Saturday, May 01, 1999
Pupils re-enact Civil War
Battles, people, weapons depicted
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
UNION TOWNSHIP — Drew Frey dug clay from his back yard, mulch from flower beds and pine needles to put into his model of the 11-month Siege of Petersburg during the Civil War.
John Morgan used several modeling compounds and plaster of Paris to build to scale the battlefield at Antietam. He used one plastic soldier to represent each 1,000 soldiers on his battlefield, built on a 3-foot long, 18-inch-wide piece of plywood.
Drew and John's exhibits were two of 386 projects on display Thursday at Lakota Ridge Junior School, where the gymnasium was transformed into a Civil War Museum for a day. Each eighth-grade social studies student had about a month to research and put together a project.
Exhibits were grouped together by theme: weapons, people and battles. On display were projects ranging from a paper mache head of Abraham Lincoln equipped with a tape recorded speech, to a working telegraph, quilts and a battery-operated Gatling gun model.
“They've done a fantastic job,” said Brian Thomas, who heads the school's social studies department. “I get goosebumps when I look at some of the battle scenes they've created.”
Natalie Fries said she decided to make a clay model of the Pony Express because she was interested in horses. Besides the foot-high rider, she made a life-size saddle bag and put into it letters, including a love letter written by Abraham Lincoln found on the U.S. Postal Service's Web site.
“It was pretty interesting to learn that something so efficient only lasted 18 months,” Natalie said. “They went from Missouri to California in 10 days and charged $5 an ounce to deliver. That's a lot more than we pay now. I was surprised at how many people used it.”
Andrea Cushard went to Fort DeSoto with her grand parents over spring break to get first-hand information before she put her display on the camp together.
She used a white Play-Doh bottom along with gravel and small stones to represent the ground conditions. Plastic figures took on the role of sol diers and her display included an elevated tower for the lookout guards.
The general's hut even had small palm trees.
“The concrete was made of shells and it's still standing today,” Andrea said. “I loved it.”
Drew said he picked the Siege of Petersburg to research because he didn't know much about the battle or the craters created by weapons. “Instead of taking the easy way out — like food or something — I thought I should learn something, so I picked it,” said Drew, 14.
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