reminder—albeit on a  

smaller scale—of what the actual battle would've sounded like 150  

years ago.

    The reenactment followed an introduction ceremony, hosted by new  

Mill Springs Battlefield Association President Bruce Burkett, which  

also featured the honoring of Bill Neikirk, who had long served as  

the association's president and in other major positions since the  

association's beginnings around 20 years ago.

    "It's been my honor to actually be in charge of this for 20 years,"  

Neikirk said. "It's time for the next generation to do some work on  

it.  I hope these young people here in the front row are here 20  

years from now taking it over from us and keeping it going," Neikirk  

added.

    Chris Girdler, with Congressman Hal Rogers' office, was also on hand  

to express Rogers' support of the battlefield association's efforts.

    A ribbon cutting was also held Saturday before the reenactment to  

officially unveil a 16-acre tract of battlefield land to be purchased  

by the Civil War Trust and to be preserved by the MSBA.