Students learn about Civil War during reenactment
PRESCOTT – Students in the Prescott School District got an up-close and personal view of history Friday morning.
Friday was school day for the reenactment of the Battle of Prairie D’Ane. The students visited various locations on the battlefield and learned how soldiers lived, how they drilled, the loading and firing of muskets and the origin of several songs. They were told how soldiers in the Confederacy often had to use “goober peas” to supplement their diet, or as their diet in some instances, and found out “goober peas” are peanuts.
Using the “one-two” method, students were taught the fundamentals of military drilling and marching during Civil War times. Students were numbered either one or two, with those designated as “twos” being required to step to the side and forward, alongside the “ones”. Next, they were taught to march, though that didn’t go well as the students had difficulty staying in step.
Dennis Pruitt, a history teacher at Prescott, told the students about Civil War medicine, and, often, the lack thereof. He pointed out there were no painkillers and the wounded had to either bite down on a stick or simply be held down while the medic worked to remove musket balls from their bodies. The students were informed a .50 caliber musket ball was a large piece of molded lead that would shatter bones.
Possibly the highlight of the day for the students was the firing of the 12-pound Napoleon cannons. The students, who arrived in two buses, were informed the cannon got their name because they were designed for the Napoleonic Wars and used by Emperor Napoleon’s troops. The soldiers gave detailed information about how the cannon were to be loaded, the different types of shot used, either cannonballs that exploded into shrapnel on impact, or grapeshot that acted like buckshot once fired.
Prior to the demonstration, the students were told to cover their ears as the cannon was loud when fired. They weren’t misinformed. When the cannon went off, flames shot out the barrel roughly 10-feet.
Due to the weather, few reenactors showed up which led to the cancellation of the afternoon’s skirmish. However, the skirmish is on tap to be held between 1-3 p.m. Saturday. Admission to the reenactment is $5 per person.
