News stories tagged with "civil-war"

(11/02/11) Historic and re-enactment groups around the region are commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War this year. But it isn't all cannons and uniforms. The many layers of a 19th century woman were revealed as part of a fashion show in Massena recently.

Todd Moe talks with Maria Hull, a technology teacher in the Hudson Valley, who is also a Civil War re-enactor. Women's fashions from that era were all about making the waist appear small. Hull says hoop skirts, petticoats and full sleeves helped. She studied theater arts in college, makes her own Civil War era dresses and is an expert on women's fashions from the 1860s.

(09/07/11) This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Commemorative events are being held throughout the Northeast, including small towns. North Creek's Civil War weekend begins this Friday and will include lectures, historic photo displays and re-enactors in period uniforms. Todd Moe talks author and local historian Glenn Pearsall about the sacrifices Adirondack families made in the war. Pearsall says small towns, like North Creek and Johnsburg lost many of their young men in battle.

(02/16/11) Civil War buffs are commemorating the war's 150th anniversary this year. As part of an occasional series of conversations about the Civil War and its North Country connections, Todd Moe talks with a local re-enactor about women soldiers. Some women served as nurses, spies or camp cooks during the war, but others marched into battle. Forbidden from the military during the Civil War, hundreds of women disguised their gender by wearing uniforms and using masculine names. Canton Civil War re-enactor Martha Maine takes on the persona of her great grandfather, Harrison Carter Maine. She says patriotic, eager for adventure, or to accompany their husbands, hundreds of women assumed male identities to win the right to fight.

Maine speaks on "Women Soldiers in the Civil War" at a Brown Bag Lunch program at noon this Thursday at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association in Canton.

(02/03/10) Many villages in the North Country have a statue or a plaque memorializing men who fought in the Civil War. Some of those soldiers were very young, and some of them were Native American. Betsy Kepes reviews Joseph Bruchec's novel for young adults, March Toward the Thunder, A Native American Perspective on the Civil War.

(09/18/09) Yesterday marked the 147th anniversary of the Civil War battle at Antietam in Maryland. It was the single bloodiest day in US history, with more than 20,000 men killed or wounded. Three hundred New Yorkers are still unaccounted for from that battle, their remains lost in the farm fields and the woods. But last summer, a hiker in an area known as the Corn Field discovered the remains of a soldier. His buttons and his belt identified him as a volunteer from New York. That soldier was finally laid to rest yesterday at Saratoga National Cemetery. In just a moment, we'll hear from the historian who arranged the long-delayed funeral. First, here's Brian Mann's audio portrait of the ceremony. It begins with the rumble of a motorcycle honor guard, which accompanied the soldier on his final journey from Maryland.

(09/18/09) After yesterday's ceremony, Brian Mann spoke with Michael Aikey, head of the New York State Military Museum and Veteran Research Center. The Museum helped to organize yesterday's ceremony and also assisted with the forensic work after the soldier's remains were discovered last summer.

(02/11/09) The St. Lawrence County Historical Association hosts a birthday bash Thursday in honor of Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial. Music, exhibits, lectures and cake will be presented at the Silas Wright House in Canton starting at 11am. Todd Moe talks with local Lincoln expert Terry Niles who will give a talk about some of the little known stories from Lincoln's early life, including his first courtroom experience and the duel he almost fought.

(02/11/09) The SLCHA is planning a year-long tribute to Lincoln, including an appearance by the former president at the annual Civil War Reenactment in July. A few years ago, Todd Moe caught up with Lincoln impersonator John Baylis, of Cassville, NY. He's an expert on Lincoln's life and the Civil War era.

(02/07/08) February is Black History Month, a time to focus on African-American pride and those who changed the world. A local historian is researching the lives of a number of African-Americans who lived in the North Country in the 19th century. Bryan Thompson says there was a strong abolitionist movement in the region before the Civil War, and both slaves and free African Americans lived in the North Country in the early 1800s. Todd Moe has more. Thompson will give a talk, Amnesia: Abolitionists and Black Pioneers of the St. Lawrence, this Sunday (10:30 am) at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Canton.

(09/06/05) The North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association is releasing a new DVD this month about the activities of the Underground Railroad along the Champlain Valley, Vermont and Quebec. The DVD will be used in classrooms to help interpret numerous sites that tell the story of New York's critical role in the Underground Railroad and anti-slavery movement. Todd Moe spoke with some of the folks working on the DVD project, including Don Papson, president of the history group. For more information about the DVD, contact the NC Underground Railroad Historical Association: NCUGRHA@aol.com