The Blue and the Gray take the field

The annual Civil War Weekend will take the field at Historic Cold Spring Village on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13 and 14 from 10 am to 4:30 pm.
The Village, which re-creates a rural community in the 1800s, serves as the perfect backdrop for presenting the Civil War.
“I look forward to this event all summer long, as do our visitors and the re-enactors. The host units, the 17th Virginia Volunteers and the fifth Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, invest a great deal of their time in making this event a success,” said Jim Stephens, HCSV Deputy Director for Education and Interpretation.
Visitors can tour the camps and speak with the authentically clad military and civilian re-enactors throughout each day.
Historian and retired teacher Jack Meyers will exhibit some of his vast collection of Civil War-era weapons in the Village Welcome Center.
“It seems that each year, we are able to feature something new and unique to the public, so the event is constantly evolving,” says Stephens.
A new addition to this year’s Civil War Weekend is the 35th New Jersey Volunteer Field Hospital. Led by veteran re-enactor Buzz Smithcors as a Union Army surgeon, the Volunteers will share a rare collection of Civil War-era surgical and medical equipment.
Mike Kochan, a nationally known expert on the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley will also join the event with a display of items relating to the Confederate Navy.
Guests can also enjoy music by The Two Man Gentlemen Band, who will perform old-time Americana with traditional instruments including plectrum banjo, string bass, kazoos and foot percussion.
Author Mary Hennessy will be signing copies of her book, His Hour Upon the Stage: The Story of a Civil War Horse Soldier and the Woman Who Fought to Save His Life. Hennessy will greet the public on Saturday on the porch of the Country Store, where a 50 percent discount sale will also be offered.
Stirring battle reenactments will occur both days at 2 p.m., and vendors of reproduction period merchandise will be found on “Sutler’s Row.”
In addition, a memorial service to commemorate Civil War soldiers will be held at “Old Brick” Church in Cold Spring, Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (ages 62 and over) and $6 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under 3 are admitted free.
Historic Cold Spring Village, winner of a Smithsonian Magazine/TCF Sustainable Tourism Award for Historic Preservation and Tourism, is a non-profit, open air living history museum that portrays the daily life of a rural South Jersey community of the Early American era. It features 26 restored historic structures on a wooded 22-acre site.
Interpreters and artisans in period clothing preserve the trades, crafts and heritage of “The Age of Homespun.”
Historic Cold Spring Village is located three miles north of Victorian Cape May and a mile and a half west of the southern terminus of the Garden State Parkway.
The Old Grange Restaurant will be open for lunch during this event. The Country Store, Dried Flower Shop, Bakery and Ice Cream Parlor will also be open for visitors.
This event is generously sponsored by The Cape Bank Charitable Foundation.
For more information, please call 609-898-2300, ext. 10 or visit the Village website at www.hcsv.org.