Today we went to a Field Trip at the Manitowoc Historical Society. Today’s theme was the Civll War. I knew about the Civil War, but there were somethings that were new to me. I will share them with you through this post!
Our first stop was to explore the story of the Flag of Company A. Company A was in Manitowoc County that had 107 men who trained at Union Park before they left for the Civil War. They weren’t given uniforms or guns right away because the war happened so fast. Out of the 107 men that went only 13 came back. The flag behind them was made for the men and was made out of silk. Now it was really hard to find white material. There is a woman who donated that material for the flag but to this day nobody knows her name. There were other companies around Wisconsin that went to fight in the Civil War. Honestly I had no idea that anyone from Wisconsin went. I had no idea that Manitowoc County was that old as well. It was very interesting. The gal in the picture, her great great grandfather fought in the Civil War. He was not one of the ones that returned. The flag folded so small they could keep it in their pocket. The traveled with it. At one time they almost lost it. As the Confederates surrounded a train and thought he would take it for a souvenir, but later the man was tackled and the flag was given to the Captain I believe.
Our second stop was marching and drilling. At this point my daughter was taught the different holds and positions of the gun. She was taught how they loaded the gun. She was also taught how they marched. We were told that these men did a lot of training each day during the war in between fighting, so they could maintain themselves during war. I forgot what the word was that was used when they were dismissed.
Our third stop was to write letters home and try hardtack. Quill pens, ink, and paper were one of the things the soldiers carried in their bags to write letters. Today my daughter got to try a quill pen for the first time. She learned how to write her name using calligraphy. We also learned about hardtack. That is something that is cheap to make and they could ship this to feed the soldiers. It is a biscuit made out of flour, water, and salt. We also learned that this traveled a long distance. As it traveled so far it became hard, the soldiers had to figure out how to eat it. I am assuming they would dunk it in coffee. When coffee was scarce they would forage chicory roots and use that to make coffee.
Our fourth stop was to Dress as a Civil War soldier. What was interesting was there were no zippers at all. Just buttons. They HAD to have ALL the buttons buttoned. The shoes weren’t made for a left or a right foot. Apparently during that time the more you wore them the more they molded to your foot. The layers were really warm. There was almost a flannel type of long sleeve shirt. Then the pants had suspenders. The warm wool jacket that went over the flannel. And all the bags they had to carry. In one of the bags they would be carrying a wool blanket as well as a long trench coat.
Our fifth stop involved learning how to pitch a tent, as well as learning about camp life. What you see here is a two man tent. They buttoned their canvas together to make the tent. They had to find branches to use for the tent to help hold it up and give it the shape. There were also four stakes that went into the ground. It was divided in half and each man slept on a side. We also learned about the food that was eaten during that time. The hardtack was pretty hard to break. I wonder all the different ways it was ate when it was that hard. There were also beans and meat. The north had one kind of meat and the south had another kind of meat. I believe their was coffee. The men had to learn how to make the stuff. Now remember back in this time they didn’t do the cooking!
Our sixth stop was enlisting in the Manitowoc County Guards. The recruiter asked different questions. It seemed as though they found ways for men to get into the service. One of the things you have to have is four front teeth. If you don’t you can’t get in. The reason is you had to rip the paper for the gun powder. So you had to be able to load your gun. 4F today when you fail was actually a term they used in the Civil War, only it had to do with four front teeth. We were also told that the uniforms didn’t have any pockets. He took his hat out and turned it upside and it turned into a sack and they call them foraging hats. At times the men would use it to forage things such as potatoes, and whatever else they found. He also asked her other questions and made her wiggle her fingers. It isn’t what it is today that is for sure. Then she was sworn in and ready to serve and train!
Our last stop was learning how the soldiers traveled home after the war with code writing. Honestly I didn’t think trains were a thing during the Civil War, but I guess I was wrong. The soldiers turned them self into HOBOs. I had no idea that term was started way back when. It meant homeward bound. They road in empty train carts. They would use code and pass maps so that they knew what areas were safe, who gave out food, who was a doctor, and all the bad areas as well. My daughter had the chance to make a map of what she thought in our neighborhood. One area was not safe, one had a kind hearted woman (my daughter told me the lady that was me), a place for food, and a doctor to help patch up the wounds. This was something I had no idea that was done during this time.
I think I learned a lot more today than I have when I was in school. I was fascinated with the stories that were told and the history as well. This was definitely one of my favorite field trips there so far. The timing was perfect as we had the chance to spend time learning as there was a big gap in the different stations.
Stay tuned as Saturday we are going back to do Family Black Smithing. I think we were the only ones to sign up for the class. The volunteer said he didn’t mind coming in to teach us. We will be making a project or projects I don’t remember. I hope it is cooler than what they say it is going to be out there.
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