Boys Scouts at Antietam Living History 9/15-16

[63rdGuy]

I've received some great advise here in the past, hope I can presume again!
My scout troop will be going to the Antietam living history event on 9/15-16. We applied last November and have a camping site not far from Burnside's bridge.

Both my 17 year old sons and I reenact so we plan on putting the boys through some drill over the next couple weeks. Simple marching and manual of arms to prep them for the weekend and build excitement.

We plan on having period food for the weekend (oatmeal for breakfast, hard tack, cheese and peperoni and an apple for lunch, beans and ham for dinner). But I could use some guidance.

Anyone know a good movie as an overview that I can show at a meeting that would be 45 minutes or less?

There are general guidelines for the weekend on what is happening. There are tours during the day but I bet if I add my 30+ group to any tour it will be huge. I called the visitor center but I cannot sign up in advance for any specific tour.

Anything specific that we should be doing that day? I can take them around and give the an overview of the main sites - Burnside's bridge, Sunken Road, Dunker Church, etc. But I want to "plug in" to anything exceptional that is happening that day.

I've already had one troop member join reenacting, this could be a great way to get more!

Thanks for your help!

[Forrestcavalryman]

I'm sorry to say that I don't have the advice that you are seeking but would like to say how great it is that you brought a troop member into this hobby! 4+ years ago my Scoutmaster invited my father and I to an event and I am now a full flegged member of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry Company D! I have also dranw in an old friend from the troop and my younger brother(s) as well.

[Pvt_McIntire]

Sir, hats off to you for your work with the Scouts!

I will be camped with Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery in the North Woods by the Joseph Poffenberger farm that weekend. We should have a full battery of guns present and will be doing firing demos throughout the day. Feel free to bring the boys by for a visit--we'd be glad to talk with them!

[toptimlrd]

You may have to do a movie over 2 meetings to make it happen, I can't think of any short enough. Perhaps find the part of Ken Burn's documentary that deals with Antietam.

[S.D.Swart]

I believe Wide Awake Films did a Doc. on Antietam.

Good period food, a typical confederate would not have hard tack. Why, because flour was scarce. Instead, corn cakes on the griddle is a better choice. Molassas, and butter on top. (if they could get them from the farms).

Instead of Peperoni. A good country ham is great. All you have to do is cook it up. A country ham can last over a long period of time without refrigeration. When you buy one, keep it out, do not refrigerate it. It can last months. Once you cut it up, it still good for a week.

You can use different parts of the Ham for differnet kinds of ways. (each ham has directions for different cuts of meat. Another suggestion is about the beans. You got some options hear. Federal army beans (need to soak them in the morning so you can cook them in the evening), Van Camp Pork and Beans (they were available during the war), and Black eye Peas. The beuty of them is they do not need to be soaked, add dried or fresh peas and carrots, or anything else you want, including cooked ham bits. Mighty fine eating, with those corn cakes left over from breakfast.

[Elaine Kessinger]

From your avatar and location (Pennsylvania) I'm assuming you boys are Federals. :-p

Mr. Swart is correct though on most of his food suggestions. Ham would be closer to a period choice. Proper beans would be terrific, and can be dressed many ways.
Federals would have hard tack, and that's an easy recipe for youngsters to handle. Those corn cakes would be terrific for Confederates, but to Federals... hard tack or bread is the way to go.
You might consider "Cream of Wheat" rather than oatmeal. "Cream of Wheat" is close to a period cereal called farina. Oatmeal as we know it wasn't much known yet as a human food... more for horses. Farina was, and was popular.

For period recipes that "Mother" used to make in period, enjoy the recipe books at "the Feeding America Project."http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/...owse_date.html

Good luck to your boys. They'll have a grand time.

[cprljohnivey]

Isn't the original Red Badge of Courage under 45 min?

[Jeffrey Cohen]

Well, nothing beats learning to load and fire an original Civil War cannon.

[captdougofky]

Sir, hats off to you for your work with the Scouts!

I will be camped with Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery in the North Woods by the Joseph Poffenberger farm that weekend. We should have a full battery of guns present and will be doing firing demos throughout the day. Feel free to bring the boys by for a visit--we'd be glad to talk with them!

Like you Hats off with your work for the Scouts--------------------Being a Life Scout myself, I'll always remember my 1st March and Hiking Medal. Dry Canteen-Perryville Kentucky----------1965. Keep up the good work.

Always
Doug Thomas
Lyons Battery CS
Kentucky

Troop #61 BSA

[Frederick14Va]

First off kudo's to your efforts... this is something that they will remember for a very long time...

Since you already have reenactors involved thats a good thing... Many times Ive gone out to their pre-battlefield trip meeting and give a talk of sorts to help set the stage and increase the interest in their trip... Movies can be helpful... but the tangible charactor standing before them makes it a bit more real to them... We would generally try to provide some diversity in it.. having people from both sides.. different branches of service etc...

Never been a scout myself but have given many historical programs for them... I would also frequently get called from one of the local battlefield parks when they have large groups of scouts coming to visit... I would generally "appear" out of the woods and stop to talk and give a little talk in first person before disappearing back into the woods.. more times that not when first spotted they thought I was a ghost...lol...

Probably one of the best ones Ive participated in, a scout group was doing a canoe trip down the river... with the theme of local history. At a designated place they would pull in and camp overnight deep in the woods... the topic by that time was local civil war history... Totally unknown to the scouts themselves... but it was pre-arranged by the scout master with our unit and we provided a squad of infantry "out on a scouting patrol"... We parked in a given area and had to go down trails about a mile or more to get back to the river..... While they were gathering firewood in the woods an armed patrol of infantry silently emerged out of the dense woods... deep in the middle of no where... the first couple young scouts that spotted us nearly pee'd on themselves dashing back to camp... We were in full campaigner gear and stayed in first person the entire time... invited to stay for supper with them... then back on patrol we went fading back into the shadows of the river thickets as we had come... Later heard those kids talked about that for several years afterward...