Ravena News-Herald: Reliving the American Revolution
RAVENA — Many educators agree hands-on learning provides one of the best venues for teaching and on June 10 Pieter B. Coeymans fourth and fifth graders got a day full of experiencing what it might have been like during the American Revolution.
During the fifth annual Revolutionary War re-enactment, groups including the Second Regiment, the Albany County Militia, the 53rd Regiment of Foot, the 62nd Regiment of Foot and local traditional musicians demonstrated Colonial games, weaponry and music.
The first half of the day Mr. Lintner, Mr. Verga, Mrs. Moutopoulos and Mr. Brown's classes rotated between three learning stations set up behind the school and the music station held at the gazebo.
Dressed in period costume with the girls in mob caps and skirts and the boys in red or blue soldier jackets, students tried stilt-walking, hoop-rolling, tug-of-war and hoop-catching at the Colonial Games Station.
At the Colonial Encampment they learned the commands associated with and the workings of a two-pound battalion gun followed by a demonstration of it being shot.
"This was the most dangerous job in the war," said "Major" John Osinski. "A six-man crew was as effective as 75 soldiers with muskets and they were the first target of the British."
Osinski went on to say women often served on canon crews alongside the men.
Groups of six students took turns pretending to be the cannon crew.
They "manned the gun, searched the piece, tended the vent, wetted the sponge, advanced the cartridge and picked and primed."
Then it was time to set and fire.
According to Osinski the most skilled troops could load and fire five times a minute.
When asked what his favorite part of the morning was Max Knaust said, "I like the canon and I also like the British station."
Madison Leonard said, "It was cool learning how to march and how to hold the gun and fire."
Nicole Scaringe said her favorite part was firing the canon.
At both the British and Colonial Encampments kids learned musket commands, rifle-firing and marching.
Corporal Jack Marshall from Dublin, Ireland, drilled the students in marching and charging the enemy.
Lord Kingsbury exhorted them to shout "Huzzah" when charging and ordered them to give three cheers for "good King George."
All the reenactors wore period clothing, which in the case of the British consisted of a coat, sash, saber, gloves, linen shirt with ruffled neck and sleeves, wool breeches, stockings, gators, splatter dashes and hats.
At the music station Tony Lasher explained the many uses of that most indispensable woman's garment, the apron.
It kept the clothing clean, served as a potholder, a basket to hold chicken seed or eggs, and provided a way to clean the hands.
Kids enjoyed a colonial-style lunch served in the cafeteria and in the afternoon watched a Revolutionary War skirmish between the British and the Colonists on the backfields.
