Blasts From The Past

For these history buffs, the Civil War never ends.

Fred Mossbrucker and his fellow reenactors pose next to the Gettysburg battlefield monument honoring the New Jersey regiment to which they are dedicated. From left: Martin Blaskey, Rick DePamphilis, Mossbrucker, Alex Arnold (kneeling), David Hann (in Sgt. stripes), Shawn Kenny, Constance Ang and Charlie Harlan.
Victorian Photography Studios in Gettysburg, PA.

Fred Mossbrucker likes to call it a “Civil War moment.” Every re-enactor has one at some point. It occurs on the battlefield—and only for a second or two—when the artillery fire is so loud and the gunpowder smoke so thick that he can neither see nor hear the soldiers standing beside him. In that instant of chaos, the artifice disappears and the reenactor is transported 150 years into the past—to an actual battle in the War Between the States.

“You suddenly get goose bumps and think, ‘Whoa, that was it. That was my Civil War moment. I was just there,’” says Mossbrucker, captain of the 7th Regiment New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, Company D, a Civil War reenactment unit based on an actual company that originated in Atlantic County. “When you’re doing a re-enactment, you’re not cognizant of your feet hurting or how hot it is. You’re there, fighting the battle, and it’s a rush.”

It’s also a way to connect with one’s roots. Mossbrucker is a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), a national organization with local departments in more than 25 states (suvcw.org). Formed in 1881, its goal is to preserve the memory and legacy of the Civil War and those who fought it. In addition to Mossbrucker’s Francine Camp #7 out of Hammonton, the Garden State has seven other SUVCW camps.

Mossbrucker’s Civil War lineage stems back to his great-great-grandfather James Lovegrove Marlin, who fought for the Union in the 2nd Delaware volunteer infantry. In 1995, after completing years of research that confirmed this lineage, Mossbrucker joined the SUVCW, eventually branching out to reenactments. (Since no Civil War battles were actually fought on Jersey soil, reenactors typically travel to other states for reenactments. Locally, they don their period uniforms for public drills, parades and other events.)

“I wanted to get a taste of what my great-great-grandfather went through,” says Mossbrucker. “But it’s only ever going to be a taste. You’re not shooting live ammo. You’re able to brush your teeth, have a shower and live in a tent. And you’re not watching your friends die. Regardless, when you’re out there on the battlefield, you feel it.”

This month marks 150 years since the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, and from April 15 to 17, all eight New Jersey SUVCW camps will gather at Fort Mott in Pennsville. Artillery batteries will fire from Fort Mott to Fort Delaware, a spectacle of 40 cannon batteries that Mossbrucker hopes will ignite a passion in others to keep alive the memory of the Civil War.

“We’re not just a bunch of old farts hobbling around playing soldier like we were kids,” says Mossbrucker. “If you’re at all interested in the Civil War, this is a lot of fun.”

Click here to read a story about how the Civil War impacted the Garden State.

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