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PLAY BALL - CIVIL WAR STYLE! (A Celebration Of Early Baseball Gameplay)
On Saturday, May 17, 2025 the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation (CCBF) will present its Inaugural 1864 Rules Base Ball Festival – a celebration of baseball history featuring the style of Civil War era gameplay that evolved into modern baseball. Two well-established and formidable teams that play by the 1864 Rules will square off in a double header to determine the first Championship Team in what will become an annual CCBF Historic Base Ball Festival. The 1864 Rules and style of play are precursors to the modern rules, but also vary significantly – for example, no gloves. Other planned activities include an afternoon “Military Division” game between members drawn from our reenactor community. There will also be a Military Division Champion determined by the outcome of the game between the two teams in that Division. We are currently working with officers to identify the Military Division team members. Admission For Team Members And For ALL Civil War Reenactors In Their Battle Uniform Is Free. This is our way of continuing to express our appreciation and support for the reenactor community. Gates open at 10 AM. All are welcome!
The game field is located behind the CCBF Visitors Center at 8437 Valley Pike, Middletown, VA 22645. The first game starts at 11 AM. Early arrival is recommended. Free parking is in an adjacent field. The ticket price for regular spectators is $10. Children 10 years of age or younger will be admitted for free. Please bring your own chair if you wish to have a seat for the action. We are also arranging for food and beverage services for the event.
Please let us know by email to Patrick Kehoe at [email protected] by April 10 if you plan to attend as a regular spectator or a reenactor in uniform. Space may be limited, so we encourage early registration. Also, when you register by email, provide contact information (an email and a phone number) and the name of the reenactment organization (if any) to which you belong. If you plan to pitch a tent and camp that Saturday night let us know. We will need to allocate space and make proper arrangements. A rain date will be scheduled if the weather works against us on May 17.
In addition to the games there will be artillery drills and other as-yet undetermined activities. Additional “sudden death” innings might be needed after the double header to settle the matter and determine the regular team Championship. Our commemorative tshirt will feature a depiction of William “Candy” Cummings - the pitcher extraordinaire who invented the curveball pitch and threw it competitively for the first time in 1867. Trophies for the teams (one per team) will be made from recovered cedar wood from CCBF’s battlefield property. A new Civil War Era Baseball Exhibit is also being prepared for the Museum in the CCBF Visitors Center.
We are already considering expanding the Festival to a two-day event in 2026 – and this would allow more teams to compete. Future events, such as on-field instruction and training under the 1864 Rules, lectures, and additional games featuring members of our reenactor community, are also under discussion. We hope to work together to make the field and this watershed of baseball history available to teams from our regular reenactor community as well as to the separate (and sometimes overlapping) community of 1864 Rules Base Ball Teams.
We are acknowledging the rich history of baseball and its role as the favorite sport in Confederate and Union armies. There is no doubt that it was played by the soldiers in the armies of Jubal Early and Phil Sheridan. The games will take place where they would have actually been played in 1864.
So mark your calendars for May 17 - and make some history!
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
8437 Valley Pike, Middletown, VA, United States, Virginia 22645
