Scores Attend Civil War Re-enactment In Saltville

SALTVILLE, Va. – About a century before Teddy Mullins was born, two men stood about 100 yards apart and fought on opposite sides of a Civil War battle in Chancellorsville, Va.

Both soldiers survived. And decades later, two of their grandchildren married.

On Sunday, Mullins participated in a re-enactment of a different Civil War battle in Saltville. He is an ancestor of those two men, and he said he was there to honor his
heritage, though neither of his Civil War forefathers fought in Saltville.

“I wouldn’t be here today if one of them had taken the other out,” he said. “They didn’t fight in this battle, but maybe someone here has ancestors who fought with some of my ancestors somewhere. I’m honoring someone’s relatives somewhere.”

Mullins was participating in the 11th annual re-enactment of the Battle of Saltville, where he and his family spent the weekend. He was one of almost 230 people who took part in the recreation of the two Civil War battles that erupted in Saltville, Va., in 1864. His wife and two daughters were among the 350 spectators who came to watch the two-day event.

“This is a way we pay homage to our ancestors – by living like they did for a weekend, remembering them and what they went through,” he said.

Carol Nutters, who organized the event along with other members of the Saltville Historical Society, said “it’s designed to preserve history for the generation coming up and let them know what their grandparents did.”

The Battle of Saltville was actually two skirmishes in the fall of 1864, said Terry Hunt, a member of the historical society. Federal units attacked Saltville in October,
he said, and despite having twice the number of soldiers as the Confederate forces, they lost.

The Union soldiers attacked a second time in December the same year, however, and won, Hunt said.

“The Federal Army was trying to destroy Saltville because it was supplying most of the Confederate Army with salt,” he said. “Salt was used to preserve meat because they didn’t have refrigeration back then. They also used it to preserve leather and cheese and fruit.”

Hunt also participated in the event because of his Civil War heritage, he said. He had 35 ancestors in the Confederate army, and 48 in the Union.

“It’s our heritage. It’s something I want to pass down to my kids and hope they pass down to theirs,” he said.

Teddy Mullins’ wife, Darlene, joined her husband in Saltville over the weekend, as she has several times before.

She said her husband, who researches their family history extensively in his spare time, has been coming to such events for 15 years, and she started after she met him 11 years ago. Their daughters, ages 6 and 8, enjoy the activity, too, she added.

In fact, their oldest attended her first Civil War event when she was just 3 months old, and their youngest was just 3 days old when she was brought to her first.

“I couldn’t do stuff like this when I was little,” Darlene Mullins said. “I love it. I get to meet people from all over and also teach my children the reality of history.”

Sunday was her 34th birthday, and she said she couldn’t imagine spending it anywhere else.

“In the books, they only give you a little bit of history, not the entire story,” she said. “I enjoy it because it’s a fun adventure for my kids, and it gives you the reality of what they did years ago.”

She paused for a moment.

“And I’m proud of what my family did back then.”

Next year will mark the 145th anniversary of the battle, Hunt said, and he will be back with his family and kids to re-live history once again.

The most important part is the lesson learned by the children, Nutters said.

“We can’t teach local history in school anymore. We don’t have time because of SOL [Virginia’s standards of learning testing],” she said.

On top of the educational benefits, Teddy Mullins said there is another reason his family participates.

“What else can family’s do anymore that they all enjoy to do together for the whole weekend? This is one big family adventure.”

ahunter@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2531