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Jake Salley...
'Face of Perryville' dedicated re-enactor
The “new face” promoting the Perryville Battlefield is an 18-year-old high school senior whose bedtime stories were about the Civil War.
Jake Salley, who grew up immersed in the War Between the States, is the Union soldier in the advertisement promoting Perryville (see Bugle home page).
The teenager’s grandfather taught high school history for 32 years, excelling in Civil War history. His mother, Joan House, a Civil War expert in her own right, is the preservation specialist and program coordinator at Perryville. And, his stepfather, Chad Greene, is a long-time re-enactment cavalry officer.
Jake, who’ll graduate from Boyle County High School next spring, claims he was “born on a horse” and got involved in re-enactment activities as a 12-year-old as a horse-riding courier. He graduated to cavalry and infantry roles at age 16 when he became eligible to carry weapons, a 44-caliber pistol and 54-caliber carbine as a cavalry trooper and a 58-caliber Springfield rifle when doing infantry portrayals.
Throughout the year, Jake will participate in some 20 re-enactments at such locations as Perryville, Richmond, Wildcat Mountain, Georgetown, Sacramento and Fort Duffield. In the fall, after football games, he and a friend take part in Civil War events in addition to his participation during the summer months. A hard-nosed linebacker, safety and wide receiver, he’ll be back for his senior year of football at Boyle County High School.
As a Civil War history buff, Jake underlines the importance of history for the present.
“It’s key to our past and present and to where we’ll be going,” he emphasizes.
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Perryville is one of 10 advertisers who make the online editions of The Kentucky Civil War Bugle possible. Sacramento, Richmond, Mill Springs and Fort Boonesborough-Winchester are other battlefields and sites participating. Hype Advertising was an initial sponsor as was the Battle of Richmond History Center and the Madison County Civil War Roundtable. Betty J. Gorin’s popular best-seller “Morgan is Coming” is a book sponsor as is “The Draw” and “Silent Witness: The Surrender at Appomattox.”
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