The headlines might have read, “Cape May, September 13, 1863 – Confederate Soldiers Rout Union Troops in Cold Springs Village.”
Cold Springs Village is an early American open-air living museum reconstructed on 22 shaded acres along Route 9. Located three miles north of Cape May City, it recreates life as it was in the early 1800s. This weekend, however, Cold Springs Village would be overrun by a Civil War battle reenactment. I arrived about 30 minutes before the “battle” was scheduled to begin. This gave me just enough time to quickly orient myself within the quaint village setting.
When not under siege, the more than 20 historic buildings are open for tours or demonstrations. These include a working blacksmith shop, broom and book binderies, printing and pottery shops, a railroad station, and much more. At each site, “villagers” demonstrate traditional skills or describe early 19th Century life. Today, however, the rows of white Union United States Volunteer tents in the northeast end of town were the main point interest. The town center was deserted and quiet. I could imagine that news of the impending battle would have traveled through the streets of the village and that residents would have taken refuge in their homes or fled town.
I took a position along a dirt road on the perimeter of the town giving me a good view of the center of the village, presumably, where “the action” would take place. A crowd of spectators began to gather. It would become an odd combination of a gut-wrenching life-and-death warfare observed from the sidelines by what could have been the gallery at a championship golf tournament. Still, except for the footfalls on the gravel paths and murmurs of curious spectators, the setting was eerily quiet.
Then, from my right, a company of Union soldiers marched up the road in front of us, turned down the street in the middle of the village, broke ranks and took up positions behind houses, fences, trees and anything that would shield them during the anticipated attack.
Within minutes, from my left, a less well uniformed company of Confederate soldiers, representing the Virginia Northern Army, began to make their way up the road from the opposite direction. Across the village and through the shrubbery, I could see the muzzles of rifles held high, moving between buildings, along fence rows, preparing to attack.
From somewhere on the far side of the village gunfire erupted. Blue gun smoke billowed as the gunfire became more intense. Answering fire seemed to come from everywhere. The Confederate soldiers advanced quickly, pushing into the Union troops’ positions.
Within minutes of the first engagement, the air was filled with the blue haze and odor of burnt gunpowder. Union commanders walked up and down behind the soldiers, looking for opportunities to mount a counter attack. At first it seemed the Union forces could hold their positions, but the Confederates were able to mount a fierce attack and drive the Union soldiers back. During the course of the battle, Union and Confederate soldiers charged, retreated, and charged again. Each charge accompanied by the musket reports, muzzle flash, and more gun smoke.
Soldiers fell on both sides, and the agony of the wounded was vividly demonstrated as several soldiers lay writhing in pain in the center of the village.
The battle continued. Soldiers stood line abreast, loaded their muskets, aimed and fired their weapons repeatedly. Each time a gun was fired, a bright flame of burning gunpowder flashed from the muzzled, followed by more blue smoke that often formed a smoke ring. Suddenly, from the Union side a loud cannon report startled the entire gallery.
The battle raged for more than hour. On this day in this battle, the Confederate troops seemed to capture the upper hand. The Confederate commander yelled out “cease fire,” and while most of the shooting stopped, no one lowered his weapon. Again, I could easily imagine the tension that must have existed as the two armed companies stood nearly toe-to-toe, gripped in mortal combat, and what it must have been like to face your enemy, separated by only a few paces, and hold fire.
The “cease fire” held and hostilities ended. The two companies then joined ranks and marched into the center of the town and into the Confederate encampment area, led by the Confederate flag bearer. Unlike any battle of 1863, however, on this day, at the end of the battle, the dead and wounded got up and rejoined the ranks of their fellow soldiers.
Following the reenactment, I talked with one Confederate soldier I had seen “shot” and lying near the road early in the battle. He explained, “For some reason, my gun jammed, and without a weapon I was useless. The best role for me was to be shot and wounded.”
Following the “cease fire,” I took the time to tour the encampment area. The re-enactors had traveled to Cold Spring Village and spent several nights camped in their military issue tents. From the exterior, these authentic shelters seemed to provide simplest forms of minimum shelter. But inside, each occupant had clearly made the effort to ensure comfort, with modern rugs, carpet, bed rolls, and furnishings more typical of modern camping.
Also, after the battle, the bustle of daily life returned to the village. The potter was busy turning out clay pitchers and bowls, and a crowd gathered around the J. Finley Blacksmith Shop to watch and listen as the blacksmith shaped red-hot iron with a heavy hammer.
The buildings in Cold Springs Village are restorations or replicas. Most include, as part of their structures, materials and parts that date back to the early 1800s. In some cases, whole buildings, or parts of buildings were moved to the village.
Of particular interest is the restoration of the Dennisville Inn. Built in the late 1700s, it served as the center for town meetings, social gatherings, and as a rest stop for the two-day stage coach trip from Philadelphia to Cape May. The upper and lower floors were separated and moved to Cold Spring Village, reassembled, and restored to position of prominence in the village.
The Village Country Store is also made up of two old homes that were moved to the village and fused together. The building has been somewhat remodeled by adding wide, inviting wrap-around porch to recreate the appearance of a mid-19th century country store.
In addition to the restored buildings, several vendors had booths set up around the edge of the village. Someone in a small group shopping in one booth mentioned being disappointed in not hearing the traditional, and nerve rattling Rebel Yell. A petite, gray-haired lady in 19th Century fashion dress pointed out that everyone in the reenactment was from New Jersey and “They just don’t know how to do the Rebel Yell. But I do,” she added. Then, to the delight of the small gathering in the area, she then delivered a very credible Rebel Yell.
The Route 9 entrance to Cold Spring Village is also the location of the Rio Grande Railroad Station for the Cape May Seashore Line railroad. Moved from its original location about three miles away, the station building is the most recent addition to Cold Springs Village. At the opposite end of the village is the Old Grange Restaurant. It features daily variety of "homemade" entrees and special dinners several nights a week.
Just for the record, no actual Civil War battle was ever fought at Cold Springs Village, and, for that matter, no Civil War battle was ever fought within the state of New Jersey. The state, did, however recruit and provide more than 88,000 soldiers to the Union army over the course of the war.
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