Woodbury, August 2009 Event Press Release

The New England Brigade

The New England Brigade also provides assistance to event organizers and sponsors to help them achieve their goal of hosting a high-quality event.

Our Mission:

To support the activities of Union Civil War re-enactors in New England by: Providing fully-functioning Union regimental and brigade headquarters units for events.

Supporting civilian impressions at events by hosting dedicated activities and civilian camp locations. Sponsoring re-enactments, living history events, and public educational programs. Holding educational programs, seminars, and classes for living historians of the American Civil War. Helping event sponsors organize and manage their events. Providing a place for the exchange of news and information about Civil War re-enacting in New England and the Eastern U.S.

For further info please Contact the New England Brigade at:

Telephone 508-378-2706
Postal address 467 Central Street, East Bridgewater, Massachusetts 02333-2023
Electronic mail General Information: info@newenglandbrigade.org
President: genburbank@yahoo.com
Military Commander: ltdan25th@yahoo.com
** Our Bretheren in grey are the Liberty Greys.

General Lee – portrayed by Kent Sinram:

Kent Sinram has been, since 1990, studying the history of the 1860s which, of course, includes the American Civil War. During the past 17 years he has reenacted, done living history, and presented school programs. He is convinced that this period of history is so special that more people need to know what happened. History must not die.

Starting in 2003, he has been portraying Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. General Lee was the consumate gentleman and the premier hero of the South. Lee was the son of a Revolutionary War hero, "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, and was married to Mary Custis, the great granddaughter, of George Washington. His home is the Lee-Custis Mansion, Arlington, VA which is surrounded by the Arlington Cemetery.It is said that Kent looks a little like General Lee.

Lt. Col. Walter H. Taylor Jr. – portrayed by Tom Bailey:

Tom Bailey retired from the public schools after thirty years service and took the field to present little known aspects of American History. A lecturer for Civil War Round Tables, Historical, and Genealogical societies, he decided to bring to the public the voices, experiences and history of southern men who can no longer speak for themselves. After much research he chose to speak through Lt. Col. Walter H. Taylor Jr., third son of Walter Herron Taylor Sr., concession merchant of Norfolk, Va., in the 1830s. The younger Taylor served Gen. Robert E. Lee as his chief of staff during the War Between the States.

Lt. Col. Taylor presents a unique, clear and precise explanation of the causes of the greatest tragedy ever to afflict the American people. That war was the great tipping point which has brought us to where we are now.

‘Mother’ Bickerdyke - A talk by Susan Kirsch

Mary Ann Bickerdyke was the plain spoken, colourful and most resourceful of the Civil War nurses. Appointed by her church to deliver hospital supplies to her hometown soldiers, Bickerdyke stayed on at the Cairo, IL camp, almost single-handedly organizing and cleaning the hospital. When a doctor complained to General Sherman that Bickerdyke was running rough-shod over military regulations, (and not showing proper deference to the doctors,) Sherman replied ‘She ranks me.’ Bickerdyke followed Sherman’s army through the war, acting to protect the supplies and food from theft and providing clean and fresh nutritious food for ‘her’ boys, while establishing hospitals and aiding the wounded of 19 battles including Shiloh and the March to the Sea. Asked by Sherman to ride at the head of the XV Corps at war’s end in the Grand Review, ‘Mother’ was found arranging sanitary facilities and lemonade for the hot and dusty soldiers.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Local historian of the Civil War period, Jane Sabatelli, will talk about the life and times of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). Mrs. Stowe was born in Litchfield in 1811 and died in Hartford in 1896. Ms. Sabatelli is an expert in the daily life of women in this period of history and will give a highly entertaining presentation, wearing period clothes and staged with vintage accessories.

(Image at far left of Mrs. Stowe is from Corbin-Bettman Archives.)

