Civil War History Comes to Life in Genesee Country Village
By Joseph Bordonaro · Originally published November 2018 · p. 4
By Joseph Bordonaro Imagine, if you will, traveling back in time to 1862. You find yourself in a small country village, but one in which peace and quiet are not to be found. The Civil War has come, and soldiers are camped in and around the village. Suddenly, fighting erupts as the two sides find and struggle to defeat each other. If you have a good imagination, then you will probably have pictured something close to what Genesee Country Village looked like the weekend of July 20-21, 2018. Located in the small upstate New York town of Mumford, Genesee Country Village was the creation of John L. Wehle in 1966. For ten years, Mr. Wehle guided a group of carpenters and masons who helped move and restore vintage structures from around the area. While this work was going on, artifacts were located and acquired to furnish the buildings. The end result was a small town of the past that modern day visitors are able to walk through and explore. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Genesee_Country_Village_and_ Museum) The village is well worth a visit at any time, especially for those with an interest in early American history, but it is especially fascinating when the Civil War weekend is presented. Two battles a day are staged. One takes place outside the town in a large open field bordered by trees. The other skirmish takes place in the town itself. When viewing the open field battle visitors are kept at something of a distance to protect them from the artillery’s loud explosions, but during the battle in town visitors are up close to the action. Rifle volleys echo off buildings, gun smoke boils up into the air, Union troopers clash with Confederate cavalry, and the infantry enters the fight as amazed crowds of spectators watch. A highlight of this year’s reenactment was the recreation by the 134th New York Volunteer Infantry. The afternoon’s village battle featured a reenactment of the 134th New York’s fight and retreat through the streets of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. The village was an excellent stand in for Gettysburg as it probably looked in 1863. The reenactors of the 134th NY won many compliments from first time spectators as well as seasoned reenactors for their authentic appearance and their dramatic portrayal of the desperate fight of the 134th. During the first day’s fighting at Gettysburg, the 134th NY, as part of Coster’s Brigade, was hurriedly deployed near the now-famous brick yard north of town and bought General Schurz about 20 minutes of time, enough to extricate the 11th Corps from possible annihilation and permit their retreat from advanced positions north of town to East Cemetery Hill. It is rare for reenactors to portray a defeat for their side, so the 134th New York are to be commended for bringing the story of the original regiment’s sacrifice to the public’s attention. All in all, the event was a great success, as evidenced by the large crowds of visitors present on both Saturday and Sunday. The veteran groups also played their parts well, as did the many civilian reenactors who helped bring the village to life. Information about Genesee Country Village can be found at their website: https://www.gcv. org. Joe Bordonaro is a USAF veteran (1973–1977), Glassboro State College gradu-ate (1980), Catholic school teacher (St. Joseph’s ProCathedral, 1983–1988), and retired public school teacher (Mullica Township School, 1988–2009). He has been involved with Civil War reenacting/living history since 1999. Joe began submit-ting articles to the Civil War News in 2005 and has been covering events for the News on a regular basis since 2016. Joe lives in Mount Laurel, NJ, and has been married to his wife Karen for 29 years. If you wish to contact Joe, you may send an email to [email protected].
