As soon as they walked into the barracks at Fort Sisseton, they were handed muskets - heavy Springfield 63s from the Civil war era - given a uniform and told to march. 

Presenter Brian Thacker and producer Jason Paton thought they were just covering the annual Sisseton historical festival, in South Dakota, as spectators. 

Turns out they were getting enlisted in the army. The Union Army that is. 

Join us as we march back in time today to 1864 where cavalry, artillery and infantry reenactors come together each year to bring this piece of history to life with period accurate food and music, military demonstrations, dances and much more. Including a few ghosts in a haunted old hospital where they had to spend the night. 

Thank you to everyone who featured in this episode:

-  Ali Tonsfeldt from Fort Sisseton

-  Captain Bruce Bekkering and Amy from the Cavalry troop

-  Captain Kevin Ganz and the rest of the 13th Sioux Falls regiment

If you feel like joining the Union Army at Fort Sisseton next year, you can. Find out more at www.travelsouthdakota.com

If you enjoyed this episode, check out the full series on the Travel South Dakota Stories podcast

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Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Brian Thacker wrote and presented the episode, Jason Paton did the field recording and audio production. www.armchair-productions.com

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