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St. Cloud will hang banners for 25th Battle of Narcoosee Mill Civil War re-enactment

ST. CLOUD, Fla. — Banners for a Civil War re-enactment in St. Cloud will go up without changes.

On Monday, city manager Bill Sturgeon said the original banners would not go up because they included a Confederate battle flag, which can be controversial.

But City Council members voted unanimously on Thursday evening to put up the original banners.

The banners for the 25th Battle at Narcoosee Mill created some controversy because the design included a silhouette of a solider with American and Confederate flags behind him.

St. Cloud’s city manager didn’t want the banner including the Confederate flag on city property, given the current climate nationwide concerning Confederate monuments.

“I’m sick and tired of people. This is history. That flag is history, just like our flag is history. The people want to change history,” said Dolores Roder, St. Cloud resident.

While the re-enactment is a St. Cloud tradition, the Battle at Narcoosee Mill never happened.

It’s a fictional battle, but supporters said it still offers historical lessons.

"It's educational. You see the era that people lived in back in those days. The way they dressed, the way they lived, the weaponry, the way the tents work -- the whole works,” said Bill Lanz, a Kissimmee resident.

The St. Cloud City Council voted 5-0 in favor of letting the original banners go up instead of making new banners without the Confederate flag as the city manager suggested.

City workers will hang 65 of the banners at city intersections along Lakeshore Boulevard between Alabama and Mississippi avenues.

Cierra Putman

Cierra Putman, WFTV.com

Cierra Putman flew south to join Eyewitness News in July 2016.