“Keep fighting,” said Connor Raskin to rally his Union troops, “and we’re going to free the slaves,” he added, his false beard a clear sign of his portrayal of the nation’s 16th president.

Photo by Robert Spallone.

The American Civil War was a dark part of United States history, but as many SCVi facilitators noted, it’s important for students to fully understand its effect.

“I hope they take away a deeper understanding of what life was like in the civil war,” said  Lisa Latimer, Santa Clarita Valley International’s (SCVi) kindergarten through eighth-grade director. “It’s not about the dates and the places as it is about the lives and what the soldiers went through, and what life was like on both sides.”

The quaint setting of the classroom changed for SCVi eighth-graders Thursday, as they left their textbooks behind for muskets in an American Civil War re-enactment at the grounds of Rancho Camulos Museum.

Rancho Camulos Museum, located in Piru, has been used for the recreation due in part to some of the museums buildings, which date as far back as the 1800s and creates a more authentic atmosphere, according to Keith Faulkner, an eighth-grade history facilitator at SCVi.

The students spent nearly three months learning about the history surrounding the war to prepare for the fourth annual Civil War Living History field with mock battles and trials, according to Faulkner.

“While this event is really awesome and it’s huge and lots of people come out and say how wonderful it is, I wish they got to see all the hard work, stress and anxiety — the process of creating this event,” said Faulkner.

Students also spent time creating fictional personas, and attendees were invited to ask them questions. The preparation is aimed helping them understand how lives were affected during the era.

Photo by Robert Spallone.

Students even adopted accents to create a more authentic transformation in time, replying with “sir” and calling each other “blue-bellies” to insult Union soldiers.

Some students decided to create their own clothes and moulded their own replica guns, according to Faulkner.

“Every year, it has got increasingly better,” said Kari Hewitt, an SCVi parent. “Last year was an amazing event and this year is even better still.”