DAILY NEWS JOURNAL, NANCY DE GENNARO, 6/24/2014
Lee Lankford teaches kids, from left, Skye Dupree, 11, Jax Roddy, 11, Spencer Kendall, 12, Carter Sells, 10, and Anabel Jaques, 11, close-order drills during School of the Soldier camp Monday at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna. JOHN A. GILLIS/DNJ
Camp offers hands-on history lessons
SMYRNA — Two weeks ago, 11-yearold Anabel Jaques was donning bonnets and hoop skirts at the Jane Davis Academy. But this week she’s learning about infantry skills and campfire cooking.
Jaques is one of six students participating in the School of the Soldier day camp at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna.
“I did the Jane Davis Academy because … all the Victorian things about women are fascinating. The Civil War soldier (camp) I did because I love the Civil War. Period. Whether it’s a woman or man,” said Jaques, who is able to attend the camp since the museum opened enrollment to females this year.
Throughout the week students ages 10 to 14 get hands-on experiences of a Civil War soldier’s life, from learning marching drills to campfire culinary skills, explained camp coordinator Alex Collins.
“Kids play (war-themed) video games. But at camp, they’re learning a more hands-on aspect of it,” Collins said. “It’s a bit more engaging. … And it’s an important part of our local history as well as national history and teaches (students) different aspects of life they’re not normally used to.”
On Monday, students learned how to march. Today, they’ll be visiting the Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro on a field trip.
“They’ll experience different historical activities. They are going to have a scavenger hunt. And one of the ranges will go through different cannon drills with them,” Collins said Monday. “And tomorrow they’ll be learning about Civil War medicine and diseases, so they’ll learn about all the good, gorey stuff.”
Spencer Kendall, 12, left, and Carter Sell, 10, use a cipher wheel to decode a clue while on a scavenger hunt for Confederate money Monday at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna at the School of the Soldier camp. JOHN A. GILLIS/DNJ
Another day, the students will cook Johnny cakes and potatoes around the fire and set up a camp like Civil War soldiers would have had. The camp will also host a living history demonstrator to show the women’s side of the story.
“There were female soldiers who fought as well,” Collins said.
But the females left back at home during the war didn’t have it easy, Jaques said she learned at the Jane Davis Academy.
“They had to do what the men told them to do, they weren’t allowed to do anything. They had to make everybody’s clothes. They had to do all this stuff, including making stuff for the men,” Jaques said.
Although the camp is now closed to new students, visitors are still welcome to tour the museum and house tours at the Sam Davis Home, 1399 Sam Davis Road.
Admission is $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, $6 ages 6-12, free children younger than 6. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Visit samdavishome.org for more details.
Contact Nancy De Gennaro at 615-278-5148 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter@DNJMama or blogs.dnj.com/ wwmd.