COCHECTON – Two brothers – Jim and George Anderson – lived on a farm in Fremont Center and wound up fighting on opposite sides during the Gettysburg War. Jim had moved to Virginia, where he became a lawyer and married into a wealthy family. 

When the war broke out, Jim went with the Confederate Army while George joined the Union Army, in the 143rd Regiment. Luckily they never fought against each other.

Nearly 40 people heard their story last Sunday afternoon at the 17th Annual Coffee, Tea and History at the Cochecton Preservation Society.

Jim and George Anderson were portrayed by Civil War Re-Enactors Jim Richardson and Dennis Bernitt, respectively, and another re-enactor, Joe Lansing, talked about what it was like to be a soldier in the 143rd. A question-and-answer session followed the one-hour presentation.