Exhibit Reveals New Details About Moorestown's Part in Civil War

The Moorestown Historical Society opens its brand-new Civil War exhibit Sunday, and the detailed display contains several interesting nuggets of information uncovered by researchers.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn if you visit:

This is the first time the Historical Society has put up an exhibit exclusively about the Civil War. The Historical Society displayed a “Moorestonians in Time of War” exhibit several years ago, which covered several conflicts—primarily World War II—and was later developed into a short documentary. But with this year being the 150th anniversary of the midway point of the “War Between the States,” Historical Society members decided it was time to devote an entire exhibit to it. “Our goal is to be relevant,” said Moorestown Historical Society trustee Lenny Wagner. “We felt we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t do something on the Civil War.”

Three soldiers from Moorestown died during the Civil War. Local historians previously believed that Moorestown hadn’t suffered any combat casualties during the war, but uncovered evidence to the contrary while doing their research, Wagner said. Three men from Moorestown—Adam Roberts, Joseph Augustus Kimble and George Washington Hugg—died while serving. “Adam Roberts was interesting, because the body they shipped home wasn’t his,” Wagner noted, “which apparently happened pretty regularly in the Civil War.” Wagner said the American Legion will have their names added to the list of veterans whose names are read during the township’s annual Memorial Day ceremony.

Moorestown soldiers were battle-hardened veterans by the end of the war. Most Moorestown men who enlisted fought with Company E, of the 4th Regiment, 1st New Jersey infantry. According to Wagner, Company E was part of 32 battles—including Gettysburg and Antietam—and was “always in the middle of the fighting.” At one point, they were captured and sent to Belle Island prison camp, where they were kept as prisoners of war for about six weeks, until they were freed as part of a prisoner exchange, he said. “And they went right back into battle.”

A home in Moorestown was a stopover on the Underground Railroad. A section of the exhibit will be devoted to the Underground Railroad and the small part Moorestown played in it. A letter written by a Quaker woman (not a Moorestonian) expressing her opposition to slavery will also be on display. Wagner noted that Quakers—known for their pacifism—were among the Moorestown men who fought in the war. “The Quakers were so anti-slavery, that it was very difficult for them to stay out of the fight,” he said.