School Education Program

As a State University of New York chartered historical association the 125th takes its educational conponent very seriously. While our Living History program reaches the general public we also go into schools in the Capital Region to help educators present the "feel" of what it was like to be a Civil War soldier. In many cases we are helped those members of the association who do civilian portrayals thus giving the added experience of what it was like to live as a person in the 1860s. Our school program runs the entire range from one person in the classroom lectures to 20 person Living Histories that portray what it was like to be soldier in the Civil War.

As part of our presentations we provide the students with a 'hands-on' experience.

In the classroom the students will get to handle the clothing and the tools of the soldiers trade.

In the full Living History presentations the students will experience what it was like to live on the company street, taste the food the sodliers ate, be lectured on what it was like to be an officer, have a Surgeon tell them all about the medical care and problems the soldiers faced, The US Sanitary Commision (the forerunner of today's USO) will be there to tell how the civilians supported the soldier in the field.

We will run the students through a drill very similiar to what a soldier received in order to start him down the path of being able to function as a combat effective member of the unit.

Our presentation is not about the causes of the war (although we will address that if asked) it is about what it was like to be a Civil War soldier and who he was.

To view the video "Presenting The Civil War Soldier" click here.