BAINBRIDGE – Civil War buffs will want to mark their calendars for a program in Bainbridge tomorrow night, the second in a series of events commemorating the sesquicentennial of the war between the states.
Hosted by the Bainbridge Historical Society, the event will take place at 7 p.m. at the Bainbridge Museum, 38 S. Main St.
According to BHS President Mary Drachler, the program will focus on the story of Andrew Pearsall, a Bainbridge native who fought, not for the Union Army, but for the Confederacy.
Presenter Sharon Donahe will explain how Pearsall came to wear Confederate gray instead of Union blue, as she tells his story – from his early life in Central New York and his move west as a young man to his experiences during the war and into his later years.
According to Greene Historical Society President Nancy Bromley, the Bainbridge program is the second installment of a series being hosted by historical societies around Chenango County to commemorate the Civil War. The first was sponsored by the Oxford Historical Society on April 12. The date was chosen for its historic significance, as it marked 150 years to the day on which the Confederate Army attacked Ft. Sumter, triggering the start of the Civil War.
More than 50 people attended the Oxford event, which featured a number of re-enactors in Civil War era garb.
“It was a really neat program,” OHS President Fred Lanfear said.
Carolyn McMaster and Karri Beckwith read excerpts from a diary kept by Civil War Veteran Theodore G. Ingersoll, an Oxford native who served in the 10th New York Cavalry, Company K.
Bromley also contributed to the program by reading snippets from letters written by Henry Andrews of Coventryville. One hundred-thirty of the letters, which were written home to his wife Libbie while he was serving in the 114th Regiment of the New York Volunteers, were gifted to the Greene Historical Society last fall. It was their discovery which prompted the commemorative series.
“It’s like serendipity,” Bromley said. “We’re hoping the programs will lead to even more finds.
Following tomorrow night’s program in Bainbridge, the series will continue with events in Afton and Coventry.
The Afton program will take place on Armed Forces Day, May 21. The program will begin at the Greenwood Cemetery, where Town Historian Charles Decker will deliver an address honoring Civil War soldier Preston Peck, an Afton native who served alongside Andrews in the 114th’s Company E. The event will conclude with a presentation by William Searfoss and refreshments in the Afton Community Center’s Susquehanna Room.
The fourth installment of the series will be the Coventry Historical Society’s annual Civil War Commemorative Event. This year, the event will be held on Oct. 9 at the Coventryville Congregational Church. Bromley said she was pleased to learn they will be honoring Andrews.
“How fitting,” she said.
According to Bromley, she and her fellow historians continue to discuss other opportunities for commemorating the Civil War’s sesquicentennial between now and 2015.
“Several suggestions have been presented such as: educational programs for schools, traveling exhibits in the county and the possibility of a Grand Review and ball at the end of the fourth year in Norwich,” she reported.