February 28, 2013 (week 8)

Devotional

We continue to work on Battle Cry of Freedom. Since Bro. Casalegno is setting up a diorama next week and taking almost the entire time to explain Gettysburg, we will not sing during class next week.  You will need to work on memorizing this at home.

Congrats to Lamoni and Nadya for passing of verse 3 memorization! Again, we encourage you to finish memorizing verse 3. You can pass it off before or after class next week.

Memorization 

Keep up with what we are doing in class. We got to the phrase, "add or detract." Several of you looked like you almost have it memorized. Keep working at home!

Presentations

Mathew Brady
Kensington gave a great presentation on Mathew Brady, one of the most celebrated 19th century photographers. He was known for his portraits of celebrities and his documentation of the American Civil War. Most people would recognize some of this photographs.

 

Two of his portaits of Abraham Lincoln were used for the $5 bill and the Lincoln penny.

 

Some of his other famous photo are shown below.

Clara Barton

Dead Soldier at Devil's Den (Gettysburg)

 General Grant

Dead Soldiers at Antietam

 

Maddie also gave a terrific presentation on uniforms and dress of the time. One of the most interesting things we learned is that women's clothing was pretty dangerous. It was not uncommon for women's hooped skirts to catch on fire and they burned to death!

(Bonus ?: Does anyone know what famous poet's wife died in this manner?)

 

The Mathew Brady portraits show some of the styles. I have listed additional examples below.

 



 

Document Study: Gettysburg Address

 

General Baker led the document study on the Gettysburg Address. Since speeches were usually so long, President Lincoln finished delivering the address before many people in the crowd even realized he had started. It was praised and critized by people throughout the country, but few realized how famous it would become.

 

One of the most interesting aspects of the language he used was that he didn't reference the North or the South, but  referred to the dead in general. We talked about what audience he might've been targeting  and how he focused on certain events (the founding of the country) to make his audience feel united.

It would've been great to have more time to study this amazing document. Great job, General Baker! 

 

Across Five Aprils Colloquium

 

The scholars did a great job discussing this book. Everyone spoke at least once!!

The following are some of the questions we discussed:

1. Jethro didn't expect to feel comfortable very often, but in fact, expected to suffer at the hands of the elements. Today, we expect to be comfortable almost all of the time. How has this change in our society changed us as a people?
2. Bill joined the South "according to what he thought was right." It seems like he thought through this issue pretty much on his own, without much discussion with others. General Baker mentioned she'd like to know what his thought process was, but it isn't described. How might Bill's conclusion of what was right have been different if he'd discussed this issue with a variety of people he trusted? Are there times when what it is not clear what is right? How can we know? What were some of the unintended consequences of Bill's fighting for the South? Would he have made the same decision even if he had known what those consequences might be?
3. What do you think about the amount of work and responsibilities Jethro had? Could you do it? What were the benefits of it? What were the negative things about it?
4. Sherman became famous for his march through the South, burning and pillaging the civilian property. It was one of the events that helped end the war. In the book, Ed Turner's 18-year-old son was a new soldier who took part in this experience. Ed Turner wondered what kind of effect this would have on his young son. What kind of long-lasting effect do you think this would have on a young person?

Of course, we didn't have a chance to discuss all the issues brought up by the book. One ? I wish we would've had time to discuss is the following:

• At one point, Jethro talked to his dog about the North's weak generals compared to the South's awesome generals. He asked, "Ain't we in the right? And how does it happen, if we're in the right, that the Lord lets Jeff Davis get men like Lee and Jackson and gives us ones like Halleck and McClellan?" Why does it sometimes seem that the Lord doen't intervene when we are in the right?

Paper

 

No paper this week. Use the time to catch up on any papers you haven't written.

 

Reminders/Announcements

1. You have 3 weeks to read the Life of Abraham Lincoln.
2. Everyone, but Nadya and Lamoni - Finish memorizing verse 3 and pass it off next week.
3. Start working on hero report.
4. Arrive on time next week. General Cory Casalegno will be explaining Gettysburg through diorama and video clips.



