Civil War Encampment portrays daily lives of soldiers

BRICK TOWNSHIP — The Brick Township Historical Society welcomed the 61st New York Volunteer Regiment on Aug. 10 and 11 for its annual Civil War Encampment, portraying what life was like for soldiers during battle.

For the past 20 years, regiment reenactors have been visiting the Havens Homestead Museum, at 521 Herbertsville Road, each summer to share a wealth of information with guests about the significance of Brick Township and the homestead property during the Civil War, while also spending two days living just as the soldiers once did.

“The same men come every year. It’s very nice to see the same ones. They welcome us and we welcome them,” said Brick Township Historical Society Press Secretary Jane Fabach.

Jim Heine, president of the Brick Township Historical Society, and president and first sergeant of the 61st Regiment, said the purpose of the annual encampment is to give people an understanding of the soldiers’ lives during the war, from primitive sleeping conditions and cooking techniques to artillery strategies.

The morning began with a weapon drill and firing demonstration, to portray the visual and auditory conditions during combat.

Heine said, “We only have about 10 guys here today, but it’s loud and smoky, so when you extrapolate that out to tens of thousands of weapons and men, you can get an idea of what a battlefield might of been like.”

The property of the Havens Homestead Museum carries strong historical significance in regard to the Civil War, with the original home dating to 1826.

Approximately 70 men from Brick Township volunteered to serve during the war, which Heine said was a good response to President Abraham Lincoln’s request considering at the time a population of only 1,800 people resided in the area, which also encompassed all of present day Lakewood, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, Bay Head and Mantoloking.

“Two dozen of those men fought in the 14th New Jersey (regiment), and one of those men was a Havens, Henry Clay Havens,” said Heine. “Henry volunteered when he was 18 years old, he eventually earned first sergeant stripes. He was killed when he was only 20 years old at the Battle of Monocacy.”

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