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HUNTINGTON -- Forget the Yankees against the Phillies.

Around these parts it's old-school -- Yankees versus Confederates -- battling it out in the streets of Guyandotte with cannons and horses and sabers and rifles.

All week long, the historic Huntington neighborhood of Guyandotte has been gearing up for this weekend's 20th annual Guyandotte Civil War Days "Thunder in the Village." The annual event depicts the anniversary of the Nov. 10-11, 1861, battles between the Confederates under the command of Brig. Gen. Albert G. Jenkins and the Union under the command of Col. Kellian V. Whaley.

One of the country's only "urban-warfare" Civil War events, Civil War Days will showcase a living history battle with more than 400 or so re-enactors from as far away as Florida and New York marching and re-enacting the street battles and town burning.

Civil War Days has open camps from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, with the main battle re-enactments set for 1 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

The historic Madie Carroll House, the historic house built before 1810 and floated down the river to its location at 234 Guyan St., will be open for tours from 2 to 4 p.m. both days.

Free and open to the public, Civil War Days splays open a thick slice of the region's rich Civil War history with a wide array of living history events including presentations by nationally traveling Civil War historians such as Stan Clardy of North Carolina, historic walking tours, a church service and a special Meet the Generals session behind the Keenan House at 3 p.m. Saturday with Al Stone as Gen. Robert E. Lee and Guyandotte's own John Belcher as Gen. Albert Gallatin Jenkins.

Civil War Days President and Union Commander Greg Miller, who got into re-enacting when he lived in Charleston, S.C., said they're expecting about 800 folks (counting re-enactors and their families), and anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 visitors who'll come into historic Guyandotte to learn more about the battles here.

Miller, who used to run the Jenkins Plantation, said early in the week they already had 305 pre-registered from North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as groups from all over Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio.

And more Civil War buffs are on the way to Civil War Days, one of about a dozen Civil War re-enactments in West Virginia, the only state birthed by the Civil War.

With it being the 20th anniversary, Miller said they're already looking at probably 100 more re-enactors than normal, including a unit of 20 Confederate Marines with Company B out of Cincinnati, as well as six artillery units and civilian re-enactors playing everything from shop keepers to dentists.

"We really got the word out, and so we've got an extra 100 or so reenactors," Miller said. "It's going to be quite a good battle with a lot of gunfire and smoke. There's about six artillery units coming when we've usually got four."

Miller, who has been doing reenactments for 20 years, said coming to Guyandotte, located at the confluence of the Guyandotte and Ohio rivers on the northeast side of Huntington, is an easy sell because of its location.

"All the other battles I have ever fought in are in the woods or in the countryside," said Miller, who has reenacted with four different units. "It is one of the only reenactments that is in an urban setting. I would have to say that it ranks unique."

Miller said the thing that makes Guyandotte special too, is the people.

Civil War Days has always had a dedicated group of about 40 volunteers such as John Belcher, Jeanne Wray, Mike Sheets, Greg Porter and Linda Miller that meet year-round to make the weekend happen smoothly.

New this year as part of the 20th celebration, Civil War Days extended its lecture series to a full week.

The living history got started on Monday with a lecture series that continues at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at First Guyandotte Baptist Church, 219 Richmond St. Refreshments will be served.

On Thursday, Hinton, W.Va., resident, Al Stone, who travels the nation portraying Gen. Robert E. Lee, will be speaking along with Guyandotte resident John Belcher, who also travels the country as a living history presenter. He portrays General Albert G. Jenkins.

On Friday, Statesville, N.C., musician, actor and historian, Stan Clardy will present his moving one-man Civil War play, "Soldiers in Gray, A Musical Journey."

For the third year, Civil War Days will be hosting an educational day on Friday for area school groups (Spring Hill Elementary 4th and 5th graders, Guyandotte Elementary 5th graders and also a group of home-schooled students and their parents from Greenup County, Ky.) are attending.

Local historian and school teacher Jeanne Wray, who coordinated that event with Roger Caldwell, said they'll have stations of demonstrators including a cooper, Union and Confederate infantry, an artillery crew, Stan Clardy and "Bobby Lee O'Possum. Students will also tour the downtown including the Historic Madie Carroll House and barn, the Baptist Church, and even a possible visit to a gold prospector who will demonstrate panning for gold.

Local middle school teacher Mike Sheets will also be doing drill demonstrations with his new cadet corps of reenactors.

"We love what we are doing and know that the future of this event, the future of reenacting and our devotion to the importance of never forgetting the sacrifice and dedication of our ancestors lies in what we leave the next generation," Wray said. "We are proud and honored to pass the torch of knowledge and appreciation of the past to our children today."

Younger generations continue to get involved as some original Civil War Days volunteers have passed away including John Lavery, Pat Miller, Fred Gibson, Rex Roberts, Helen Anderson, Teresa Lycans and Dorothy Cremeans.

Melissa Stanley, a Guyandotte native who is with the Huntington Paranormal Investigations and Research group, said she's proud to be a part of the younger generation getting involved with Civil War Days.

For the second year, Stanley and the group will be dressed in period clothing giving guided historical candle-lit walking tours of Guyandotte from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, leaving from the library, 203 Richmond St.

"We love history, and this is literally right here in my backyard," said Stanley, who made sure people know it is a history walk and not a ghost walk. "We asked them if we could do the tours last year and they were beyond our wildest expectations."

Last year about 300 people showed up to stroll the streets seeing some of 27 historic homes or businesses identified in Guyandotte, including some of the oldest houses in the region such as the McGinnis-Davis House, (circa 1816) and, of course, the Madie Carroll House which served as an inn and the area's first Catholic Church.

Stanley said Friday they'll have hot cocoa back at the library as well as folks from the paranormal group who can answer any ghost questions.

"We did the walks during Swinefest too, and I think a lot of people thought it was just a ghost tour and we had some people leave but many people who took the history tour were like 'wow, it was great and I didn't know there was so much history here'," Stanley said.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Confederate and Union soldiers re-enact a battle during the 2008 Civil War Days in Guyandotte. This year's event is set for this weekend.

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