February 14, 2013 (week 6)

Devotional

Today we started on a new song, Battle Cry of Freedom. The scholars are definitely going to have to work on memorizing this at home. Southerners - remember you have your own version.

We also started on verse 3 of D&C 134.

Again, this verse is going to be a little trickier than the last two verses, so study at home!

 

Memorization

 

We continued working on the Gettysburg Address. We got up to the phrase, "can long endure." At the very least, make sure you know what we've worked on in class.

 

Lecture

 

General Cory Casalegno came to class dressed in a Union private's uniform. He explained the various gear, the most exciting of which was his 1853 Enfield rifle. He explained and showed us the loading and firing process. Amazingly, an experienced soldier could fire 3 times in a minute. However, unexperienced soldiers often made mistakes such as loading over and over without firing or accidentally leaving the ram rod in the barrel and then shooting the rod. 

 

 

The most exciting part may have been when he talked about the bayonet and then passed it around.  

 

 

It was interesting to note that a soldier's uniform rarely fit during the Civil War. General Casalegno was a good example of this, as his hat and coat were a little small and his pants were ripped.

 

General Casalegno then talked about the Battles of Shiloh and Antietam.  Shiloh was the first Civil War battle with very large numbers of casualties and was close to being a Union disaster.  However, the timely arrival of Union reinforcements turned the tide and gave General U.S. Grant a victory that ultimately led to the capture of the whole Mississippi River and the cutting of the South in two. 

 

Antietam was the South's first attempted invasion of the North in which General Lee hoped to win a decisive victory that would convince Britain and France to recognize Southern independence and force the North to sue for peace.  Instead, the Southern army was turned back and President Lincoln siezed the opportunity to issue the Empancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves in the

rebellious states. 

 

There will be TREATS for scholars who watch the following videos on the battles of Shiloh and Antietam!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, General Casalegno explained Army ranks and organization during the Civil War.  Basically the Army's organization was in the shape of a large pyramid with a few generals at the top commanding the Corps, Divisions, and Brigades.

 

  

 

Reward

 

 

General Behymer brought the most INCREDIBLE chocolate truffles for those who

read 1/2 of Across Five Aprils and did 10 captures.

We were bummed not very many of you were able to enjoy one. Next time!

 

This Week's Paper

 

"Is it ever wrong to follow the law.  If so, then when and why?" 

 

Reminders/Announcements

 

1. Finish Across Five Aprils - we are having the colloquium this Thursday! (Reward Alert!)
2. Keep memorizing scripture, song, and Gettysburg Address.
3. Turn in the name of your hero for your hero report (if you haven't already)
 

 

 

February 7, 2013 (week 5)

Devotional

 

During our devotional, most of the scholars passed off all 5 verses of "Battle Hymn of the Republic."  Most of them also passed off verse 2 of D&C 134. Great job everyone! We were impressed.
 If you did not pass off either one, please work on it and get it done ASAP.
You can stay after class to recite it to any of the generals.

 

Please believe us when we say -

You will be so glad if you don't wait until April to finish all the memorizing!

 

Presentation

 

Kaden gave a presentation on "Women's Roles." Yes, he was the last one to pick his topic, but I think Nic's, "10 bucks if you do it," might have boosted his willingness to do it. He gave us lots of great information about some famous and not-so-famous women. Did you parents know that several women dressed as men so they could fight in the infantry? Nice job, Kaden!

 

Hero Report Explanation

 

General C explained the requirements for the Hero Report. Using the guidelines below, you will need to think about whom you would like to pick and to come to class prepared to tell us.

