This past Saturday, the 2nd CT Heavy Artillery re-enactment group partnered with the Litchfield Historical Society to commemorated the Litchfield County Regiment’s formation and encampment at Camp Dutton which was located on Camp Dutton Road in Litchfield, Connecticut.

The re-enactors were able to spend Friday night camping on the site of Camp Dutton and then marched into town, much as the Civil War soldiers did in 1863, to hear speeches from notable Litchfield citizens and receive their regimental flags.  In 1863, Julia Tallmadge Noyes (Mrs. William Curtis Noyes) ordered the regimental flags from Tiffany’s in New York City and presented the colors to the regiment from a band stand that was erected on the green for the occassion.  Thousands of onlookers cheered the troops on as they then proceeded to the train station in East Litchfield to begin their service to  the Union.

The above photo shows the presentation of the colors in August of 1863.

This weekend, the re-enactors commemorated this event with their own festivities.   The Historical Society estimated that over 300 people attended the event.  Adults and children alike, learned what Civil War soldiers ate, how they marched, and what it meant to enlist in the army.    The cooler temperatures did not dampen the spirits of those who attended this successful event.

The Historical Society would like to thank all of those who helped to make this event a success.