CRANFORD — Cranford Historian Mark J. Luongo will present a program on the origins of the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment — also known as the Garibaldi Guard — and its participation in the Civil War on Wed., Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cranford Community Center. The Community Center is located at 220 Walnut Ave. Luongo will discuss the involvement of immigrants in the Civil War, the Garibaldi Guard’s uniforms and equipment, its renegade colonel, and its heroic major.
Luongo has a B.A. in history from Widener College, an M.A. in history from New York University, and an M.S. in education from Wagner College. He currently teaches advanced placement history at Port Richmond High School in Staten Island and is an Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. He has taught a grant-funded course on the Civil War entitled “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory.” Luongo is also a living history re-enactor of the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and Second World War, and an executive board member of the Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table.
Admission to the program is free and all are welcome. The program was arranged for by the Cranford Historical Society and Cranford Public Library. For questions about the program, call the Cranford library at 908-709-7272.