Mario Edini, Special Writer
JAMESBURG There he stood, tall and lanky in his long dark coat, telling the audience about his early years as an Illinois lawyer and his years as president of the United States during the Civil War.
No, it wasn’t Abraham Lincoln come back to life, but Bob Costello, a well known Civil War re-enactor portraying the 16th president.
This visit from Lincoln, and other Civil War heroes, was held Feb. 16 at the Jamesburg Public Library. The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Jamesburg Public Library, a nonprofit group that supports the library through various fundraising activities.
Evalina Erbe, director of the Jamesburg Public Library, explained that the appearance was scheduled to allow adults in the community to see Mr. Costello’s re-enactment.
”Mr. Costello visited the Jamesburg JFK Elementary and Grace M. Breckwedel Middle Schools on Wednesday and we realized the children would be going home and talking about what they saw,” Ms. Erbe said. “Tonight’s re-enactment was held to give the children a chance to bring their family members along to see President Lincoln.”
The evening was opened by Carole Hetzell, president of the Friends of the Jamesburg Public Library, who talked about the organization’s efforts to support the library during these times of budget cutting.
She started the proceedings by introducing Colonel Jacob Sweitzer, one of the heroes of the Battle of Gettysburg, who gave a brief overview of his life and action during the war. The colonel was portrayed by local Jamesburg resident and Civil War re-enactor, Elliot Stroul.
Next up was General William Tecumseh Sherman, who was greatly instrumental in bringing an end to the Civil War with his capture of Atlanta and subsequent march of destruction through Georgia. General Sherman was ably portrayed by Civil War re-enactor Tony Rosati, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the great general.
The largest part of the evening was devoted to Bob Costello’s portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. In character, Mr. Costello went through some of the highlights of Lincoln’s life, mixing amusing anecdotes with interesting facts about the 16th president who saved the Union.
After his portrayal, Mr. Costello answered questions about Lincoln’s life from the audience of children and adults.
While Mr. Costello has been a Civil War re-enactor for 20 years, as a member of the 3rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Civil War Re-enactor Unit, he only started portraying President Lincoln about 11 years ago.
”Someone said years ago that I looked like Lincoln, so I worked on my hair and my beard and I gave it a go,” Mr. Costello said.
”In the beginning I thought I had a good knowledge of Lincoln. As the years have gone by I have acquired more knowledge. You never stop learning,” he added.
Mr. Costello has mainly performed his Lincoln reenactment at schools, various municipal organizations and round tables. While he usually performs in New Jersey, he has also taken his act to a number of other states including Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland.
When asked if one occasion stuck out in his mind, he immediately responded, “It was Feb. 17, 2009. I got to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.”
Anyone wishing to obtain information about Mr. Costello’s portrayal of Lincoln can visit his web site at nj-lincoln.com.
Anyone wishing to support the Jamesburg Public Library can contact the Friends of the Jamesburg Public Library at 732-521-0440.

