"This event is a great chance for us to continue the Frontier Army Days event. We have eight groups of students ranging from 22 to 60 from Walters, Sterling, Lawton and other area schools. We're expecting about 640 students today," said Frank Siltman, Fort Sill museum services director. "They are rotating through each of our demonstration stations: infantry, artillery, cavalry, surgeons, laundry and the guardhouse. We also have a new event, a schoolmarm demonstrating how frontier games were played."
One of most popular demonstrations was the firing of a Civil War-era cannon. Zane Mohler, Army FA Museum display specialist, was part of the four-man gun detachment.
"We're shooting blanks out of a reproduction 1841 six-pound smooth bore cannon. The crew functions just like today's gun crews, except we're loading from the front, and modern guns load from the back," Mohler said. "I think the kids are getting a lot out of the demonstration, because they see how we operate. They have many questions about what things are and why we do certain things. Many kids aren't familiar with Fort Sill and don't know much about artillery."
Another popular event was the Buffalo Soldier demonstration in front of the cavalry barracks. Students saw how the all-black 9th and 10th horse cavalry regiment lived, on post and on the plains. The students were especially interested in the horses the Buffalo Soldiers rode when they were on patrol, which could last seven to 10 days.
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Cherry, dressed as a corporal in a Buffalo Soldier uniform, explained to the students how Soldiers lived when they were out on patrol.
"This is how they set up their tents, and what kind of weapons they carried. These weapons you see were specifically designed for the cavalry. They were lightweight with short barrels and were easily managed from the back of a horse," Cherry said.
"I like being able to talk about the Buffalo Soldiers, whom a lot of these kids aren't aware of. We're here to portray the Soldiers who were part of this period and helped shape life on the frontier."
The infantry demonstration station showed how regular Soldiers lived. Cal Kinzer, a museum volunteer, explained to students from Walters Elementary School the essential equipment of frontier-era Soldiers.
"The rifles that Soldiers had during this time were not as accurate as modern weapons, but they were a great improvement over what they had in the War of 1812, a little over 55 years earlier," Kinzer said. "The earlier muskets fired round ammunition and weren't as accurate as rifles after the Civil War, which used bullets more like modern ones."
He also explained how a rubberized poncho served many purposes, from being half of a waterproof tent, to a tarp that protected all of a Soldier's equipment. With their rifle, blanket and other supplies, a Soldier would carry about 35-40 lbs. of equipment, said Kinzer.
Next to the infantry demonstration was one that showed an every day part of frontier life, doing the laundry at Fort Sill, which Lori Siltman explained to the students.
"When we did laundry for the Soldiers, the Army took it right out of their pay and gave it to us. When we did the officer's laundry, they paid us directly. Married officers paid about $4 dollars a month and single officers paid us about $2 a month," said Lori Siltman. "Not only did we do the laundry, but we did the ironing."
After the laundry demonstration, Fiona Bennett, a fourth grader from Sterling elementary, tried on Siltman's bonnet. "It's very comfy! It helps on hot, windy days," Bennett said while wearing the bonnet. "The best part of the day has been when they shoot off the artillery cannon. That was great!"
"Frontier Army Days gives the students some hands-on history, which is really the most important part. They can read about history in books, hear about it in a classroom, and they can see it on display in museums, but here they can touch it and feel it. That's really what it is all about," said Lori Siltman.
Social Sharing