Youth walk in the footsteps of history at Civil War camp at Brentsville Courthouse

During the week of July 16, 12 campers ages 8-13 participated in Basic Civil War Camp at Brentsville Courthouse Centre in Bristow.
David Born, historical program coordinator, and Michael Riley, site manager for the Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre, led the campers through what life would have been for a soldier during the Civil War.

Although temperatures soared, campers stood in awe as Riley completed a firing demonstration of a rifle that would have been used during the war. The campers had opportunities to cool off with plenty of water in the air-conditioned courthouse.

During the week, the campers built “lean-tos,” completed line drills, tasted food that the soldiers would have eaten, made flags, had a mock battle and learned about medical procedures during the Civil War. The week culminated in a trip to the Manassas Battlefield. To begin the week, campers were enlisted and given enlistment pay in the form of Confederate dollars.

Alex Hughes, 13, of Manassas and Jacob Dietz, 13, of Gloucester, were assistants for the week and were in Civil War attire as they helped younger campers. Hughes’ favorite subject in school is history. He enjoyed dressing up, reliving and learning about the Civil War.
Riley demonstrated shooting muskets, and the youngsters were enthralled. The campers also learned commands and how soldiers would have carried their guns in the field during a drill.

Cheyney Hite, 11 from Manassas was the only girl in attendance. Although she admitted the camp was not exactly what she expected, she admittedly enjoys learning more about the Civil War since she had studied it in school. She enjoyed trying the foods the soldiers ate. Her favorite was the bacon.

Will Vernette, 8, and Nick Cilibert, 8, both came from Loudon County for the camp. Both of the boys enjoyed learning about the muskets. Jack Salyers, 7, and his brother William, 8, were driven to the camp from King George by their father Jim who referred to his boys as “Civil War nuts,” noting their interest in the era. They attend many local reenactments and events.

A very wise Joel Davilla, 10, of Bristow was prudent in selecting the camp. He questioned how simple discussions that could have solved the issue at hand resulted in a country torn apart by war. The brutality of the war was thought provoking for Davilla who finds the whole war a quandary and was very interested in learning more about it. He admitted that social studies is his favorite subject; he looks forward to the class when he goes to Marsteller Middle School next year. As Davilla wrote in his journal about his morning discoveries, Born called roll and issued muskets to the campers in order to run their drill.

The Basic Civil War Camp is in progress again through Aug. 10. An Advanced Civil War Camp will be offered the week of August 20 from 9 a.m.-noon. Both camps are available for children ages 8 through 13.

Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre is located a 12229 Bristow Road in Bristow. More information on camps and programs can be attained by calling 703-365-7895. More information on programs can be found at http://www.pwcgov.org/brentsville.