Steve Wakefield, a Living Historian
A Vermont Civil War Hemlock explains why he takes part
By Sharon Lakey
At the 125th anniversary of the surrender of Lee’s army at Appomattox, Steve Wakefield, living historian, had one of those crystalline moments. “I was with the 5th of New Hampshire at the head of the column. When I turned around, I saw 3,000 federal troops standing behind me, all perfectly aligned. “The moment didn’t last long, maybe three seconds, but in those few seconds, I was there.” To be transported through time—those are the seconds a living historian cherishes.
In 1963, Andy Fisher, a history teacher in Concord, VT, attended the 100th observance of the Battle of Gettysburg, a reenactment of the battle that turned the tide in the Civil War. The event was so inspiring to him, he returned home to create the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks, a non-profit group whose goal is education. Three years later, 16-year-old Steve Wakefield went to one of the group’s meetings and joined. He was uniformed and equipped in 1971 and took part in his first reenactment that year.
“I don’t like the term reenactment,” said Wakefield. “I am a living historian.” He goes on to explain that to reenact implies an individual is acting. “We don’t act; during an event, we actually live the experience 24-hours a day. At night, we don’t retire to the tent with a beer cooler.” And anyone who has witnessed the Hemlocks in action, perhaps in something as simple as a parade, recognizes immediately that they are living in the moment, and it is not taken lightly.
Preparation for War and Watchful Waiting
Going to see the Elephant, Part 2
By Paul Chouinard, President of the Danville Historical Society
From the outset, both as it assumed status as an independent republic in 1777 and as it entered statehood in1791, Vermont outlawed slavery. Vermont set an example through its progressive position of treating blacks as equals long before the Civil War. There were some instances of Slave-holding in the state, but these were few.
Alexander Twilight, born in 1795 in Corinth was the first black man in America to earn a college degree. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1823. He went on to become a prominent educator in Brownington, VT and to be elected to the VT legislature in 1836.