Date: Fri 16-Jul-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: JAN

Quick Words:

Aaron-Schefkind-civil-war

Full Text:

A Lifelong Interest In The Civil War

(with photos)

BY JAN HOWARD

A Newtown resident's early love of history led him to a career in teaching and

to a lifelong interest that has included visits to historic sites and

battlefields and an interest in local soldiers.

Aaron Schefkind, who has lived here for 30 years, has been a Civil War buff

since he was 10 years old. When he was in the third or fourth grade at the

Barnum School in Bridgeport, whenever he had a moment, he would look at books

about the Civil War.

"I always took an interest in the loser," Mr Schefkind said last week. "I was

interested in the Confederacy and the work done by Robert E. Lee and Jefferson

Davis, the president of the Confederacy.

"Of course, President Lincoln was always of interest to me," he said. He noted

that President Lincoln, who had served in the Black Hawk War, was interested

in the development of new weapons and was one of the first to recognize the

Gatling gun or machine gun. It was termed Lincoln's coffee grinder.

About six months ago, a friend gave Mr Schefkind an unusual picture that has

about 500 little pictures of Civil War events imprinted over an image of

Abraham Lincoln.

In 1929, Mr Schefkind was one of the orators who competed in a contest during

his graduation ceremony from Warren Harding High School. His oration was

entitled "Robert E. Lee, The Great American."

"It was my first experience in public speaking before a large group," Mr

Schefkind said. "We were required to memorize it, and for a moment or two I

forgot the whole thing."

Mr Schefkind developed infantile paralysis when he was nine months old and has

used crutches all his life. Despite this, "I have been very much interested in

swimming and became a long distance swimmer after college," he said.

Mr Schefkind graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1933, with a

major in history and Latin. His first interest had been in law school, and he

had been admitted to Yale and Columbia, but it was during the Depression and

jobs in law were scarce so he decided to go into teaching. At that time there

was an opening at Hawley School to teach Latin at $1,200 a year. Mr Schefkind

applied.

"Before the government passed the disability act, if you were handicapped, it

seemed as if your only future was to cane chairs or end up on the street," he

said. "I had a college degree."

Mr Schefkind said the principal of the Hawley School took out a stop watch to

see how fast he could climb the stairs in case of an emergency.

"Physically I couldn't, and he was reluctant to hire me. I had the same

problem in Vermont," he said.

Fortunately, after Mr Schefkind and his wife, Christina, were married in 1937,

he was hired to teach history and Latin at a private school in Bridgeport, the

University School, where he taught for several years. He later bought an

interest in the school, became a major stockholder, and ended up as headmaster

before retiring. He has been retired for 28 years.

A self-described strict disciplinarian and exponent of the old school of

discipline, Mr Schefkind said, "I wouldn't tolerate what is going on in the

schools today."

Mr Schefkind loves to talk about his longtime interest in the Civil War and

other historic moments in our country's history. At one time, as president of

the Torch Club, a national organization of professional men, he presented a

paper on the Civil War and brought his collection of muskets to exhibit.

He said there was a complete change in military tactics in the Civil War. One

of General Lee's great errors was Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, he said.

"One regiment lost almost all its men. It was a complete disaster." Following

that rout, General Lee offered his resignation to Jefferson Davis, but it was

not accepted, he added.

In pursuit of his interest in the Civil War, Mr Schefkind has collected some

interesting examples of muskets, pistols, and sabers, which he has found at

various sales. Some of the muzzle loaders could fire three shots a minute. The

soldiers inserted a mini ball and powder, then a cap to ignite the powder, he

explained.

He said West Point has an excellent collection of Civil War memorabilia.

Mr Schefkind also enjoys sharing interesting trivia from the Civil War, such

as the use of the word sharpshooter, which came from rifles of that name. The

term hooker was used about the girls that followed General Hooker's army.

Sideburns were named after General Burnside.

Most Civil War soldiers were from 18 to 45 years of age, though younger boys

often served as drummer boys or carried powder, he said. Over two million

served in the Union Army alone.

Mr Schefkind is researching the names of all the men who served in the Civil

War from Newtown. He has visited local cemeteries, the town clerk's office at

Edmond Town Hall, and browsed through local history books in his quest for

information. In Ezra Johnson's history of Newtown in the C.H. Booth Library,

he learned that about 250 men volunteered or were drafted from this community

between 1861 and 1864. He said only 54 men were accounted for in the list of

burials in the community.

The balance of the Civil War veterans may have moved to other communities and

been buried elsewhere, he said, or like so many others killed in battle, may

have been buried in unnamed graves.

He explained that before a battle, since there were no dog tags in those days,

a soldier would take a piece of paper with his name on it and attach it to his

uniform. These makeshift identifications were often lost during battle.

"In our national cemeteries, there are many unnamed veterans," Mr Schefkind

said. At Vicksburg, 80 percent are unknown, he noted.

He said after President Lincoln imposed a draft to raise more men for the

northern army, rioting resulted in New York City and troops were sent to

repress the rioters.

Mr Schefkind said a wealthy person might supply uniforms for a local company,

which often led to a commission as an officer in that company. Or they might

also pay someone to take their place in the Army.

Mr Schefkind has visited numerous Civil War battlefields. He is concerned

about the growing commercialism around many of them, especially Gettysburg,

where President Lincoln gave his famous address.

"Developers are pressing the Pennsylvania legislature for commercial ventures

near the battlefield," he said. "Certain values are more important than

material interests. Lincoln came to Gettysburg. I was there on July 4 a few

years ago, and it looked more commercial than when I was there previously."

He said Yorktown, Williamsburg and Plymouth have also become more

commercialized through the years.

Mr Schefkind has passed his love of history on to other members of his family.

He often took his children and then his grandchildren to battlefields, such as

Saratoga and the Plains of Abraham, where battles of the French and Indian War

were fought.

Mr and Mrs Schefkind have two grown daughters, Judith Gross and Joyce Neary,

and four grandchildren.

He said years ago, "It was a joy to visit Williamsburg, to sit in the church

where Jefferson worshiped. I would buy a loaf of bread from the colonial

bakery and some cheese and we would sit along the James River. Now it is

completely commercialized. The old charm is gone."