Civil War Reenactment

In Bethel

BETHEL — Boy Scout Venture Crew 79, who portray the 79th New York Cameron Highlanders, will give a demonstration on being a soldier in the American Civil War on Saturday, March 29. The demonstration will be at St Thomas Church and will last from 1 until 4 pm.

Those who are interested in participating in the hobby of reenacting will have a chance to find out how to do so. There is no admission charge.

A venture crew consists of both girls and boys who are between the ages of 14 and 20. Those over the age of 20 are considered adult members. There are a number of different venture units in western Connecticut and those attending the Civil War demonstration will have a chance to talk to members of the other crews.

Each crew specializes in different skill areas. There are crews who specialize in rock climbing and others in camping, etc. Crew 79’s specialty is the American Civil War.

The concept for this weekend’s presentation will be that of a recruitment drive in late 1862 to get new members for the unit. The members of the 79th will portray soldiers who have come north to recruit new members for the unit, which has suffered heavy losses during the battles of Bull Run, Charleston, and Antietam.

They will also discuss what it is like to be a part of the Civil War reenactments of these battles. They will discuss the difference between small and large events, including this year’s 140th Gettysburg.

This will be a live demonstration with the public being encouraged to participate as soldiers of that era. Members of Crew 79 will be dressed in Civil War period dress to make the presentation more authentic.

Several members of the crew who appeared in the recent movie Gods and Generals will explain what it was like to be a part of that movie. They will discuss the time required to be in the movie and a number of the theatrical tricks that were used to make the movie battle scenes so realistic.

Additional information about the 79th New York is available at www.79thNYCompanyB.org or by contacting Major Ralph Langham at 746-5400.