By David Kilby, Staff Writer
CRANBURY — The township is now home to quite possibly the oldest and newest Civil War monuments in New Jersey, following the installment of the new monument in Memorial Park last Wednesday, marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
Dedication of the new monument will be Saturday, June 11, at 11 a.m. The old monument has been in Brainerd Cemetery since 1866.
In celebration of the dedication for the new monument, the Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company will sell hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages. Beck’s Band will play music from the Civil War era.
The Cranbury Historic and Preservation Society will host a walking historic tour of Cranbury, and Civil War re-enactors will set up a Civil War-style encampment near the monument and camp overnight there.
”We’ve been having meetings for about a year planning this dedication,” said Audrey Smith, president of the society.
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the society also has set up an exhibit in the Cranbury Museum.
The exhibit, which has objects, photos and documents from the Civil War, will be open until July.
”That will add a little something more to do on the day of dedication,” Ms. Smith said.
There is no cost to the township for the monument since the New Jersey Civil War History Association gave it as a donation.
Members of the association raised funds for the monument through Civil War re-enactments.
Boy Scout Andrew Zysk, of Cranbury, will be building a path from the sidewalk up to the monument for his Eagle Scout project, and landscaping around the monument will be done by the Rocky Brook Garden Club and organized by Norma Swale, a member of the club.
Ms. Smith said the re-enacters and the New Jersey Civil War History Association have given their time and services for this project.
”They come from all over when they attend these meetings, and they’re very well-attended,” she said, speaking of the planning meetings for the dedication.
”We’re very thankful to the New Jersey Civil War History Association,” Ms. Smith said. “I think it’s a very special gift Cranbury has been given. I think the people of Cranbury will enjoy it for years to come as a way to appreciate those who gave their lives in the Civil War.”
Another Civil War Monument, the Cranbury Soldier Monument in Brainerd Cemetery, lists the names of 66 fallen Civil War soldiers from New Jersey.
The Cranbury Soldier’s Monument was proposed by the Rev. Joseph Gaston Symmes, of the Cranbury Presbyterian Church, in June 1865 and completed with community support by July 1866.
Jerry Pevahouse, a member of the planning committee for the new monument, offered a history of the old monument.
He said many notable speakers gave speeches at the dedication of the monument on August 1, 1866, such as New Jersey Gov. Marcus Ward, Col. Myron Beaumont of the First New Jersey Cavalry and John Foster, a popular orator and journalist of the time.
The monument is one of the earliest monuments to fallen Civil War soldiers in New Jersey, Mr. Pevahouse said.
By March 1866, approximately $2,000 had been raised, and the monument was completed by July 4. Carved by the Frederick Lupton Company, of Middletown Point, New Jersey, the final cost of the monument came to $300 to $500 more than the amount raised.
Originally, the dedication was planned as a simple local gathering but due to the cost overrun, a festival was planned as part of the dedication to raise additional money.
The names of 66 men from 18 Civil War regiments were carved on the monument, and the names of 23 fallen soldiers from the 14th New Jersey Volunteers Company were carved on the front because they were recruited in Cranbury, and the others are on the other three sides.
Roger Muessig, president of the New Jersey Civil War History Association, explained why Cranbury was chosen to receive the new monument.
He said the association sought out a regiment in New Jersey that was significantly involved in the Civil War.
”We singled out the 14th regiment because of the major battles it fought, and it was raised up in a central Jersey town,” he said, adding the association has members from all over New Jersey and from Pennsylvania and New York.
Mr. Muessig said the 14th Regiment was “one of the distinctive regiments from New Jersey” because it was all-volunteer and fought in most of the major battles.
”It was an easy selection to make,” he said. “You don’t have to use your imagination to see what the town (of Cranbury) looked like during the Civil War.”
He added, “We wanted to make a lasting contribution to their (Cranbury’s) Civil War past.”
He said the new monument is made of granite and will last for the millennium while the old monument is made of marble and deteriorating.
Mr. Pevahouse offered a history of Cranbury’s involvement in the Civil War.
”Hundreds of young men from Cranbury and surrounding rural communities volunteered and fought in the Civil War,” he said. “These men served in more than a dozen New Jersey volunteer regiments.”
He said those regiments included the Company H 14th Regiment New Jersey Volunteers and Company B 28th Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, who were recruited in Cranbury in August 1862.
Mr. Pevahouse went on to explain the involvement of these regiments and other Cranbury residents of the time.
The 14th Regiment fought at battles such as Cold Harbor, Wilderness, Mine Run, Winchester, Petersburg and others. The 28th Regiment fought at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December 1862.
Local citizens, such as the Rev. Symmes, an abolitionist, made significant contributions by organizing many kinds of relief for the soldiers and their families.
Teacher and nurse Clara Barton visited the area and helped organize groups such as the Cranbury Soldiers Aid Society as well as similar societies in nearby communities. Ms. Barton also is known for establishing the first free public school in Bordentown and for being one of the first female federal employees.

