Please join the Historical Society of Easton and Easton’s Parks and Recreation Department, co-sponsors, for two days of living history Saturday September 19th and Sunday September 20th when more than 125 re-enactors from the 5th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment encamps on the fields of Samuel Staples Elementary School. The two day event will be an unforgettable experience for you and your family. Come see, smell, hear, and touch history in a truly unique way.
On July 18, 1782, Lt. Ebenezer Morehouse was taken prisoner by a British raiding party of approximately 60 men who landed at Compo Beach, Westport from their schooner. The raiding party was bent on plundering and destruction. Also captured were Benjamin Allen, William Allen, Abraham Elwood, Thomas Phillips and Nathaniel Johnson. Morehouse so irritated his captors that the British marched to his farm and burned it.
Members of the 5th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment portraying Patriot and British Military Regiments will set up camp, perform drills, skirmish and recreate the burning of Morehouse Farm. Children can drill with the regimental soldiers and watch as they fire their weapons. Besides military drills and a cavalry demonstration, attendees may be amazed at a surgical demonstration highlighting the treatments and remedies available to the army surgeon on the colonial battlefields. See exhibits of uniforms, clothing and fashions of the day. Spend the early evening taking a candlelit tour of the camp site and watching a cannon pyrotechnic demonstration. Through interaction with the reenactors, learn about life at camp and on the home front from soldiers, surgeons, cooks, spies, and other colonial re-enactors. A complete schedule of events can be found at historicalsocietyofeastonct.org.
The 5th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment is made up of local individuals who enjoy learning and teaching about early American history. Members include men, women, and children from the surrounding areas who are dedicated to the creation of a living history experience for their community. By including women and children in the regiment, a broader representation of colonial life beyond the military is brought to each event.
This Regiment was created in 1974 and is based on the original 5th Connecticut regiment which served during the Revolutionary War. The original 5th Connecticut was mustered in May 1775 as one of the six regiments formed by Connecticut in response to the events at Lexington and Concord, MA. It was made up of officers and men from Fairfield County. Easton (which was then part of Fairfield) would have sent soldiers to this regiment. Due to illness and casualties, the regiment only lasted one year. It was re-formed in early 1777 under the direction of Colonel Philip Burr Bradley. As the regiment was being mustered, the British launched the raid on Danbury and Colonel Bradley responded with roughly 50 untrained troops. The 5th Connecticut played a vital role in the defense of Ridgefield and two of its soldiers, Private Bradley Dean and Sergeant Clement Lloyd, were killed. The connection to local history makes this event a truly spectacular opportunity for the Historical Society of Easton.
To learn more about the 5th Connecticut, please visit their website: www.5cr.org. For more information please contact the Historical Society of Easton at 203-292-3533, by email: hseastonct@gmail.com or visit our website: www.historicalsocietyofeastonct.org.