History comes to life: Reenactors to portray Union soldiers from Monroe and Pike counties
Pike County, Pennsylvania answered the call to arms during the American Civil War of 1861-1865. Learn and imagine at The Columns Museum in Milford, Saturday, May 21 when Union Army re-enactors set up camp and give a taste of conditions of deployment in that epoch of American history.
Learn from the event’s host, the Pike County Historical Society, how this area responded and the sacrifice that was made to preserve the Union and bring an end to slavery.
The 11th annual Civil War reenactment encampment runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Columns Museum grounds, 608 Broad St., Milford.
Society Executive Director Lori Strelecki stated that this year representatives portraying the 142nd PVI Company G, which was formed in Stroudsburg and utilized men from both Monroe and Pike Counties, “will bring to life what the residents of this area and our country experienced in the troubled times of the American Civil War.”
Explore the exhibits and “living history” depicting soldiers at camp showing their uniforms, how they cooked and what they ate, and also women’s fashions of that era, and toys that entertained the children. Meet a woman who will share her knowledge about herbs and other plants and their usefulness for curing ailments, cleaning and in other ways.
In addition, another group of Civil War reenactors portraying Company A 7th NJ Volunteer Infantry Regiment, will exhibit medicines and medical supplies used in battle. This regiment served in nearly all of the battles leading up to the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox.
Some of the troops will be camping overnight on Friday, May 20 and be there for the Saturday event. Others will arrive early on Saturday morning.
Strelecki said that guests are welcome to tour the grounds and see the displays and demonstrations as well as tour the museum. The general admission price is $10. Children under 12 are admitted at no charge. From noon to 2 p.m. The Bard of the Hills will perform the music of the times. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from noon to 3 p.m.
The Lincoln Flag
While visiting The Columns Museum, be sure to inspect the Society’s treasured artifact of American History and the Civil War, The Lincoln Flag. The centerpiece of the museum’s extensive collections is on view in the Lincoln Room on the first floor. The large, 36-star flag is stained with the blood from President Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865. The flag was folded and used as a pillow to cushion the head of the dying President as he lay in the Presidential Box overlooking the stage.
After the President was taken across the street to the Peterson House, where he would die the next morning, several of the flags used to decorate the theatre that evening where taken. This flag on view at The Columns, was brought to Milford in 1888 by Jeannie Gourlay, an actress in the play being performed that fateful night. Jeannie kept the flag in her home on Water Street in Milford until she died in 1928. She left the flag to her son Vivian Paul, who donated the flag to the Pike County Historical Society in 1954.
The Pike County Historical Society, which has had the blood stains authenticated, loaned the flag in 2015 for display at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. for the 150th anniversary of the assassination and end of the Civil War.
Nearly 200 men served
A memorial plaque listing 197 men who served in the Civil War and were from Pike County is mounted on the outside of the Pike County Courthouse. This plaque, which was dedicated in 1938, lists both soldiers who died during the war and veterans who survived.
Company B of the 151st Pennsylvania Voluntary Infantry was made up of Pike County men. A little over half of those from Pike County enlisted in Company B; the rest joined with other regiments. At the Battle of Gettysburg, six Pike County men from Company B - 151st were killed: Sgt. Thomas Beardsly, Sgt. Henry Smith, Pvt. Charles Blackmore, Pvt. Solomon Brink, Pvt. James Morrison and Pvt. George Parr.
Trains collided in Shohola in 1864
On the afternoon of July 15, 1864 in Shohola, Pike County, an Erie Railroad train transporting about 833 Confederate prisoners and 125 Union Guards to the prison camp at Elmira, New York, collided head on with a coal train coming down from Hawley. The crash claimed the lives of 48 Confederate prisoners and 17 guards.
“The Pike County Historical Society is proud to offer programs that allow us to learn about history and provide a glimpse into the past, lest we forget the trials and tribulations that came before our time and the men and women who navigated their way through them as best they could,” Strelecki said.
For more information about the event or Pike County Historical Society, call 570-298-8126. Visit online at pikehistorical.org.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Reeanactors bring to life Civil War's 'troubled times' in Milford
