The field behind Bonny Eagle High School in Standish became a battleground last Friday during the reenactment of Pickett’s Charge, considered a turning point in the Civil War.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was the scene of this horrific battle that resulted in 53,000 casualties. In the fifth annual Civil War Reenactment, 160 Bonny Eagle students hosted 80 Windham students for a day that was devoted to finding out more about the war and the era.

History teacher and organizer of the event, Mark Andreasen, assisted by his colleague, history teacher Eric Curtis, scheduled learning stations throughout the day to provide students with a tactile and participatory method of learning. These stations included workshops on clothing, gear, and weapons, an infantry demo, marching instruction, and food preparation and sampling.

“The food looked bad,” said Windham student, Jacob Greenwood, “but it tasted really good. We worked up an appetite drilling.”

The band and chorus got into the act with their renditions of Civil War era music. And students performed several dances popular during that time: the Virginia reel, the cotillion, and two African dances.

“Students learned a great deal about the battle and Civil War life,” said Windham teacher Bill Wescott. “They thought it was much more interesting than learning out of a book because it was hands-on.”

For Wescott and fellow Windham teacher, Lee Allen, it was the first year they and their students participated in this event.

“We played the role of the North and successfully held off Pickett’s Charge,” said Allen. “We did not want to change the course of history.”

Jim Brown and Rick Heinz, members of the Third Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry, spoke to the students before the event began. The group, according to their Web site, www.thirdmaine.org, “is a non-profit educational living history organization dedicated to preserving the memory of Maine’s role in the American Civil War.” Heinz, an industrial arts teacher at Bonny Eagle, has helped Andreasen with this ambitious undertaking all five years.

The battle commenced with the sound of cannons as the Confederates, played by the Bonny Eagle students, prepared to charge. Both sides wore costumes and carried guns they had made from wood.

As the Confederate troops advanced, marching across the open field while shouldering flags that rippled in the breeze, some were “shot” by the Union soldiers. Some of those injured were rescued from the field by Civil War nurse Clara Barton and her willing team. Others limped off on their own, using flagpoles or guns as crutches. Many more, of course, lay still on the grass, representing the incredible numbers who died during the battle.

The students put genuine effort into this reenactment, taking their responsibility seriously. A good number had obviously worked hard to create authentic-looking costumes, as well.

At the end of the day, Andreasen was tired but happy with the successful outcome. He said many current high school students he had taught in middle school years still volunteer every year with the event.

Copy the Story Link