The Civil War Comes To Westhampton Beach
On August 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Westhampton Beach Historical Society will host a free Civil War Living History Event on the Great Lawn in Westhampton Beach.
The enactment will demonstrate Union and Confederate camp life, infantry and cavalry drills, artillery demonstrations, and culminate with an infantry and cavalry skirmish at the end of the afternoon.
Re-enactors will be dressed in period military uniforms, and fire their rifles and a canon using real powder. A Union cavalry troop will demonstrate cavalry techniques and riding skills. ssociated “civilians” and “camp followers” will also be dressed in period costumes.
These activities will be carried out by several Civil War re-enactment organizations including the 67th New York Infantry/ Company K, the 10th New York Cavalry, the 9th Virginia Infantry/ Company C, and the 30th Virginia Infantry. Union Artillery demonstrators and Union and Confederate camps will be set up to demonstrate camp life including field cooking and a period medical field hospital will also be available for viewing.
There will be Artillery Demonstrations with canon firing on the hour throughout the day. Between demonstrations and drills, and during lunch, the camps will be open for the public to view and experience what life was like for soldiers and their families during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865. The re-enactors are knowledgeable about the history and life at that time and will be available for interaction with the visiting public.
The tentative schedule of living history activities is as follows:
7 a.m.: Participants arrive and set up camp
10 a.m: Event opens
10-11 a.m.: Camp Living History demonstration
11 a.m. to Noon: Muster and demonstration of infantry and cavalry drills
Noon to 1 p.m.: Units lunch in camps
2 to 4 p.m.: Cavalry demonstration, artillery and infantry skirmish
5 p.m.: WHB Historical Society Fundraiser begins
In association with the Living History event, the Westhampton Beach Historical Society will hold a cocktail party fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. on the Great Lawn. This party will be under tents in an enclosed private area on the Great Lawn immediately adjacent to the Living History demonstration area. The cocktail party will include hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, and a Civil War period cocktail will be featured.
Re-enactor Union and Confederate soldiers and their ladies in period dress will circulate among party guests, answering their questions. Historical Society members and paying public are welcome to attend in period dress if they wish. A banjo and fiddle musician will play Civil War period ballads and songs to transport the party spirit back to the mid-1800s.
Admission is $60/person for WHB Historical Society members, non-members $70/person. More information and tickets for the fundraiser are available by calling 631.288.1139 or at www.whbhistorical.org
