Burlington County Historical Society Hosts 'Civil War Biographies' Panel

On January 28, there was a full-house at the Burlington County Historical Society to see "The South Jersey Experience: Civil War Biographies," the first of three panel discussions, hosted in three different New Jersey counties. These events were organized by Tom Sims, Executive Director of The Cape May Film Society, and are funded through a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. The times are always Thursdays at 7:00, and the next two locations are: The Salem Historical Society, 79 Market St. in Salem on February 25, and at the Cape May Historical Society Museum, 504 Rt. 9 North, Cape May Court House on March 25. These discussions are free and open to the public.

Jim Stephens, Deputy Director for Historic Cold Spring Village in Cape May, is the moderator for the discussions, and joining him are Joe Bilby, Gayle Stahlhuth, and Richard Veit, with music by Barry Tischler.

"One of the first issues we'll look at is dispelling the myth that Southern New Jersey sympathized with the Confederates during the Civil War," said Stephens.

Joe Bilby, the Assistant Curator for the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey and editor of the book, "New Jersey Goes to War," presents an entertaining slide show.

"We definitely get into the different units, the unique personalities, even a few idiosyncrasies," said Bilby.

According to Bilby's book, "As a result of the large numbers of casualties at the battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the military requested civilian medical assistance. [Salem County's Cornelia Hancock] arrived at Gettysburg two days after the battle and without any official support or supplies, she helped wherever she could. Despite her innate dislike of alcohol, she dispensed with scruples and began to serve what would become a trademark 'punch' of condensed milk laced with whiskey."

William Still, born in Burlington County, was the eighteenth child of two former slaves from the south, and as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, worked closely with Harriet Tubman.
"One of the other great stories and personalities of the war is Cape May's Captain Henry Sawyer," says Gayle Stahlhuth, Artistic Director of the East Lynne Theater Company. Stahlhuth wrote a play about Sawyer's time as a prisoner of war and his ultimate release as a way for Cape May school students, who first performed the play, to better understand their own history.

"One of the challenges of studying New Jersey's part in the Civil War is that, unlike Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas, we didn't have physical battles in the state," says Professor for Monmouth University, Richard Veit. "However, there were important military hospitals, graveyards, and training grounds here."

The panel discussions will also be accompanied by a selection of period songs performed by Barry Tischler, who specializes in acoustic performances of historical songs. The entire presentation will be filmed for a new educational DVD that will be distributed to schools, libraries, and historical societies throughout Southern New Jersey. For more information about this program, contact the Cape May Film Society at 609-884-6700 or. visit www.capemayfilm.org.

This program was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any view, findings, conclusions, or recommendations in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.