2008 Woodie Awards
Fair recreates Forrest's raid on Murfreesboro
Oaklands House hosts Civil War reenactment
Andy Harper
Issue date: 6/13/07 Section: News
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The event fell a month shy of the July 13 anniversary of the battle, which occurred in 1862.
The Festival
Prior to the event, the front lawn of the Oaklands House was converted into an encampment for both Union and Confederate "soldiers."
Originally, the Union soldiers had set up camp at Murfree Springs, said Emily Staats, employee of the Oaklands Historic House Museum and resident of Murfreesboro.
"Unfortunately, the Spring is not year-round," Staats said. "When the Spring ran dry, the Union soldiers sent out scouts to find water. The scouts eventually came across Oaklands, which was owned by the Maney family."
The Union soldiers soon occupied the lawn of the Oaklands House, although they never successfully took over the actual house. As a part of the festival, visitors were allowed to wander about the camps as well as the house.
In addition to the employees of Oaklands giving tours and relaying history, the festival featured various craft demonstrations.
"There's a large array of different things you can learn about the different lifestyle of the time," Staats said. "There is spinning, weaving and how to make soap. We wanted it to be as historically accurate and authentic as possible."
The Battle
Like the festivities, the battle itself was kept historically accurate.
"The battle occurred on the front lawn of the Oaklands House," Staats said.
After the Union soldiers occupied the lawn of the property owned by Lewis and Rachel Maney and set up camp, a cavalry of Confederate soldiers led by Forrest heard about the Union invading the Oaklands property.
"When the battle began, Mrs. Maney, Lewis' wife, and their children watched from the second-floor, center window," Staats said. "Dr. Maney helped by treating wounded soldiers from both sides on the back porch."
Forrest led his cavalry to Oaklands and a battle was held between the Union camp and the Confederate cavalry. The result was the Union soldiers surrendering and Forrest freeing the Maney household.
In last weekend's reenactment, the Union soldiers were played by 9th Michigan and 9th Kentucky Infantry, and the Confederate soldiers were represented by 8th Texas Terry's Rangers.
Stan Dalton, a resident of the Knoxville area, played the roll of Nathan Bedford Forrest and has portrayed the historic figure since 1995.
"I play Forrest for the very same reason students of MTSU stood up and defended his name, it is right," Dalton said. "History cannot be changed. People can try to rewrite or blot it out, but the truth is still there."
In addition to his love of history, Dalton said his personal history is also well connected to the Civil War.
"All my ancestors fought as Confederate cavalry," Dalton said. "Playing Forrest allows me to honor them and it gives me personal pride."
Dalton said one of the best parts about playing Forrest is knowing his family's heritage.
"Someday, people wake up and wonder 'who am I?' and 'where did I come from?'" Dalton said. "I think doing this allows me know who I am by giving me a past to step off of."
The House
Like Dalton, the employees of Oaklands Historic House Museum strive to capture and perpetuate the history of the property to ensure the area is informed of the past.
"We understand the issues surrounding Forrest and slavery," said Leslie Dodd Karl, member of the board of trustees for the Museum. "We understand sensitivity, but we need to remember all of history, both good and bad."
The history of the Oaklands house and the Maney family largely involves the women of the family.
According to Karl, the property for the land came from Dr. James Maney's wife, Sallie Murfree Maney. The house was built in four stages, originally beginning as a two room cabin.
Once Sallie had passed, James handed the land down to his son, Lewis Maney.
"However, because Lewis was ill, his wife, Rachel Adeline Maney, really controlled the estate," Karl said.
Although the responsibilities for the land primarily fell under two generations of the family, Karl said the act of land acquirement was not as uncommon in the area during the Victorian era as many would assume.
"Land coming from women's families happened more frequently than most people know," Karl said. "In fact, other leading families in the area acquired land through the female members."
By looking at the past from different perspective, such as the contributions of women, Oaklands tries to relate a more complete history.
"We are actually working with a group of African Americans in Mississippi whose ancestor was a slave for the Maney's," Karl said. "We are trying to arrange a family reunion with them and are really excited about helping them find their roots. This helps in marking and interpreting the effect slavery had on the history surrounding Oakland."
Currently, the Museum is hoping to advance reconstruction and archeological research on the both the home and property.
"I'm really excited about looking in the porch area," Staats said. "We have found some medical instruments from Dr. Maney, but we are pretty sure that during his treatment of soldiers during Forrest's raid, some syringes and other medical supplies fell below the porch."
Additional projects and events aside, Karl said the primary focus is still on relaying a historical education.
"With the women and African American aspects, we are broadening interpretation," Karl said. "Culture has destroyed so much of history and it important for us to revive and respect what's left for our community."
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