President Lincoln Looks for Recruits in Bethlehem

On April 15, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers to serve the Union Army for nine months.

By 1862, nearly 1,000 men from Northampton County volunteered and formed the 153rd Pennsylvania Regiment. In honor of those men and women, the Historic Bethlehem Parternship has staged a two day event to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.

The event is a living exhibit, with men and women portraying real people who lived during the war between the states. Vistors can talk to officers, soldiers, a medic, the quatermaster and the women who supported the troops.

The event began this morning with an address by President Lincoln, who called on volunteers to sign up. They were told the war would last about 90 days.

It went on for four years.

The living exhibit continues Sunday, April 16.