MILFORD _ Civil War-era soldiers from Milford will be remembered Saturday with a re-enactment camp and the opening of a historical exhibition.
``The Milford Boys'' will open at the Upper Susquehanna Cultural Center on North Main Street with a reception from 1 to 6 p.m. The Abner Doubleday Civil War Round Table and the Greater Milford Historical Association are sponsoring the exhibit and activities on weekends through Nov. 1.
The featured soldiers served in the 121st New York Volunteer Infantry between 1862 and 1865. Soldiers in the regiment were recruited, mostly in Otsego and Herkimer counties in July and August 1862, according to www.rootsweb.com. When mustered into service Aug. 23 that year, the regiment had 39 officers and 946 enlisted men, including 40 featured in the Milford exhibition.
``I'm very interested in documenting the Civil War soldier,'' Katherine Hawkins, round table newsletter editor.
She has prepared the 40 biographies that will be in the display, contacting descendants, collecting copies of pension records and visiting archives and libraries to present visitors with details about the soldiers' lives.
``I hope they'll recognize that the 40 men were individual human beings,'' Hawkins said.
As criteria for the exhibition, Hawkins said she chose soldiers who were born or who enlisted in Milford, except in two cases in which the men lived in Milford.
Of the 40, eight died in the war, Hawkins said _ four were killed in action, one died of wounds and three died of disease. Also, one was listed as missing in action and two were listed as having deserted.
On Wednesday, between five and 10 round-table and historical association members milled around tables and display areas, discussing where to hang pictures, showing framed original letters and mounting photographs. Display cases with artifacts were ready. A mannequin stood dressed in replica uniform near the doorway, ready to welcome visitors.
Bob Consigli, president of the Abner Doubleday Civil War Round Table, said the exhibition will focus on major battles faced by the 121st Regiment, either as fighting units or on reserve. The regiment had heavy casualties at Chancellorsville, Va., and served as reserves at Gettysburg, Pa., he said.
In the Civil War, when a regiment's numbers dwindled, other regiments were formed instead of recruiting replacements, Consigli said.
Round table members talked enthusiastically about facts surrounding the soldiers and their battles and cited the newest details.
``The more you get involved, the more interesting it gets,'' Consigli said.
The round table exhibition is supported by a $5,000 state grant through a member item designated by Sen. James Seward, R-Milford. Consigli said funding has gone toward printing expenses.
Some Milford Central School students will visit the exhibition in June, Consigli said, and other classes will be invited.
The exhibition will be open from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 1, Consigli said. Plans are to open on Memorial Day.
On Saturday afternoon, George Sluti, an Oneontan who will don the rank of first sergeant in the 76th Volunteer Infantry, Company K, from the Mohawk Valley, will set up a camp outside the museum, do drills with soldiers and conduct other re-enactments for visitors. The idea is to show ``what the life of a Civil War soldier was like,'' Sluti said.
Hawkins said she has ancestors who were involved in the Civil War. Studying that war reveals the ``worst examples of death and destruction,'' giving reasons why no wars should be fought, she said.
``If only we could learn from it,'' Hawkins said. ``To ignore history is dangerous.''
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