LEEDS — Approximately 70 people braved frigid temperatures to attend the Leeds Historical Society’s Civil War Program presented by Marilyn Burgess of Leeds recently at the Leeds Community Church.

As people gathered, local musicians The Slab City Boys played Civil War music. LHS president Laura Juraska opened the program, welcoming the audience and dedicating the program to Ian Ormon, longtime LHS member who had been instrumental in organizing the program and who died in late November.

Burgess shared her comprehensive knowledge of the Civil War and the lives of the Leeds men who fought in it. She told stories about Leeds soldiers, tales of men crossing the battlefield to retrieve the bodies of their fallen neighbors, giving descriptions of painful wounds, the hardship of war and homesickness.

Burgess also touched on reasons men volunteered to fight in the war and the effect their absence had on the families they left behind. Interspersed with Burgess’ account were excerpts of letters, diaries and newspaper articles read by Tanya Hanson.

The presentation ended with Eileen Coyne singing “The Vacant Chair” written by George Root in 1861 and The Slab City Boys playing the “Ashokan Farewell” while one of their group recited the Gettysburg address. 

Following the program, the audience enjoyed refreshments while looking at displays featuring items from the Leeds Historical Society’s collection, including a letter written in 1863 by Leeds native Thomas Lindsey to his uncle Abial Bishop from an encampment at Great Falls on the Potomac River near Washington.

Lindsay’s letter described the people and the farming, comparing them to his home in Leeds, and described the death and hardships experienced by soldiers in Maine’s 23rd regiment.

Also on display were three diaries written by Leeds residents, including one from Willard Fish, an 18-year-old private, which was written in 1865. Fish recorded not only the tedium of daily service but also described his visit to the Smithsonian Institute and the Capitol.

Another diary on display was written by John Y. Merrill, who stayed home in Leeds but was acutely aware of the events of the War, recording such events as such as John Brown’s hanging, the attack on Fort Sumter, the wounding of native sons, Oliver Otis and Charles Howard, and the heartbreaking assassination of President Lincoln.

The Monmouth Museum graciously loaned a sword owned by Leeds resident Alonzo Proctor Russell who was a member of the First Maine Cavalry during the Civil War.

People wishing to learn more about Leeds in the Civil War are encouraged to contact Marilyn Burgess by email at stocker7@fairpoint.net.

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