Historic gun firing and ballistic gel fun!

        Hi everyone! In this week’s intern diaries my first entry will start off with a bang! And I do mean that literally!

                Monday morning I went to the local police department’s firing range with our Executive Director George.  We were going to be firing a replica 1850 rifle with realistically weighted molds of Civil War bullets into ballistic gel.  This exercise was broken into several parts. 

1.        Place realistic uniform fabrics from both Union and Confederate troops over the ballistic gel with lots of dirt and/or mud rubbed into the fabric.

2.        Fire bullets into the gel to see what sort of particulate if any is dragged through and if so how far.

3.        Evaluate the effects this could have had on the wounds and survivability of troops.

                We set the gel up at a fair distance from our firing point and pinned Union jacket, Union pant and Confederate coat replica materials to it.  Each had dirt rubbed into them and one had mud to represent first hand accounts of what uniforms sometimes looked like after a hard march.  We then moved a large wooden stand to help us ensure rifle accuracy and I watched as an ENORMOUS spider crawl off of  it and onto George.  I can’t remember ever seeing one so big in California but George remained calm and swatted it away into the grass.  Some staff at the museum think we saw a Wolf Spider and I suppose it does bears a resemblance.  After that hiccup we put in ear plugs, George loaded the rifle with a bullet and black powder that he then tapped down and I stepped back as he shot. 

                We walked to the gel and looked at and were a bit surprised.  The bullet traveled the entire length of the gel and had exited (that wasn’t a surprise) but the dirt went almost the whole length as well.  We had not expected it to go so far.  It was a distinct trail of dirt so there was no mistaking it either.  In the trail we also saw black powder and bits of fabric.  The exit site also had fabric on it so it travelled quite a distance since our gel was the width of an average male chest cavity! It was an exciting result for both of us! George fired another shot into the next section of fabric and we made note of the results.  He then asked if I wanted to fire the gun and I said yes!

                So he loaded the gun, showed me how to correctly hold it and where to look.  I did not aim into the gel so I shot into the dirt barricade.  I was very surprised at how easy it was since the gun has some weight to it (11 pounds to be exact) and there was no recoil.  I fired twice so that we could take a picture and video of it and also because it was FUN! I, a historian and intern, got to fire a gun for my museum job! It was awesome to hold the gun and watch the smoke and smell the air.  It’s hard to describe the experience since I’m so novice at it but under proper supervision of someone with firearm experience I recommend it!

Ready...aim...
  

                                                                          FIRE!

So many people assume that history is a stagnant subject that does not change and that my work will be dull but there are new things being discovered all the time and I am having fun! The Hunley, a Confederate submarine that sunk in 1864 was discovered just outside of Charleston Harbor in 1995! Being able to travel to different areas such as Harpers Ferry, Antietam or even historic Europe and see beautiful scenery and buildings is amazing.  The architecture is different and it almost transports you to that time.   Talking to people about how an object was used or how life was and explaining how that connects to our modern lives is also fun because seeing their interest and understanding grow are great feelings.  I really enjoy this work and I hope I continue to have a lot of great experiences here though I’m sure I will.  (Besides, a few friends of mine think shooting a replica rifle was super cool to do and wish they were out here too!)

                Anyway…after I took my shots George resumed shooting at the different cloths and we found the same result each time.  Each bullet entered and exited the ballistic gel and each one dragged dirt and other particulate like black powder through it with most leaving fabric on the exit site.  It was a surprising result but a thrilling one to see.  To think that the soldiers had all of that in their bodies while bleeding and in pain was a striking thought to me as I imagined them in the chaos of battle already dirty and then a surgeon trying to work through all that mess and trying to help them quickly and get to the next patient.  After we had finished the test we packed up, thanked the police for allowing us to use their gun range and went back to the museum.  We showed some of the staff the gel and discussed how we could use it as a teaching tool.  I’ve seen some docents already include the information in their tours.    George plans to take it down to the conference later this week in Georgia also.

                Anyway, that was my awesome adventure for the day so I’ll end it there.  Later!

Harpers Ferry

 Hello again everyone! Time for another thrilling installment about my time here as an intern as the National Museum of Civil War Medicine! It’s the end of my first week and now I am going to Harpers Ferry with Tom.  Yes, that Harpers Ferry.  The one John Brown led a raid on the arsenal in 1859, yep that one.  Tom offered to let me come along on this because he was going to be part of an educational immersive program that taught 5^th graders about the Battle of Harpers Ferry.  He was going to be teaching them about what battlefield medicine was like back then.  It was a great opportunity for me since I’m training to hopefully give tours on my own someday.

