Last week, Chesterton High School hosted its 18th annual Civil War Camp. In the courtyard, there is a war camp set up for students to come and visit during their history class. There they will learn about the food, medicine, soldiers, and more from the war. Every year, this event is hosted by history teacher Robert DeRuntz and Anna Zervos, who retired last year, but returned for the event.
Students gathered around to learn about soldiers’ garments, games they played, and even how to fire a real musket. A student volunteer gets to dress up in a Union soldier uniform as they learn about the meanings of the colors, materials, and uses of the clothes.
Along with this, they learn about the doctors of the war, the treatments they would give, and how they got into the position. Students also got to try salted pork, bean soup, and a hard cracker called hardtack. These were all common foods they’d be served at war camps. The bland food, the smell of the campfire, the campsite, and the gruesome stories told allow students to imagine what it would really be like to live like that for years. This gives students a much bigger impact when learning, rather than just reading things from a textbook.
They’ve added many things over the years, with their newest edition being Mrs. Zevos’s mannequin soldier, on which she performs an amputation.
“My favorite part is by far throwing the leg over my head, indicating how cavalier they were about amputation,” said Zervos.
The event ended with Mr. DeRuntz reciting the Gettysburg Address to the crowd.
“I love delivering the Gettysburg Address. I think that the students hearing that for probably the first time have an opportunity to appreciate the gravity of when Abraham Lincoln did that,” said DeRuntz.
Students appreciate the set up and time spent to create such a hands on and interesting lesson.
“I love how accurate everything is. It’s so interesting,” expresses a history-loving student.
Others appreciate the free food.
“My favorite part is the food, its bad but also good,” says another.
This tradition is fun and loved by students!