Using the terrain where some of the fiercest hand-to-hand fighting took place, Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical SP recalls the story of the Battle of Little Sailors Creek, April 6, 1865, in a solemn luminary tour event for the public, Sunday, November 11th, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Confederate Overlook.

Visitors will gather at a bonfire at the overlook before touring in guided groups at 6 and 7 p.m., respectively. They will follow a candle lit, three-quarter mile looping trail, hearing the voices of living historians speaking out of the wood-shrouded dark, at a series of 10 natural settings along the way.

At the end of the 45-60 minute tour, an anonymous bugler will play taps to signify the completion of the program iteration.

Historical interpreters, dressed either as Union or Confederate soldiers, will portray the voices of those who can no longer speak for themselves. Other interpreters will represent local civilians who grieved the losses and took on the sad duty of burying the dead left on the battlefield after the war moved on to the west.

This event, one of the largest and the most solemn of the park's annual cycle of programs is free to the public. Veterans are especially invited.

Visitors are advised to wear comfortable, warm clothing and sure footwear for the tour down to Little Sailor's Creek and back. Guides, front and rear, will be available for direction and assistance.

The Friends of Sailor's Creek will be selling hot chocolate at the Visitor Center for those who wish to stop for amenities before leaving the park. Also at the Visitor Center, items for the joint Friends of Sailor's Creek and High Bridge Trail State Parks' silent auction will be on display and open for bidding.

The purpose of Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park is to preserve the cultural landscape as it was in 1865, and to provide the historic setting to tell the story of the last major battle of the Civil War in Virginia before the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Army at Appomattox Courthouse, and its impact on the citizens of Southside Virginia.