December 2001 / January 2002 Edition

Civil War Weekend   Article by Jim Hile.  Photos by Harold Vogel.     Federals of the 1st NJ Battery (left) trade shots with the Confederates of Jackson's Virginia Flying Artillery during the Fair Lawn Civil War Weekend. More than 2,300 residents attended the event.      The rattle of musketry and the thunder of cannon mixed with the sound of fifes, drums, and the cheers of patriots during Fair Lawn’s Civil War Weekend held in Memorial Park on Sept. 22 and 23.   “We thought of canceling the affair because of the terrorist attack on September 11,” said Jim Hile, a Fair Lawn resident, Civil War reenactor, and co-event coordinator. “But President Bush said we should continue with our lives, and we decided to carry on. I am so very glad we did.”   More than 2,300 residents attended the living history weekend that featured 90 Civil War reenactors hailing from points as distant as Boston and northern Virginia. A reenactor is an “amateur historian” who seeks to dress and act as a person would during the chosen time period.   Reenactors held presentations for students on Friday at Memorial and Thomas Jefferson Middle schools. They told of the times of the Civil War—the life, the music, and the medical treatment. It corresponded with student lessons on American history. At Memorial, children were treated to an artillery demonstration that left them cheering. “The kids loved it,” said Michael Hoffman, principal of Memorial.   On Saturday, residents stepped back some 140 years in time to tour Civil War era camps representing the Union and Confederate forces and could also shop at “sutlers”, merchants featuring goods and wares from the period. Each day featured a Civil War battle scenario that saw “Reb” and “Yank” fight over the picnic area in Memorial Park. They could also view how the “wounded” were treated at a field hospital set up by the 6th New Hampshire US Volunteers.   A highlight of the weekend was the Saturday night ball, featuring the 77th New York Balladeers, a musical ensemble from New York that performs songs and dances from the Civil War period. More than 300 Fair Lawn residents attended—and they danced.   “I loved Saturday night!” said Deborah Pomerantz, a Fair Lawn resident and reenactor. “I have always wanted to dance like that—listen to the period music all the time. It was so much fun.”   A somber moment came toward the end of the concert, when Union and Confederate reenactors assembled at the Circle of Heroes to honor the fallen from September 11. Union and Confederate reenactors intermingled as brothers and fired a 21-gun salute. Greg Hernandez, a Southern Reenactor, played “Amazing Grace” on his fife. “Everyone began to sing,” said Hile. “It was so powerful in it’s sincerity and meaning. You had to be there to appreciate it.” A cannon salute followed which resulted in numerous complaints to the Fair Lawn police—reportedly, it was heard as far away as Elmwood Park and Paterson.   On Sunday, another poignant moment came after that day’s battle performance. Union and Confederate reenactors faced the crowd, six deep at spots, and saluted them. Hernandez, a fifer from Virginia, played the National Anthem and the crowd sang, vigorously. It was punctuated at the end by a cannon salute, courtesy of Jackson’s Flying Artillery, CSA.   “A year or more ago, I sat at my dinner table with Barbara Sacks (Borough Manager) and Tom Metzler (Office of Emergency Manager), to discuss doing an educational program for the schools and a reenactment for the town,” said Hile. “None of us then could foresee we would be living in such a different world today. The tragic events of September 11 transformed what would have been ‘just another living history weekend’ into a special celebration of the American Spirit that I will never forget.”   The Borough, Board of Education, Chamber of Commerce, Noontime Rotary and others sponsored the Fair Lawn Civil War Weekend. Host reenactor units were Lee’s Light Horse, CSA, 6th New Hampshire, USA, and Jackson’s Flying Artillery, CSA.    What's in the Photo: