1861-1865 Civil War Service
Preserving their Memory and Educating the Public since 1982
Each year Reynolds' Battery participates in a variety of school day events as well as individual reenactors attending school or educational programs. School day events happen at the school with a number of stations created to teach various aspects of both the war and civilian efforts to support the war. The Battery offers many stations including: camp life, musicians, recruitment station, information on cannons, blacksmith, farmers wife, sutlery and the Ladies Aid Society. Some of these events included: Romulus Central School, Springville Middle School, Pioneer Central Middle School, Orchard Park Middle School, and Genesee Country Museum Summer Camp.
For more information on scheduling a school day event, please contact the Educational Coordinator.
Educational Events
Reynolds’ Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery is chartered by the NY State Board of Education with the stated purpose and objectives to inform, instruct and educate the public as to the life and trials of a Civil War Artillery soldier during the 1860's.
Cannon
At this station we teach about the range, shells, and what it took to move and fire a 3 Inch Ordnance Rifle. A firing demonstration is often included in the day.
Blacksmith
Reynolds' Battery presents Blacksmithing demonstrations for Living History Events using a hand built replica of the 1849 version of a traveling forge which was attached to each Artillery Battery during the Civil War.
Infantry
The Infantry was the main branch of the military which did the bulk of the fighting in the civil war. Rather than having the luxuries of an Artilleryman or Cavalryman, we had to carry everything on our person, hence our primitive camp and many belts, and fought on the front lines, shoulder to shoulder, with rifled muskets.
Medical
Shown on the Amputee Table are a Roll-Up Amputee Kit, a Bone Saw, a Tourniquet and a Stethoscope. These were all basic tools of a surgeon.
Camp Life
War wasn't all fighting. Learn what is was like to live in a camp with 70,000 men and horses, about the food- beef and smoked pork, and of course coffee, and how important letters from home were to the soldiers.
Camp Music
Gen. Robert E. Lee once said that “There would be no army without music.” What I do in this section is perform songs that would have been sung by the soldiers: songs that bolstered their spirits, that reflected their feelings, and songs that for a short time helped them to forget the war.
Ladies Aid Society
What do sardines, beeswax and quilts have in common? Learn about the ways ladies aided the war effort thru creative, unusual and humorous endeavors.
Sutlery
A traveling store that followed the soldiers. Their prices were high because of the risk and the high price of goods during the war, but this often made the soldiers angry.