GDG- bringing students to GB

[Jim Lamason]

HI John, 

You have very ambitious plans.. 

That's a lot for a 12 to 14 year olds to take in. Well that IMHO.. 

I would suggest take key spots of each battle. 

A for instance....... Antietam.. Initial contact between the Pa reserves on
the evening of the 16th and then the fight for the Cornfield, Sunken Road
and then Burnsides Bridge. Dunkers Church seems to be a focal point for
every group that goes to Antietam. There is a campsite btw at Antietam. So
if you are going to camp out, you better look into reservations NOW! 

Gettysburg, much the same thing. Initial contact between the Union Cavalry
under Buford and Pettigrew's Confederates. See  if you can get someone even
among this group who knows that part fairly well. 

Let me back up for a minute here. I would suggest this. Almost every one who
posts among this knowledgeable group would be willing to "volunteer" time
with your gang. I know I would. I would just need some advance notice. While
I am not as well versed as others. I would be comfortable with the group. 

The same goes for Antietam, Bull Run, Chancelorsville. Every one here has a
part of a battle that is their favorite spot. 

Well this is right before I go to bed, but there is some food for thought.
Hope this helps a bit. 

Jim Lamason 
Middlesex NJ 

-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of John Wood (faculty)
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2007 10:56 PM
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Subject: GDG- bringing students to GB

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


I'm planning a Civil War tour for 12-14 year olds (no more than 12
students) and part of it will include camping at or near both Antietam and
Gettysburg. For the GB portion of the trip, I wanted to ask the list for
some advice on the 3 days at GB. This is about a year away, so I have lots
of planning time. The goal is to create a series of visits and camping
over two weeks that includes some class time and aims to give the students
some in-depth instruction, but also allow for fun. For example, a rafting
trip worked into the stay at antietam. And simply being away from home
camping out should be fun. 
Basically, week one will by 1862 and week two will be 1863, with visits to
Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Antietam, Harpers Ferry, South
Mountain, and Gettysburg over the two weeks. I can't fit the peninsula or
shendendoah battles in, though I'm open to suggestions on seldom visited
sites. If it goes well, I'm thinking of adding 1864 and maybe estending a
southern leg of the tour the next year for Shiloh, Stones River,
Chickamauga, and Chatanooga, etc. 

First, how close to the battlefield can I get for the camping? Has anyone
ever heard of the people who live on the battlefield allowing small groups
to camp on their property? There are obvious reasons why this sort of
thing would be discouraged or even forbidden, but I'd like to get as close
as possible without upsetting anybody. 

Second, I wanted to take a day for each day of the battle and mix in other
activities in the area. Any advice on a three day study? I was thinking of
a LBG, but also getting some reenactors to talk with the students about
various things, even how to prepare a dinner (though I can't imagine that
would be very tasty) maybe people who are experts on other specifics.
Something as mundane as the kind of card games soldiers played would be
interesting, civil war medicine, etc. I know that for the annual muster
people get permission to walk over grounds that are usually off-limits.
Would I be able to hire the same people to get that permission for my
group? etc. etc. 

Thanks. 

John Wood
jwood at mcdonogh.org


 
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