Seventh grade learns unique Civil War history

by Logan Gruber

operations@thenewsleaders.com

Educator Arn Kind took seventh-graders at the Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School through a time-warp, back to the days of the Civil War.

Kind hosted a special presentation entitled “Minnesota and the Civil War” at SRRMS on Dec. 17 in costume as a Union army soldier. He has been a teacher for 38 years, and he donated his time for this event.

“His presentation is a wonderful and unique way for students to learn about the events which threatened to break up our great nation,” said Deb Scherber, gifted specialist for the school district.

Kind uses role-playing and many props to help give students a true understanding of both what happened during and leading up to the war, and also why it happened and what people of the time were thinking and feeling.

Besides his costume, he brought maps, posters, additional clothing, real artifacts, flags and more.

At one especially engrossing point in his presentation, Kind called 10 student volunteers up for a special mission: to be the color bearers and color guard for the Minnesota battalion. He taught eight of them how to properly hold their rifle while marching, and another two how to hold the flags, or colors, while marching. He then had them form two rows and had them march back and forth across the stage, filling in the gaps as their comrades were forced to fall by “enemy fire.” The most important thing they could do was keep the colors high, Kind explained.

“In the smoke and haze of battle, men couldn’t see the center of the battalion. But, they could see the flag flying high, so the color bearers and color guard are very important,” Kind said. “The battalion doesn’t move forward unless they see the flag move forward, and they can only retreat with honor if the flag moves backward.”

Kind also spoke of the importance of the bugle call. The bugle and colors worked in tandem, serving as an audio and visual cue to tell soldiers what to do. The bugle was a little more versatile, as it could tell soldiers to move at a certain pace and other things, but the colors were really at the heart of any battalion.

He explained the flags were typically given to a battalion during a ceremony the day they left their home fort or camp, like Fort Snelling for instance. People from the community would actually sew the flags themselves so they held a special meaning for the troops, as the flags were really a gift to them. Soldiers were asked to fly the flag high so everyone on the battlefield would know who they were, and to never lose the flag and bring it back home when the fight was finished.

Kind held the students’ attention throughout the presentation. At times, it was very emotional, as he described the many hardships soldiers and their families faced during the war.

“We greatly appreciate Kind’s knowledge and enthusiasm for sharing some of the causes of the American Civil War, as well as immersing our students in the routine and drill of infantry soldiers. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to experience an enriching and memorable extension of their classroom learning,” Scherber said.

Kind is a member of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment, a re-enactment group based out of Fort Snelling. Because this group is noted for its authenticity, they have appeared in many documentaries and historical feature films such as The Blue and the Gray, North & South, Glory, Gettysburg, Dances With Wolves, and Gods and Generals. To learn more about Kind and his Civil War and other presentations, head to webpages.charter.net/notnorm/arn.