Shelton History Center Holds Civil War Re-enactment

The Shelton History Center presented its annual Civil War re-enactment Saturday afternoon for history minded local residents.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the nation’s bloodiest conflict, which has generated an increase in interest in the Civil War.

On hand were members of the local chapter of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War and re-enactors for the 14th Connecticut Infantry participated in the event.

The Sons of the Union Veterans are the descendants of Union Army soldiers who fought in the war. The 14th Connecticut is a famous infantry regiment that helped repulse Picket’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg, known as the "high water mark of the Confederacy."

Steve Wood of Claremont, NH, a former Shelton resident, portrayed President Abraham Lincoln.

Irving Moy of Wallingford portrayed Cpl. Joseph Pierce of the 14th Connecticut, possibly the highest ranking Chinese-American soldier in the Union Army. Moy has written a book about him, "An American Journey: My Father, Lincoln, Joseph Pierce and Me."

Shelton History Center Executive Director Tracey Tate said the Center on Ripton Road, which is operated by the Shelton Historical Society, presents the re-enactment program every year on the weekend after Labor Day.

Included in the event were a re-enactor encampment and cook tent by the 14th Connecticut members, informational booths on Civil War military hospital surgery, and the Shelton History Center’s permanent museum exhibits on local Shelton history.

Dozens of Shelton men fought in the Civil War, and some died at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Ed Wittkofski, a member of the Sons of the Union Veterans chapter, is also the chairman of the Shelton Civil War Monument Committee, which is raising money to erect a Civil War monument to honor those who fought and died in the war.

He said the committee hopes to raise enough money to hold a dedication for the Shelton Civil War monument by Nov. 19, 2013, the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettyburg Address.

Shelton Administrative Assistant Thomas Taylor attended as another re-enactor in the Sons of the Union Veterans group. "The purpose of the organization is to keep the memory of the Civil War alive," he said.

Taylor brought photographs of two of his ancestors who fought in the Civil War. One of them, Capt. William H. Hawley, who served with the 14th Connecticut Infantry, was killed in action at the Battle of Reams Station in 1864 in Virginia.

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