Springfield in the Civil War - Letter by a Lady of 1861

There is always one historical artifact that serves as the catalyst for an exhibit. In the case of the current Civil War display by the Springfield Art and Historical Society, it was a letter.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/springfield-civil-war-part-1-letter-lady-1861

Springfield in the Civil War Part 1: Letter by a Lady of 1861 Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 07/16/2013 - 3:16pm By GLORIA DUFIELD The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT - There is always one historical artifact that serves as the catalyst for an exhibit. In the case of the current Civil War display by the Springfield Art and Historical Society, it was a letter written by Lizzie Chase, a young teenager, to her father concerning a town meeting she attended in the spring of 1861 and the “war spirit in Springfield”. Lizzie’s letter provides details of the first community meeting in which volunteers were asked to enlist for the war. She tells her father that “wives, mothers and daughters” were invited to the meeting and that the “most influential men of Springfield” were in attendance. Below is an excerpt from her letter dated April 23, 1861. “Oh! If you could have heard Lawyer Veazey I would have given anything. I wish I could remember every word to write it. The last was, “We want a company of sixty-four from Springfield, I head that list. Sixty-three names are wanted.” He was cheered between each sentence of his speech . . . Fred Carin, who has been bound to go from the first, went around with the paper to sign, passed it around and talked to them and so did everyone that spoke encourage the volunteers and how many men, mostly young men, do you think signed? Fifty-five, and C.A. Forbush had a paper for those who could not go to contribute and how much think you was put down? Over twenty-three hundred dollars. Some paid one hundred, some fifty, twenty-five, ten and five. All said more if needed. I must tell you this is not the first of the volunteering, though it is the first meeting. . . . They fired the large cannon, played Yankee Doodle and cheered repeatedly. Mr. Albee presented them with a handsome flag which they carried.” The volunteers Lizzie mentions would join the 3rd Vermont Company A and Lawyer Veazey would earn a Medal of Honor for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg. The second part of this article will provide additional interesting facts and an overview of the Springfield Art and Historical Society’s “Returning Fire - The 150th Anniversary of Springfield, Vermont in the Civil War” exhibition. Admission to the Miller Art Center is $3.00 for the general pubic and free to members, veterans and students. Hours of operation are Thurday, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m.-3 p.m. For more information visit http://www.springfieldartandhistoricalsociety.org/