The State of Vermont officially launched its four-year observance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial this spring with a reënactment of the special session of the legislature, called by Gov. Erastus Fairbanks in April, 1861 in response to Abraham Lincoln’s request for troops and funds at the onset of the Civil War.

Vermont, as is commonly known, gave in "full measure," as its husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers—many still in their teens—stepped forward to volunteer.

Many never came back home. The Civil War, America's bloodiest conflict, cost nearly 1,100,000 casualties and claimed more than 620,000 lives.

Brookfield’s Historical Society has wasted no time picking up on sesquicentennial observances, mounting this summer a special exhibit featuring some of the 173 Brookfield men who went off to war.

The exhibit was curated by Elinor Gray, historian of the Brookfield Historical Society and hangs at the society’s Marvin Newton House on Ridge Road. The exhibit is open 2-4 p.m on Sundays, through September 4.

After combing through the society’s archives of photographs, letters, maps, and certificates, Gray selected a dozen or so soldiers to profile. For each soldier, or family of soldiers, she created a framed composite with letters and photographs to accompany overview information of each.

Among those featured is Edwin C. Hall, an ancestor of Azel Hall Jr. of Randolph.

"Edwin was only 17 years old when he attended the ‘War Meeting’ on September 11, 1862 at the Brookfield church and joined Company C, of the 15^th Vermont Regiment," Gray noted.

Hall documented his war experience extensively, writing home frequently during the war, and in his later years writing several manuscripts. Gray noted that he fought in numerous battles, and was several times wounded. He was captured during the 1865 Petersburg campaign, but managed to escape in the confusion of the battle.

Also on display is a copy of a map that Hall created, showing the routes of marches and where various battle were fought.

"From this, he figured his regiment marched 2067 miles, were transported by boat 1400 miles, and by rail 1090 miles, not including detours nor countermarches," Gray said.

Other soldiers profiled in the exhibit include Cassius Peck, Zovla Chase, Erie Ditty, and brothers Ira and Marshall Carpenter.

As she prepared the exhibit, Gray immersed herself into the lives of these Brookfield men and their families. Of all the soldiers she studied, one, Egbert Allis, "got my heart," Gray admitted during a recent visit at the Marvin Newton House.

Allis, of the same family whose name graces the state park in Brookfield, enlisted early in 1862, less than one year after graduating from UVM medical school.

An assistant surgeon in the U.S. Navy, Allis died in August, 1863, when the USS Bainbridge went down in a hurricane off Cape Hatteras. The entire crew of 100, including Allis’s 17-year-old nephew, S. Horace Smith, perished.

The Brookfield exhibit includes Allis’s surgical tools, as well as a framed composite of photographs and letters.

Gray recommends that those interested in Civil War history check out the state-wide website, vermontcivilwar.org. This virtual museum includes, among its big collection of documents and data, a town-by-town listing of soldiers who served.

This Sunday, August 14, will be a great time to visit the Marvin Newton House and view the exhibit, as there will be an ice cream social during the 2-4 p.m. hours.

‘War Meeting’

Looking ahead, the Brookfield Historical Society will continue its Civil War focus at its annual meeting on October 16.

The meeting will feature a reenactment of the September 11, 1862 "War Meeting" at the Brookfield Church.

The church was packed, Gray said, and after a rousing speech by Lt. Gov. Burnham Martin of Chelsea, 27 Brookfield men enlisted.

Gray said she has already begun the hunt for 27 young men to play the roles of the enlistees.

Brookfield’s Ira Carpenter, when interviewed at age 90, recalled the day. The lieutenant governor, he said, "made a stirring speech, painting such pictures of the country’s need of men, as would move a heart of stone."

Gray noted that the historical society is also co-sponsoring the appearance of author Neil Goodwin on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 7 p.m. at the Brookfield Town Hall. (See article on this page.)