Civil War never ends for these Union soldiers BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer ERIC SUCAR staff Above, a Civil War re-enactor discussed the use of bayonets during an encampment at the Havens Homestead Museum grounds on Aug. 11. At right, Brian Conklin, 7, of Cub Scouts Pack 3, strums his "guitar" during a campout at the museum grounds off Herbertsville Road. BRICK TOWNSHIP - The cool winds that blew through the fields and woods of the Havens Homestead were a welcome change for the Union soldiers who set up camp last Friday night. They had spent much of that day before the cold front swept in wiping off sweat, a byproduct of wearing wool uniforms in mid-August. "One hundred percent wool," Jerry Kennedy, a Civil War re-enactor from Barnegat, said the following day, a bright and cool Saturday. "Nice and comfortable in this weather." Kennedy and a number of other members of the New York State 61st Regiment were on hand at the museum grounds off Herbertsville Road Saturday to show visitors what life was like as a Union soldier on the march during the War Between the States. "Want to hear one of these suckers go off?" Kennedy asked a young couple and their children. The bayonet hanging from his belt glistened in the sunlight. He prepped a reproduction 1861 Springfield muzzle-loaded rifle with powder, then pulled the trigger. The paper bullet rocketed off into a field. The boom startled some of the visitors. "Imagine 1,000 of them at a time," he said. The real .58-caliber bullets were much more menacing. They traveled at a slow speed and were built to do as much damage as possible. "It mushrooms when it hits," said William Johnson, a re-enactor from Wilmington, Del. Soldiers carried the 12-pound rifles for as much as 20 miles per day, Kennedy said. Add that to the rest of the equipment they needed, like tents, canteens and other items, the average soldier toted around 60 pounds each day, said Michael Tesch, a re-enactor from Brick. "Most of it they needed," he said. The men slept on straw covered with wool blankets in a canvas tent; two men to a tent. Meals were cooked in a pit over an open fire. But chances are Union soldiers back in the 1860s didn't have the hot dogs that were sizzling on an iron grate Saturday to eat. A soldier typically ate about a pound of meat, some bread and "coffee, coffee, coffee," said Johnson. What draws men from the 21st century to want to relive life from that tumultuous time almost 150 years ago? "It's living history, more than anything else," said Johnson, who owns up to having relatives on "both sides." "Dixie doesn't start until the James River," he joked with Kennedy. It's a hobby for Kennedy. "I love history," he said "I just love doing it. I was sucked right into it." Visitors were greeted by an 1860s recruitment poster for the New York 61st Regiment. "This is a splendid opportunity for a young man to join a crack regiment," read the poster. "You will have good officers who will pay every attention to your welfare. A few good men are wanted." But Kennedy shared a little secret. All the re-enactors were from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. "We don't have anybody from New York," he whispered. The soldiers shared the fields with a number of Cub Scout troops, who also camped out that weekend. The event was sponsored by the Brick Township Historical Society. Society historian Gene Donatiello was happy with the turnout. "It's been steady all day," he said.