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Community Corner

Rich Civil War History of Long Island Recalled

Local historian gives lecture on our area during the war between the North and South.

Long Island, and Massapequa in particular, is an area steeped in history. However, one aspect most locals seem unaware of is Long Island’s involvement in the Civil War. Of course, this is understandable, given how far removed our area was from all the action.

However, in his informative lecture held recently at the Massapequa Bar Harbor library, local historian Harrison Hunt helped open a few eyes to the important role Long Island played in the epic war between the Union armies of the North and the Confederate armies of the South.

Hunt is a retired Curator of History for the Nassau County Parks Department and Supervisor of Historic Sites. He also holds in degrees in History and Museum Studies, and has long enjoyed spinning yarns about the Civil War to interested ears.

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“I’ve been doing this as a passion my entire life,” he said. “It’s just such a watershed event in American History...it’s also something that people respond to, but in terms of Long Island, it was a story that was untold.”

Hunt’s presentation consisted of a lecture, a slide show comprised of many Civil War-era pictures of many prominent Long Island locations, and a Q&A session at the end.

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While Long Island never saw actual combat during the Civil War, it did serve as an important training and staging ground for the Union army’s troops. It was also home to one of the Civil War’s first African-American regiments, who went on to serve proudly on the front lines. Many Long Island wives also did their part, enlisting to serve as nurses.

Hunt said that he finds his audience most receptive when the stories hit them personally.

“Usually, when I can tie it into their home town is when they’re the most interested,” he said. “Many people just don’t think about it, or have knowledge of what their local community did. The other thing is the images...people just respond very well to seeing it all in action. There are real people...this is someone that lived and breathed and was from their home town.”

Hunt found researching for his lecture wasn’t easy due to the scarcity of local historical documents on the era. Hunt ended up finding most of his data in the form of old newspapers that had been converted to microfilm.

“It took time, but it wasn’t difficult because I enjoyed myself,” he said. “It was something that I did over a period of years, and I still add material when I find it.”

Monica Randal of Oyster Bay was one of the many audience members who walked away with a fresh perspective on the war.

“I think this program should be shown all over Long Island,” she said. “I’m a historian, and I knew nothing about our connection to the Civil War. I think it’s great...Mr. Hunt should be booked every single day.”

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