Several members of the Grays and Blues of Montreal as they began setting up camp as part of the Civil War Reenactment at the Lost Villages Museum on Sat., Aug. 24. Tinkess Photo
LONG SAULT – If you asked most Canadians to list wars in which Canadians have played a role, you would probably end up with a list that included the First and Second World Wars, The Korean Conflict, the Boer War, and more recently, Afghanistan and the Gulf War. There is, however, another war in which Canadians played an important role, and that is the American Civil War, or The War Between the States, as it is often referred to.
A little bit of history was on display at the Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault on Sat., Aug. 24, thanks to the Lost Villages Historical Society and members of the Grays and Blues of Montreal (GBM’s) who gathered to present a bit of living history in a day devoted to Civil War reenactment.
The Grays and Blues of Montreal are a non-profit “living history” association. The group strives to preserve the memory of more than 40,000 Canadian (British North America) citizens who volunteered to serve in the army or navy. They are dedicated to the exploration and recreation of the daily life of soldiers and civilians from that period. One of the activities they conducted while at the Lost Villages was to practice/demonstrate weapons handling as well as military drill that would have been common at the time.
Wearing period uniforms, members of the group began setting up a camp shortly after 9:00 a.m. and presented drills and musket exercises throughout the day. A memorial service was held at 11:30 a.m. in front of a monument, which was erected in 2017 to recognize the 40,000 Canadians who fought in the Civil War, which took place between Apr. 12, 1861, and Apr. 9, 1865. Of the 40,000 Canadians who were involved, the majority, as much as 90 per cent fought on the federal (Union blue) side and with the balance on the Confederate (grey) side.
This is the seventh annual event, which is promoted as remembering the Canadians who fought rather than the ideology of the two opposing armies.
Terry Tinkess is a professional photographer, educator and journalist. He has been making a living with a camera and keyboard since 1999 and has been featured in such publications as The Ottawa Citizen, Cornwall Standard Freeholder, The Globe and Mail, The Miami Herald, Ottawa Construction News, The Ontario Construction Report, Ontario Home Builder Magazine, Reed Construction Data, Canadian Potato Business and most recently, The Record and Eastern Ontario AgriNews. Terry lives in Ingleside, Ontario with his wife Brenda, Mia the anxious Pittie and cats Wally and Chubbers.
