Professor takes part in Civil War re-enactment film

February 4, 2008
Contact: Paul K. Logsdon, Director of Public Relations and Publications, 417-865-2815, Ext. 7292

Springfield, Mo. — Dr. Larry Toll, associate professor of history at Evangel University, recently took part in the production of “The Battle of Wilson’s Creek,” a documentary produced for the National Park Service.

The movie features an introduction by Ken Burns, producer of the famed PBS series, “The Civil War.” The film is produced by Wide Awake Films out of Kansas City and is scheduled for a summer 2008 DVD release.

“My role in the documentary was portraying a soldier in the 1st U.S. Infantry in the Ray Cornfield and a member of the 3rd Missouri in General Franz Siegel’s command,” said Dr. Toll.

Dr. Toll is a member of a Civil War living history group called the Holmes Brigade. “We portray Union soldiers in the Civil War, including German-American troops from St. Louis who fought at Wilson’s Creek and at Carthage (the 3rd Missouri Infantry),” Toll said.

In addition to participating in the production of the movie, Toll will be leading a group of students to various living history events and Civil War re-enactments around the region. In April, Toll and the students will take part in Wilson’s Creek Battlefield’s annual school tour of the park. Students will take part in the firing of cannons and will portray figures from the battle. The group will also visit Pea Ridge National Battlefield and Fort Scott National Historic Site for living history encampments.

Dr. Toll has been a faculty member at Evangel since 2006 and holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from Ball State University.

Toll is a member of the State Historical Society of Missouri, National Council on Public History, Civil War Roundtable of the Ozarks, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Phi Alpha Theta and Pi Gamma Mu.

He is a regular National Park Service volunteer at Wilson’s Creek Battlefield and Fort Scott.

For additional information, contact Dr. Toll at (417) 865-2815 ext. 8225 or visit our website.