Lecompton ? It began with the roar of cannon fire, and it ended the same way it did 147 years ago — with the surrender of Col. Henry Titus and his band of pro-slavery fighters.

This time, no one got shot and the muskets fired only blanks Saturday afternoon in a field near downtown Lecompton. And several hundred people who were among those attending this year’s Territorial Days celebration were watching.

“The cannon was loud and it looked really old,” said Luke Kellum, 9, of Lecompton, who watched the re-enactment of the battle of Fort Titus along with his stepaunt, Rachelle Gasca, of Seattle.

Luke and Gasca spent time before the battle talking with members of the Kansas Civil War Re-enactors Assn. and examining their Civil War era equipment.

“It was a very real, lifelike re-enactment,” Gasca said.

Phillip Foos, 13, of Lecompton, also enjoyed the battle.

“I liked the way the guy was carrying the bush,” Foos said with a chuckle, referring to one of the re-enactors who carried a gun in one hand and a bush in the other to hide behind as he moved over the battlefield.

Prior to the battle, about 15 re-enactors gathered to discuss how they would portray the battle that took place in August 1856 just outside Lecompton. It was actually a series of battles that involved free-staters from Lawrence knocking out three forts containing Titus’ men. The pro-slavery fighters had been blocking supplies from reaching Lawrence.

None of the combatants were official military soldiers, said Michael Gosser, Topeka, who portrayed one of the pro-slavery fighters.

Free Staters, from left, Tom Sprague, Garnett, Carl Anderton, Shawnee, Dennis Ward, Carbondale, and Scott Lalumondier, Shawnee, charge their pro-slavery opponents during a re-enactment of the 1856 battle of Fort Titus. The re-enactment was part of the annual Territorial Days celebration Saturday in Lecompton.

“They would just give themselves a rank and a title,” Gosser said. “The forts were really block houses.”

Dave Ryan, of Mound City, commanded the crew of four that handled the model 1834 61-pound iron cannon used by the free-staters and which was fired a few minutes before the battle began.

“I always like to fire it about 15 minutes before the battle,” Ryan said. “People from all over hear it and start coming over to see what it is.”

The battle re-enactment was one of many activities that went on throughout the day that included children’s games, a play about “Bleeding Kansas,” and culminated with an ice-cream social and street dance Saturday night.

“It’s been tremendous,” said Paul Bahnmaier, one of the organizers of the annual celebration. “We’ve had great weather and it has really been well attended this year.”

¢Frog-racing, parade add to the fun at Lecompton Territorial Day festival (6-30-02)¢Festival celebrates Lecompton history (6-22-01)¢Lecompton marks its Territorial Days (6-25-00)¢Lecompton Historical Society

The celebration ends today with another 1:30 p.m. re-enactment of the battle of Fort Titus. It is the only Territorial Days event scheduled today.

His pistols unable to match the power of the Free Staters' rifles, Dave Sullivan, Grand Island, Neb., plays dead during the re-enactment staged during Lecompton's annual Territorial Days. Saturday's re-enactment will be repeated at 1:30 p.m. today.

Gary Riley, Mountain Grove, Mo., portraying a pro-slavery defender of Fort Titus, surrenders during a re-enactment of the 1856 battle, which occurred at the log cabin of Henry C. Titus, two miles south of Lecompton.

Portraying Free Staters during the 1856 battle of Fort Titus, Scott Lalumondier, Shawnee, left, and Dave Ryan, Mound City, stand back as one-half pound of black powder blows from a muzzle-loading cannon. They shot the cannon Saturday during the re-enactment.