In Civil War days, the Palmetto Sharpshooters were described

In Civil War days, the Palmetto Sharpshooters were described as “spikeheads-case hardened steel points attached to the brigade whose duty it was to crush the outer lines and admit columns to the inner lines and strongholds of the enemy.”

This October 1 and 2, the spiritual descendants of that elite group of Confederate soldiers will be re-enacting camp life for Sperryville’s 3rd annual Apple Harvest Festival.

Accompanied by their ladies and all in authentic period costumes, the Sharpshooters will be a centerpiece of living history in the Blue Ridge Mountain village’s festival.

; “There will be fun and games for everybody,” promised Tom Junk, festival coordinator and vice-president of the Sperryville Business Council, sponsors of the event.

The attractions and activities are designed to appeal to a wide range of interests and ages.

First, there’s Sperryville itself, declared a Virginia Historic Landmark in 1983. “Sperryville survives as an upper Piedmont crossroads town that has been virtually unchanged since the 1920s,” the state’s Historic Landmark Commission determined. Originally laid out by Francis Thornton, Jr. circa 1818, its village vernacular architecture of the settlement period is intermingled with postbellum houses built under the influences of the picturesque style of the 19th century Roman Revivals to give Sperryville “visual charm,” according to the Commission. Today, that charm is augmented by a collection of antique, craft, and gift shops that make the village a shopper’s paradise. With all the sales planned, “it’s a chance to get the jump on Christmas,” said Mr. Junk, issuing a special invitation to the rest of Sperryville’s Rappahannock neighbors to harvest the good buys offered at the festival. “And every time we patronize a local business, it helps us all,” he added.