Map-making to be focus of talk Aug. 22 BRAVO (Battlefield Restoration and Archaeological Volunteer Organization) will feature re-enactors from the 3rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry to speak at its monthly membership meeting Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Old Scots Hall on the grounds of the Old Tennent Presbyterian Church, Tennent Road, Manalapan. The re-enactors will provide a talk on Confederate and Union map-making during the Civil War and the role of the Corps of Topographical Engineers. Though federal authorities were unprepared to fight a war, they had the advantage over the Confederates of building upon an existing organizational structure. The armies relied on mapping units such as the Corps of Topographical Engineers and supported its efforts fully. Civil War era field surveying and mapping along with survey and drafting equipment will be a part of the BRAVO presentation. The re-enactors plan to refer to a small collection of equipment - some repro and some antique - during the discussion. It will include a field survey plane table, alidade (surveyor's instrument), surveyor's level, surveyor's chain, compasses and drafting equipment. BRAVO, a nonprofit volunteer group, primarily assists the state in restoring state-owned and state-operated historic military sites through archaeological surveys, primary source research, cleaning, cataloguing and analyzing artifacts; computer data analysis; survey and excavation, artifact analysis, and report preparation. Currently, BRAVO is conducting several archaeological surveys at Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Valley Forge, Princeton Battlefield State Park and West Point, N.Y., among other sites. For further information visit http://bravo_nj.tripod.com. BRAVO meets at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Old Scots Hall, Old Tennent Presbyterian Church, Tennent Road, Manalapan. For further information about BRAVO and its regular speakers, e-mail bravo_digs@att.net or call Dan Sivilich at (732) 780-1091 (evenings).