  John Brown as he would have appeared during the raid.

                We left the museum at 7am, Tom dressed as a Union surgeon and me in modern apparel.  I got a snazzy shirt with the museum logo on it though so who knows, maybe next time I’ll be in period wear.  When we left it was pretty overcast so as we drove the valleys and other areas I got to see the fog come sweeping in or hovering over fields.  It was beautiful and definitely picturesque as I imagined what had happened here in the past.  The homes and farms that dotted the route were also very nice.  What surprised me during the drive was that we passed through some parts of the state so quickly.  When we left Maryland we were only in Virginia for a minute before we were in West Virginia! I’m still getting used to the smaller states  sizes here since it would take me hours to leave California.  It might sound a little silly but I thought it was cool to be able to cut through states like that. 

                I was also really excited because Tom was pointing out landmarks to me such as the Potomac River.  I could see big rocks sticking out of the water but Tom told me that it was a little low at the moment but that the rains would make them invisible soon.  That river must be a sight to see when it is swollen with rain water.  It’s already so big and wide.  Soon after the Potomac we crossed the Shenandoah and then we arrived in Harpers Ferry.  Tom drove around, pointed out where Brown made his stand, where old buildings used to lie and other little facts about it.  I thought it might the smallest town I’ve seen.  With the fog, home built into the slope and nearby river it kind of reminded of the Russian River back home except those homes are wooden and there are Redwood trees.

Harpers Ferry.

                At the site we ran into a bunch of Tom’s old friends from National Park Services, helped set up some toy rifles and Tom’s medical knapsack with all of its blades and accoutrements.  The fog was pretty thick while we waited for the kids and the gnats were so thick I was CONSTANTLY batting and waving them away (bug spray didn’t seem to help abate them).  Tom said the motion was called the ‘Harpers Ferry wave.’ I’ve never seen so many gnats in my life and I spent most of the day trying to wave them off.  Soon enough the kids arrived and I watched them go through the different stations of learning commands, firing a rifle and even a cannon before reaching the surrender station.  Yeah, the Confederates had the Union surrounded here.  Right before they got to us though three of them were given cards with injuries.  They ranged from a flesh wound in the head to a shattered bone in the thigh.  It was supposed to be representative of some of the injuries a true Civil War soldier might have gotten and Tom was to explain and show how a surgeon back then would have treated them.  Those children would show Tom their “injuries” and he would “treat” them.

Yep, the Confederates had the Union surrounded.

                The kids would all crowd around our tent and watch what Tom was doing.  For the child with a flesh wound he explained, the surgeon would bandage him up and send him back out to battle because he was going to be okay.  Some kids really hammed it up and would jokingly scream about losing their beautiful faces.  It was pretty amusing to watch.  For the child who had the shattered thigh bone though, this was by far the more interesting procedure to learn about and watch the kids.  Tom would go “tsk tsk, I’m afraid that leg’ll have to go.” He would then loosely apply a tourniquet (it was never tightened so don’t worry) and then explain that there was anesthesia during the war.  Heck, it was discovered about thirty years before the war! In 98% of surgeries performed, either liquid Chloroform or powdered Ether was used so biting the bullet was a complete MYTH. Never happened.  A bullet in a patient’s mouth is either a choking hazard or they spit it out and scream.  Either way a bad idea and false.

WARNING: following paragraph may be disturbing to some readers!

                After anesthesia (usually Chloroform since Ether was potentially explosive in open flame) was used then the surgeon would use a knife to cut the skin and arteries away and pull them back with hooks.  My job was to hold up the Chloroform to show them the metal container it came in as well as the cone with a cloth that went over the patient’s face.  Tom often asked the kids what was the next step in amputation and without fail they would all shout out “Bone saw! Bone saw!” with anticipation. He would shake his head and say “No, before that?” and guide them to the right answer.  Then he would show them that the muscles and tendons are cut to reveal bone.  Tom then asked the kids what tool to use and they would scream “Bone saw! Bone saw!” Then he would take a giant saw off the table and they would gasp! He would pantomime cutting off the leg and filing down the bone smooth with an enormous file.  Then the arteries are pulled down and the skin sleeve he made in the beginning is pulled down over that before being sewn shut with silk or other thread with a needle to leave a stump behind.

A large bone saw in the top compartment with a tourniquet in the bottom left with knives.

Done with the graphic stuff! Onto the regularly scheduled blog…

Then Tom would explain that there was indeed medicine to help ease the pain and make the soldiers more comfortable.  Painkillers like Morphine did exist and soldiers did use it and other medicines for pain management.  The presentation ended there and then the kids would march off the next station about diseases soldiers encountered. 

                It was a lot of fun to see the kids learning about what kind of wounds soldiers could survive at the time and how they were treated.  They always got wide-eyed when they saw the big  wooden case full of knives, hooks and saws.  Most of them were very excited to see how they were used and were full of questions.  Even the chaperones had questions! The weather warmed up a lot in the afternoon so that I was able to see the Potomac from a distance as it wound around the area and even the gnats lessened.  It was a fantastic view with green mountains, trees, clear skies and the river flowing but I didn’t have my camera with me so no pictures I’m afraid.    

                The drive back the museum was nice because now I could see all the valleys and fields even better since the fog burned off.  It was mid-afternoon by then and I think it was equally nice both ways. With and without the fog both have a certain majesty.  I came back the museum very excited that I had been able to help Tom (even in a small way) with teaching medicine to the kids.  We had several people who were interested in coming and visiting the museum so that they could see even more which is great.  It was a fantastic way to spend a Friday.

Pry House Field Hosptial Museum and Antietam Battlefield

                Hi everyone! It is my third day here (9/24) at the museum and I’m already getting to leave the museum to explore the area around Frederick by going to Antietam today! I cannot believe my good luck because I will be going with Kyle and Lori the curator to assist them in putting together a new exhibit in the Pry House Field Hospital Museum.  I have never been to Antietam before so I am really excited to see the battlefield.  Movies and books can only get you so far when you read about troop formations or the lay of the land.  This is the real deal!

Pry House Field Hospital Museum

                First though Kyle, Lori and I put two big boxes filled with artifacts in her car and large posters in Kyles

.  Then there is a half hour long car ride to the Pry House Field Hospital Museum but it does not feel long or boring at all.  I am constantly looking at window enjoying the scenery because as we leave town I see rolling hills and pastures with beautiful houses, big and small, all around.  The foliage in trees is starting to change as well so it looks beautiful.  As we go towards Antietam Kyle is telling me the history of the area and how places received their names.  I learn that Braddock Heights is named for British General Edward Braddock and to a lesser degree our own George Washington (then Lieutenant Colonel) who used the mountain pass during the French and Indian War in 1755.  Kyle also tells me that during the Civil War there was a skirmish in this pass in 1862 involving J.E.B. Stuart, a Confederate general.

                I feel like this ride could have been really ordinary and quiet but Kyle is telling me how historical every inch of this road is.  I learn that even the route we have been on was historically an old road that has just been paved over with more modern pavement but that this is the road soldiers or people would use to travel to different towns.  We pass through Boonsboro where the author Nora Roberts lives and places some of her novels.  I find out that the town was named after some of Daniel Boones cousins.  We pass through Keedysville and soon find ourselves at the Pry House Field Hospital Museum. 

                It is an amazing house.  Two stories, a basement, attic and a barn.  All the rooms are large with enormous windows. When we arrive the ground is covered in giant Walnut husks so I dodge those as we make our way to the unassuming door.   Lori and Kyle tell me that much of the house is original still even though the war ended a 150 years ago.  We eat lunch downstairs in the gift shop which used to a dining room originally and then go upstairs to put the exhibits together.  While they prepare the bases for the exhibits in one room I explore the other second floor room.  It is set up to resemble a scene from when Major General Israel Bush Richardson was lying injured there after the Battle of Antietam.  Mannequins and other bedroom items like a crib, nightstand, and a water pitcher are around the room.  I read the information on a sign and find out that President Abraham Lincoln had been in this room to see Major General Richardson! I could not believe it! Lincoln had been in this house! The house that Kyle and Lori said was largely original! That meant the Pine floors (with the exception of a few rooms) were Pine floors Lincoln had been on! That Major General George McClellan had walked on! Sorry to nerd out but it was definitely blowing my mind.  I think it is because I am from California so I read about where these battles were or these people walked but I don’t see it with my own eyes so there is a degree of separation.  Kyle and Lori probably laughed at me a little because I was like a kid in a candy shop with the thought that Lincoln and McClellan had been on these floors and rooms and see the views I had. 

