Old Bethpage Village Opens 2011 Season with "School of the Soldier" Civil War Program on April 2 - 3

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announces that Old Bethpage Village Restoration will open its 2011 season the weekend of April 2 by commemorating the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War with a related event. On April 2 - 3 (Saturday and Sunday), Company “E” of the 14th Brooklyn Regiment, New York State Militia, will conduct its annual “School of the Soldier” program. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

As part of the program, the “soldiers” of the 14th Brooklyn, dressed in the uniforms of the time, will demonstrate the formations the regiment engaged in during training in 1861, including marching, facings and manual of arms. The officers will also lead the men in company drills each day and conclude with a skirmish drill on Sunday.

The 14th New York State Militia established a notable record for valor during the Civil War, but is also remembered for its unique variation of the French Chasseurs uniform, which the group adopted in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War. This distinctive uniform was used throughout the regiment’s three-year enlistment in the Civil War (May 1861 - May 1864).

The “Brooklyn Chasseurs,” as they were also known, served in such major campaigns as the First and Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness campaign, and Spotsylvania. After the First Bull Run, where the regiment suffered 142 casualties, Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson nicknamed them the “Red Legged Devils.”

“We’re very pleased to host this Civil War living history group during this commemorative year,” says Jim McKenna, OBVR site director and curator. “The event is terrific fun for kids and adults, but it also provides a great education about this critical era in our history.”

Old Bethpage Village provides visitors with the opportunity to step back in time and experience life in a recreated mid-19th-century American village set on more than 200 acres and boasting some 50 historic buildings. Hours are 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wednesday - Saturday and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Sunday. Entrance fees are $7 for children 5 - 12 (those under 5 are free), seniors and volunteer firefighters; and $10 for adults. OBVR is located on Round Swamp Road in Old Bethpage (exit 48 on the LIE); for more information, call 516-572-8400.