Fourth-grade students at Valley Intermediate School recently participated in a Civil War living history day.

Samantha Winn, a fourth-grader whose father, Barry, is a Civil War reenactor, suggested her fellow students would enjoy learning about history outside of a book.

Nineteen Civil War reenactors from all over the state brought the life and times of a soldier during the Civil War alive for these students, who have been learning about this interesting part of America’s history.

The students learned about the different types of uniforms worn by the soldiers on both sides.

They listened to Civil War music from a fiddle as they learned about the life of a soldier in the infantry – how they slept, ate and what they carried with them in their haversack.

They also learned the difference between mounted and dismounted cavalry, and the many different aspects of cavalry life.

VIS students discovered what life was like for a child that grew up during Civil War times. They played games and saw toys of that time.

However, the most excited part of the day was when the artillery unit demonstrated the 12-pound cannon and the loud sounds that it makes when fired. Debbie Horton, VIS assistant principal, delighted the students as she fired the cannon.