Civil War Reenactors to Encamp at Monmouth County Historical

To celebrate the opening of the new exhibition, “Marching Away: Monmouth County in the Civil War,” Monmouth County Historical Association will host a Civil War reenactors encampment during the weekend of Sep. 17th and 18th on the grounds of the Museum & Library, 70 Court Street, Freehold.

The public will be welcome to tour the encampment between 10 a.m and 4 p.m. on both of those days.  At the same time, tours of the exhibition will be offered in the Museum.

Organized by the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry Company D reenactors group, the event will feature both military activities and demonstrations as well as craft demonstrations from the Civil War era. Ongoing activities will include:  demonstrations of rug making, chair caning, hat box making and cooking over the open fire using recipes from the mid-nineteenth century. There will also be displays of toys of the period and of models of naval vessels used in the Civil War. Mary Todd Lincoln will be on hand to talk with visitors about her husband, President Lincoln, and about her experiences as First Lady.

In addition, another reenactor group, the 6th New York Independence Battery, will be bringing a vintage 1863 Civil War cannon for display and giving demonstrations of how a cannon would have been loaded to fire.

Scheduled activities on both days will be as follows: 

• 11:00 a.m. – Military Drills with discussion on types of formation 
• 1:00 p.m. – Rifle Shooting Contest with an explanation of gun fare 
• 2:00 p.m. – Victorian Tea 
• 3:00 p.m. – Dancing of the Period with instruction