Ocean County's Civil War Past: 94 Riflemen by Carriage to Trenton

The Civil War was a “calamitous event…a failure of political solutions,’’ those attending an event marking the start of Ocean County’s participation in the deadly conflict were told.

Citing the more than 600,000 Americans killed during the war, Ocean County Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. said it is “our solemn duty to the past,’’ to recall those sacrifices and the ones that continue to be made to protect the freedom of citizens.

When the 600,000 were killed, he said the population of the country was only 31 million people. It was equivalent of the current day loss of 6 million soldiers, he said.

"It would not be tolerated today,’’ he said.

 Bartlett cited the Ocean County Emblem, a weekly newspaper then published in Toms River, for the history of the mustering of the Ocean County Rifles, 94 volunteers, at the county courthouse in 1861, before they went by carriage to Trenton to join other New Jersey soldiers. Ocean County soldiers fought at the battle of Roanoke Island, Va., and helped block the Confederate advance on Washington at Frederick, Va.

“Let us rejoice in our freedom, bought at the continuing cost of tremendous sacrifice,’’ Bartlett told a gathering of veterans and onlookers in front of the courthouse on Washington Street earlier this week.

Tim Hart, the county’s historian, said Quakers and Baptists who settled Ocean County were “adamantly opposed to slavery,’’ so there was no issue about joining the Union army in the county.

"The cost of our freedom is high,’’ said Freeholder Gerry P. Little. VFW Post 6063 provided a rifle salute detail and a bugler to play “Taps,’’ to close the ceremony. Patriotic bunting will remain on the courthouse, replicating that displayed during the Civil War, for a month. Annual ceremonies will be held to mark the 150th anniversary of the war through 2015, Bartlett said.