The Genoa Historical Association held its first Civil War presentation and round table discussion centered on the war and people from Genoa who fought in the war at the Rural Life Museum, located at 920 Route 34B, on Sunday.
Between the years of 1861-1864, 156 men from Genoa enlisted into the Civil War. Although there were no companies entirely from Genoa, local men joined more than 10 other companies, said presenter Vince Slaugh, a member of Genoa's Historical Association. The three most popular regiments were the 111th New York Infantry Regiment, the 75th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Auburn or the Cayuga County Regiment, and the 3rd New York Artillery.
Slaugh said one of the things that struck him were soldiers' letters written to family about preserving the Union. He said soldiers were writing letters that intelligently expressed that "preserving the Union means showing that it's possible for democracy to exist in the world. … You'll find soldiers writing about how the whole world is watching."
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