Have you ever wondered what it would be like to enlist as a soldier in the Union or Confederate Army? Visit with a soldier of the American Civil War and learn about military life. Students will get to view the personal effects that a soldier would carry with him during the war to include a knapsack, blanket, gum blanket or poncho, canteen, haversack, and personal clothing. The soldier will also share with students the different varieties of foods and drink the soldiers would have either been issued by the military or would have had to forage from the local farms they passed during their march. Hygiene and disease will be explained to the students and how unhealthy living conditions caused more deaths during the war than actual combat.
The program concludes with the soldier demonstrating the equipment of the cartridge box, cap pouch, bayonet and rifled musket that he would have carried and used in the time of battle. The soldier will conclude the program with an actual rifled musket firing!
Additional Notes: The program lasts approximately 20-30 minutes.
