By Jeff Sovelove
The Civil War returned to Historic Speedwell last weekend, much to the appreciation of the crowd who turned out on a summery weekend.
Visitors were treated to depictions of typical Civil War camp life, including cooking and cleaning, as well as seeing how the soldiers on both sides lived.
This year the Signal Corps were represented, complete with a working Civil War telegraph, which was invented at Historic Speedwell by Samuel F.B. Morse and Alfred Vail.
It was powered by a copper sulfide battery generating one watt. They also had a portable telegraph which the Signal Corps could use to send messages or to intercept enemy messages.
The cannon they demonstrated is a bronze six-pounder made in 1844 in Boston. It’s named refers to its ammunition, a six-pound cannonball.
It was capable of shooting solid, exploding, or canister shot — 24 one-inch steel balls packed in sawdust used against massed troops.
Although there’s no way to be sure, this cannon could have been used in the Mexican War of 1846.
A field hospital was set up along with (fortunately, replica) amputated limbs.
Michelle Cattona from Bloomfield explained that surgeons did over 80,000 amputations during the war, with a 75 percent survival rate.
They would carry their medical supplies in raw form and prepare them as necessary, to maximize their potency when they were prepared, usually by grinding or with a mortar and pestle.
The day culminated with a mock skirmish, with the Rebels attacking through the woods. They were heroically repulsed by the Union troops and taken prisoner.
Slideshow photos by Jeff Sovelove
