Fifth-graders learn about Civil War era

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Area fifth-graders got a chance to go back in time 150 years during the History Day event held this week at the S.F. Goedde Building.

Students had the chance to meet historical figures, such as Abraham Lincoln (George Buss), General Robert E. Lee (local resident Charles Eberle), Jefferson Davis (VWCS teacher Dave Walker), and Frederick Douglass (Michael Crutcher of Nicholas, Ky.), as well as a Union Army surgeon-mortician (Craig Malone), a Union Navy officer (Bob Dispenza), and a regular Union Army soldier (Russ Gilliom), and also learned some dances of the period from a dance instructor (former Lincolnview librarian Terri Schneiter). The event is organized into a series of stations and students rotate from one station to the next.

This year’s History Day, the third edition of the program, is one of those being held during the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which has increased interest in history of the period from 1861-1865.

All of the presentations were interesting and provided much detail on either famous historical characters or how life was lived by soldiers, sailors and people in general during the 1860s.

Crutcher, who was presenting in Van Wert for the first time, had an extensive amount of information on Douglass, an escaped slave who became a leader of the Abolitionist movement that advocated for an end to slavery, while Walker, Eberle and Buss’ presentations all showed the detailed research they conducted into the lives and accomplishments of their alter egos.

For Eberle, his portrayal of General Robert E. Lee was even more personal, as he is a descendant of Lee.

Dispenza talked about the weapons and equipment used by sailors during the Civil War while Malone had an entire surgical ward displayed as he talked about how wounds were treated during the Civil War. Gilliom provided students with a chance to join the Union Army and undergo a quick session of training in how to march and perform other soldierly duties.

From there, students had the chance to learn various dances prevalent during the period of the Civil War under Schneiter’s guidance and instruction.

Walker, a fifth-grade teacher at the Goedde Building and a longtime historical re-enactor, is the organizer of the History Day event (click here for more photos).