• You can pick any real person from the Civil War time period (mid 1800's-ish).
• Yes, it can be someone who wasn't in the Army.
• Yes, it can be a woman.
• Yes, it can be the same person as another scholar.
• No, it can't be a fictional person.
• No, it can't be someone from the 1700's or earlier.
• No, it can't be someone from the 1900's to present.
• No, as awesome as they are, it cannot be Mitt Romney, Taylor Swift, Harry Potter, or Peeta.
• And, no, as tempting as it might be, it cannot be your mentors.

We are expecting you to take your writing "up a notch" with this paper.

There are clear, detailed instructions in your binder as to font size, required length, etc.

If you have any concerns about the requirements, please talk to your mentors soon.

We recognize that this may be the first time some of you have written such a report.

Along with your parents, we can help you do this.

HOWEVER, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO SO AT THE LAST MINUTE!

So, DON'T procrastinate. Ask for help soon.

 

Lecture

 

General Behymer gave a great lecture on

Secession, Fort Sumter, and First Manassas. It was a lot to cover, but she did a great job.

 

The Civil War Trust has a great video and animated map series for several Civil War battles.  Click on these links to learn more about Secession and Fort Sumter and First Manassas.
 

Memorization

 

We spent a little time memorizing the Gettysburg Address.
We worked up to the line, "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
We encourage you to work on this at home. We will continue to spend 5-10 min a week on this, but it will be important to spend the extra time at home.

Reward

We had bagels and o.j. for those who finished the book and did the memorizations.


Uncle Tom's Cabin Colloquium

General Baker did a terrific job leading the discussion about this thought-provoking book.

We were happy to see so many of you taking this discussion seriously. Many of you made some insightful connections. Thank you very much for your thoughts.
We encourage those of you who were more timid to particiate more during the discussion
 on Across Five Aprils. We would love to hear from you!

  

These are the book and movie covers for The Hiding Place,
the book that General Baker referenced during our discussion.
 (Remember-This was the story she told about Corrie Ten Boom who, while preaching forgiveness after WWII, was approached by her horrible concentration camp guard.
She experienced a soul-wrenching decision as this guard, who had contributed to the death of her beloved sister, asked her forgiveness. It is a powerful story and a must-read!)

Our discussion was based on the following awesome questions:

 THESE QUESTIONS WILL BE ADDED SOON

These are some of the questions General Baker didn't get a chance to ask,
but you might want to ponder:

THESE QUESTIONS WILL BE ADDED SOON

This Week's Paper

Is secession constitutional?

Reminders/Announcments

1. Be prepared to turn in your hero report person.
2. Read half of Across Five Aprils and do 10 captures (Reward Alert!!)
3. Keep memorizing the Gettysburg Address.
4. General C will be in Civil War gear so please arrive on time. We'd like to give him as much time as possible.
 

 



January 31 (week 4)

Devotional

We started class by practicing "Battle Hymn of the Republic" for the last time. Our goal is to have it memorized for class next week (Feb 7). We also worked on memorizing D&C 134:2. Again, we'd like to have that memorized for next week.

**Note: There will be treats for those who pass off the song and the scripture!

 

Movie

 

We spent the remainder of the class watching the first half of
"Gods and Generals."

 We were introduced to some of the important players in the war:

 

 

Robert E. Lee (the top pic is the actor, the bottom pic is the actual person) 

 

 

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson,

 

 

 and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

 

 We also saw the first battle at Manassas/Bull Run.

 

 

 

Why does it have 2 names?

We learned that most battles in the Civil War were known by different names in the North and South. The North named them for a nearby river and the South for a town.

 

Upcoming Week's Paper

 

No paper this week. Work on any papers who've missed and

MEMORIZE Battle Hymn and verse 2!

 

Reminders/Announcements

 

• Next Week's Presentation - Kaden "Women's Roles"
• Treats next week for finishing UTC, memorizing Battle Hymn, and memorizing verse 2
• Feb 8 is movie night at General Behymer's (we will finish watching G&G)
• Bring $18 to class next week for class binder (checks made to Annie Casalegno)