Jane Sabatelli, an active member of the Connecticut Civil War Round Table, has been involved in first person presentations of Women In History for over 6 years. She has portrayed such programs as The Many Moods of Mary Todd Lincoln, The Woman Educator of the 1860’s : Catharine Beecher, as well as The Inner Workings of Harriet Beecher Stowe which was created in 2002 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the publishing of the book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
She has done research on clothing styles and Victorian Mourning Customs of the 19th Century and was a period clothing guest at an author’s reception held at the New York University Library in Manhattan. She was featured in several Cedar Hill Cemetery Community Presentations held in Hartford during their 2003 lecture season. Her clothing demonstrations at the Litchfield Borough Days, held annually each September on the Litchfield Green, have become a popular attraction. Along with Becky Martin, director of the Litchfield Historical Society, she has appeared on the televised Cablevision program, Stepping Out, hosted by Susan Levine. Most recently, she appeared at the Stamford Historical Society during their Victorian Tea in presenting Layer by Layer: How Women Dressed in the 1860s.

Her universal appeal is evident from the wide variety of audiences that she has had the pleasure to appear before. These have ranged from elementary school groups, scouting groups, church social groups, historical societies, retirement groups as well as numerous civic organizations statewide. Throughout the year, she can also be spotted at many Civil War Encampments that are held in New York State and Connecticut. Stepping back in time into the civilian role of a wife and mother during those Civil War years, are frequent summer weekend occurrences. Mrs. Sabatelli has been a featured performer in East Hartford’s Center Cemetery Lantern Tour for the last two years. Her moving, candle-lit portrayal of Mrs. Lucy Clark Flint and that famous East Hartford family’s saga has become a highlight during those evenings.

In real life, she resides in Torrington with her husband, Otto and college aged daughter, Nancy. Her spare time is spent in researching, recreating and restoring vintage clothing as well as breeding Monarch Butterflies for area schools during the summer and fall. When she isn’t “time traveling”, she enjoys reading and being a fifth grade teacher specializing in the Differentiated Instruction of Language Arts and Social Studies. While employed by the Torrington Public Schools for nearly 30 years, she has drawn upon her wide educational background in order to present such entertaining programs that have kept requests for her coming back, year after year.

For the past Thirty Years, Marylou Pavlik has been a “Student of History”

Mary Ann Bronson’s personification came about after intensive research and study of Marylou’s own family history during the Civil War. Mary Ann Bronson is her great, great grandmother and namesake, whose husband, George Bronson, her great, great grandfather, served as a hospital steward with the 11th Conn. Vol. Using the actual letters mailed home to Mary Ann from George, Marylou has created a program which has been presented to elementary and middle schools, libraries, historical societies, genealogy groups, round tables, church groups, and reenactments. Dressed in period clothing, Mrs. Bronson will welcome us into her parlor to share with audiences what life is like for the northern home front, and through George’s letters convey the sentiment of the Union soldier.

As a continuously active member of the Connecticut Civil War round Table Marylou now holds the title of Co-chairperson. Along with other members, The Pavlik’s have helped to raise awareness of Civil War historic preservation. Such accomplishments to date include the raising of funds to restore the 2nd Connecticut Light Artillery cannon carriages at Gettysburg National Military Park, land preservation at Cedar Creek Battlefield, VA and donations to the states of Mississippi and Vermont for regimental battle flag restoration. Both Marylou and her husband Blair have been driving forces with the Gettysburg National Military Park “Adopt a Position” program which solicits History based groups to volunteer man power and time to help maintain “actual troop positions” on the Gettysburg Battlefield.

Marylou takes pleasure in spending her spare time participating in activities that focus on 18th and 19th century life and events. These time travels have taken Marylou and her husband Blair from the Revolutionary War 5th Company, and the 17th Connecticut Volunteer reenactment group to the Civil War, portraying Deacon and Mrs. Harriet North with the 2nd Connecticut Vol. Heavy Artillery and Mr. John Callahan’s Civilian group

Mr. Howard Wright as Abe Lincoln Howard Wright is a member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, an organization dedicated to the serious interpretation of Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Wright has been an independent school teacher in West Hartford, CT, since 1980. He plays a number of different roles, including dean of students, science department head, and middle school science teacher.

