Valley Road students get first-hand look at Civil War life

Stanhope - A re-enactment of Civil War life was conducted recently at Valley Road School in Stanhope as Joseph Bobiak’s social studies class looked on. Charlie Zweigle, a Stanhope police officer, represented the 33rd Battalion of New Jersey, who fought under Colonel Sherman. Larry Shaver, a Hopatcong police officer, represented the 12th Alabama of the 8th Battalion Army of North Virginia, who fought under Robert E. Lee. Both officers’ love of history originally brought them to participate in re-enactments. Over time they have been able to meet others with similar interests and they have gained a wealth of knowledge about life in that era. The re-enactment demonstrated to the students the tactics used during the Civil War and the ideology during that time. The students saw that both sides came from common backgrounds, and had similar beliefs and religions. The officers explained the importance of colors; the differences between the Union and the Confederacy. The weapons they showed to the students were authentic pieces of that time period. After a question-and-answer period, students were able to examine the artifacts and materials used during the re-enactment.