Part of Bayside Historical Society's Author Talk at the Castle Series

Cost: $10.00 for BHS members; $15.00 for non-members

The Bayside Historical Society welcomes back author, historian, and Long Island native Bill Bleyer for a presentation on his insightful book, Long Island and the Civil War, which explores how the American Civil War reshaped Long Island in surprising and profound ways. The program will conclude with a Q&A and book signing.

About the book:

Although no battles were fought on Long Island, the Civil War deeply affected all of its residents. More than 3,000 men — white and black — from current-day Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties answered the call to preserve the Union. While Confederate ships lurked within eight miles of Montauk Point, camps in Mineola and Willets Point trained regiments. Local women raised thousands of dollars for Union hospitals, and Long Island companies manufactured uniforms, drums and medicines for the army. At the same time, a little-remembered draft riot occurred in Jamaica in 1863. The book explores this fascinating story, from the 1860 presidential campaign that polarized the region to the wartime experiences of Long Islanders on the battlefield and at home.

About the author:

Bill Bleyer was a prizewinning staff writer for Newsday for 33 years specializing in history and maritime issues before retiring in 2014 to write books and freelance for the newspaper and magazines.

He has written seven books published by the History Press: “The Roosevelts in New York City” (2025); The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound (2023); George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide (2021); Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History (2019); Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island’s Welcoming Beacon (2017); Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt’s Summer White House (2016); and, with co-author Harrison Hunt, Long Island and the Civil War (2015).

He has been featured on C-Span and his work has been published in American Heritage, in Smithsonian magazine’s digital edition and in America’s Civil War, Naval History, Sea History, Lighthouse Digest, Civil War News and other publications.

The Hofstra University graduate has taught economics and journalism there and maritime history at Webb Institute, the naval architecture college in Glen Cove.

Purchase tickets below or call 718-352-1548.

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