Civil War recreation teaches youths about soldier's life
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

GREAT EMANCIPATOR- A reenactor portrays Abraham Lincoln in this presentation given to students who tour the campsite of Moorpark Rotary's annual fundraiser, The Blue & the Gray. Students are taught what caused the war and why both sides fought with ferocity.

Students in Moorpark Unified School District will witness history come alive next month.

The Blue & The Gray event, the Civil War reenactment organized by the Rotary Club of Moorpark, has again invited students in the district to Tierra Rejada Ranch the day before the two-day extravaganza begins. On Fri., Nov. 9, students will visit 12 to15 work stations and learn about the history of their country at an important crossroads.

The field trip has become so popular, other school districts want to join the fun.

"More people wanted to come than we could handle," said Jim Arthur, last year's Rotary president, who helps get local students to attend the event. "We had to limit it to the Moorpark students and some Moorpark home schoolers. We wish we could do more. It's just impossible physically to keep it safe and do it right."

BATTLEFIELD- A soldier reenactor describes a specific battle, often including details not found in history books. Reenactors often go to great lengths to put together uniforms that are as historically accurate as possible, down to the original manufacturing methods of the fabric. Buttons, medals and glasses are often actual antiques that existed during the time of the Civil War.

Moorpark students will listen as Abraham Lincoln reads the famous Gettysburg Address, talks with Union and Confederate soldiers, and converses with Civil War-era doctors, women and merchants. When it's time for students to move to a different station, a cannon will bellow.

The students will get to carry an unloaded musket, feeling the weight of the cumbersome weapon. They will feel the fabric of the soldiers' clothes, realizing how hot and heavy they can get. They will look up and feel the enormity of a cavalry soldier riding a horse. The Southern soldiers will talk about state rights. The Northern soldiers will stress the importance of preserving the Union.

A whole new world will open before the students' eyes.

"This provides a really powerful introduction to that time era," said Mesa Verde Middle School principal Kelli Hays. Eighth-graders learn about the Civil War in class in the spring.

"Students get to experience firsthand some of the daily routines," Hays said. "It puts them in a reallife simulation of that actual time era and that event. . . . I think it has a lasting impact on the students. I think they have a greater understanding of what it was really like."

The Rotary Club originally presented Moorpark Unified's school board with the idea of inviting students on an official field trip. Students are introduced to the Civil War in the second grade and study it more in depth as eighth-graders.

This will be the third trip for eighth-graders and the second for second-graders. The Civil War reenactment is in its seventh year, and Rotary members help organize almost 1,000 students into small groups before they go back to school for lunch. Water and restrooms will be available to the children.

Arthur estimated 30 to 40 actors will take the day off work on Friday to talk with the children.

"We try to expose them to as much as we can in a short couple of hours," said Rotary member Lyle Pennington.

Even though other school districts cannot attend Friday's session, the Rotary club encourages everyone- including students from the field trip who may want to return to the ranch- to come out on Sat. and Sun., Nov. 10 and 11, to see the mock battles.

Students are encouraged to fill out an online questionnaire provided by the Rotary Club and turn it in to their teachers, sometimes for extra credit.

The importance of the reenactment to students cannot be overstated, Pennington said.

"I think it's important for students of today to understand that we have civil liberties in this country based on what happened in the Civil War," he said. "The American Civil War was one of those things that helped settle this country down."

There will be three battles on Saturday, at noon, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday's battles will be at noon and 2:30 p.m. The ranch is located at 3370 Sunset Valley Road.

Sunday's event falls on Veteran's Day, and a ceremony that will include a 21-cannon salute will be held to honor those who served.

Tickets at the gate are $15 for adults, $10 for veterans and school children, and free for children 5 and under. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.moorparkrotary.com, where visitors get $2 off per ticket for four people.

While the reenactment is a grand spectacle, Arthur thinks students learn the most from details.

"They like finding out the odd things that aren't in the history books," Arthur said. "Here's an example. In history books, we all heard about the blockade the Union had with ships trying to stop supplies from getting to the South.

"A surgeon noted that wounded Confederates were still not getting infectious wounds as frequently as the Union guys did. Maybe it was because they were using horse hairs? No, that wasn't it.

"The Southern doctors had to boil the horse hairs so the hairs would be pliable enough to use as sutures. Somebody said, why don't we boil all sutures? What a great idea. Hearing it from a guy with blood smeared on his smock, surrounded by all his crude tools, the students learned how medicine advanced. They learned about it not from some dry comment or discussion of a blockade. . . . Reenactors are giving our kids a chance to witness living history right here in our community. It's pretty neat."