Mr. Wright has performed "Simply Lincoln" for elementary through high school students in area schools, the Veterans Home and Hospital in Rocky Hill, CT, historical societies, the Philipse Manor Hall in Yonkers, NY, and the Connecticut State Capitol Building.

Mr. Wright is 6' 3" (yielding an inch to Mr. Lincoln), and his appearance (stovepipe hat, real beard, authentic period attire, and Kentucky-style accent) creates a memorable impression on any audience.

Described as an “ordinary, scrubby-looking man with a slightly seedy look…he had no gait, no station, no manner,” 41-year-old Ulysses S. Grant arrived in Washington in March 1864 to assume command of all the Federal Armies. While unimposing in appearance and excessively humble in demeanor, Grant’s aggressive approach to war led to a series of military successes in the Western campaign and eventually the end of the Civil War.

This presentation briefly details a personal life history of Ulysses S. Grant up to 1864 and paints a picture of the man in the words of those who knew him best, his friends and contemporaries. For seventeen years, Sam Grant has dedicated his life to understanding and portraying the true identity of General Ulysses S. Grant, one of the greatest and yet misunderstood leaders this nation has ever known. After years of study and experience, his professional interpretation of the General’s physical stature and character have won him the intellectual admiration and heartfelt appreciation of the most serious students of Civil War history and novice spectators alike. In Sam’s own words, “If that’s what I look like, then that’s why I’m here, to teach people about the greatest average American that ever lived.”

Your visit this morning is entirely authentic to the character of the awkward and occasionally shy U.S. Grant and we hope that you will come to experience the true General Grant, up close and personal, as living history should be. Please feel free to engage him in further discussion.

This presentation is dedicated to the memory of Ulysses S. Grant, the soldiers and sailors who served at his side, the women who supported them and the preservation of the land upon which they fought.

Portrayed by Mr. William A.G. Mackey

Jefferson Davis 1808-1889 President of the Confederate States of America. We feel that our cause is just and holy; we protest solemnly in the face of mankind that we desire peace at any sacrifice save that of honour and independence; we ask no conquest, no aggrandizement, no concession of any kind from the States with which we were lately confederated; all we ask is to be let alone; that those who never held power over us shall not now attempt our subjugation by arms.

Providence Brigade Band

Town brass bands proliferated in the 1840's and 50's due to the prosperity of the period and availability of brass instruments with valves such as the "Saxhorns" of Adolph Sax. These types of brass instruments initiated a movement that at one point in last third of the nineteenth century resulted in an estimated 10,000 brass bands in America. The original Providence Brigade Band was chartered in 1847, and was made up of tradesmen and professional people who were musicians by avocation. Numbered among them were a music professor, a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a jeweler. Their activities were typical of hundreds of similar bands throughout the country. They performed in concerts and parades, dedicated monuments to fallen heroes and in general fostered civic pride throughout the region.

Today the band carries on that tradition performing in the style of early American brass bands. Band members dress in military uniforms of the period and play original music of the time. Programs with special emphasis on music of the American Civil War are presented, bringing to life this critical chapter of our country through its music. Facts, anecdotes, and the legends of the songs and composers are used to enhance the unique qualities of this musical genre and time period.

We are a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible non-profit organization. Our mission is to educate the public about American culture during the 19th century as reflected in its music. Our music programs, with or without historical commentary, are very informative and are appropriate for schools, libraries, PTAs and civic organizations. We can also bring for display a number of musical artifacts from the mid-19th century consisting of instruments, music and accessories. These include a variety of instruments, see our instruments page. A complete set of handwritten part books for brass band dating from 1864 and a partial set from 1858. Some of the other artifacts are cymbals, bass drum mallets, two Civil War Musician’s swords, numerous pieces of sheet music from the period and many other artifacts.

Since its resurgence, the Providence Brigade Band has quickly attained a distinguished reputation in the Southeastern New England area.