                After I stopped acting like a historic fangirl we got to business.  We were setting up an exhibit about medicine so we VERY carefully unwrapped bottles, needles and other items.  Lori, with her white curator gloves, unwrapped a Quinine canteen and a surgeon’s backpack chest and placed them carefully on the tables.  As I unwrapped the bottles I tried to be as careful as possible.  I placed each one gingerly on tables with the occasional pause to watch what Kyle and Lori were doing as they handled the more rare items.  Once everything was unwrapped they began to discuss what should  go on each respective table so that everything fit and looked aesthetically pleasing.  I stood back behind them and sometimes spoke up if I thought something was a little crooked or hard to view.  After about a half hour both tables were arranged and labeled.  We put the signs up, gave the room a final look and declared it done. 

The Quinine canteen was my favorite artifact.

 One part of the exhibit nearly done,

                What happened next was really neat.  We went up from the second floor the third into the attic.  Pry House had the roof redone recently so there were nails sticking out every few inches so I walked with my head VERY low.  We followed a path to the back because everyone mentioned there was a hatch in the roof that could be used.  We took the hatch off then I climb up a step ladder and stuck my upper body out.  I could see for miles around.  Antietam was all around me.  I was getting a fantastic view with green rolling hills, pastures, trees and animal sounds.  I could not believe it.  A California girl is sticking out of a roof in a farmhouse that was used as a hospital and McClellan’s headquarters during the Battle of Antietam (where Lincoln had also visited)  to get this amazing view.  After I got down both Lori and Kyle climbed up to look around and we took some more pictures. 

View from the roof of Pry House.

                Later on we went downstairs where I learned that the cabinets and fireplace in the kitchen were also original.  That house is in great shape.  We left since our business was done, waved goodbye to National Park Services.  I imagined we would head back to the museum but Kyle offered to give me a quick tour of the battlefield so of course I said yes! We drove a few minutes while he drove around the perimeter explaining the formations of the troops, setting the scene for the battle.  He explained which troops stood on which ridges and who commanded them.  We stopped at the Bloody Cornfield  while he explained more formations and what happened there.  Then we traveled to the Bloody Lane.  I could not believe I was standing there.  Whenever I’ve imagined Antietam this is the place I’ve seen.  It’s always shown in pictures, it’s what people talk about to the point that this has become representational of the entire place.  While I was there Kyle explained the battle some more and the significance of this place.  Then we traveled onto Burnside’s Bridge where he pointed the Confederate sharpshooter spaces and explained that portion of the battle. They used spaces near the bridge where rock had been removed to position themselves.   Antietam Creek is very pretty this time of year though it was large enough I think it could be a river. 

The Bloody Lane.

Burnside's Bridge.

                Then we drove back the museum where I worked with Jenna downstairs in guest services.  She showed me some more of the computer system and we spoke with visitors.  It was a quiet but happy ending to a very exciting day for me.

First Impressions of hte National Museum of Civil War Medicine

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

First Impressions of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine

                Welcome to my blog! I have never blogged before but I am really excited to be able to tell everyone about my experiences here at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine as an intern.  I suppose I should start by saying my name is Jenn and I came here to Maryland all the way from northern California.  I just graduated with my BA in History and a minor in Literature.  I have always had a passion for the Civil War since I was a child.  I’ve read tons of books, written papers on it and gone to reenactments with my dad whenever possible (though we don’t have many out in California).  I also wrote my senior research thesis on women nurses during the war so I am thrilled to finally be close to all the historical action!

                One of the first things I noticed about Frederick was just how different the architecture is here compared to California.  Everything here is built from brick.  I have never seen so much brick in all my life! Even my bedroom her e has an exposed brick wall! The houses are so nice though with their cute little fronts.  I feel like I am almost in a movie since that is the only time I have seen houses this way.  My home here is a 100 year old house and I love hearing all the quirks and facts about the neighborhood.  Would you believe that until I moved here I had never been in a basement or an attic? It’s true.

                My first days here at the museum were fantastic.  I was pretty nervous though and showed up a half hour early just to be on the safe side.  The museum itself is three stories with two floor of exhibits, a library, collections room and offices on the third floor.  When I came in Jo introduced me to various people on the staff such as George (who used to reenact with my senior advisor at school actually), April, Meg, Kyle, Tom and Jenna (just a small sampling).  I got a tour of the exhibits from Tom where I gasped and oo’d over things like surgery equipment, bullets, hardtack, Clara Barton’s trunk bed and the surgeon’s tent.  Museums in California just don’t have these sorts of things so I was over the moon to be viewing these artifacts for the first time.  I have only read about these places and items but here I was, 3,000 miles from California, with this great opportunity.  I think I could have floated home because I was so excited and happy.

                I cannot wait to see what great things I get to do here because I am ready to go!