Fulton Sun

For chairman of the Kingdom of Callaway Civil War Heritage Martin Northway, the ceremony slated to kick off at 11 a.m. July 28 in Calwood is about more than just commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Moore’s Mill, Callaway County’s bloodiest battle in the Civil War. It is also about a community celebrating its rich history.

The dedication ceremony at Bryant and Kathy Liddle’s property on State Road JJ in Calwood will oversee two new panels along Missouri’s historic Gray Ghosts Trail on the battle’s anniversary, which ended in a decisive Union victory with heavy Confederate casualties. The dedication will also honor late local historians Mark Douglas and Allen Conner, whose work helped map the battle, and it will be followed by a home-style dinner at Old Auxvasse Presbyterian Church.

“One of the things that’s interesting about working on these panels is every time we do one, we somehow engage a different community in Callaway County,” said Northway. “It always ends up involving a whole bunch of volunteers from different organizations.”

The event will feature an array of local history and heritage associations, including Civil War re-enactors and the Blue-Gray Color Guard of the Elijah Gates Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The meal is sponsored by the Old Auxvasse Cemetery Association, and will feature pies baked by the Fulton chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), in one of their first public event outings since they were chartered in March.