Blog Post: June 29

Most of our time on June 29th was spent on the bus; it was a big travel day for the OSNV crew. We used some of the bus time to reflect on our experiences and the experiences of Civil War soldiers.

Lorie S.
OSNV is a one in a lifetime experience. How many people can say they traveled to many historical sites in 12 different states within the time of two weeks? I've even watched the sun set from the to of the St. Louis Arch! We have stayed in tents for more than half of the time. How amazing this trip is! A challenge Civil War soldiers faced was the lack of uniforms and wet gun powder. The experience of camping has helped me understand the life of a CW soldier because of the temperature and conditions that the soldiers slept in.

Erika
My experience at this year's OSNV camp has been great. We've been to nine of the twelve states that we planned to go see. So far, we've camped out four nights (all but one at a KOA campsite), once in a hotel and one in the University of Kentucky dorms. Along the way we've been to museums, battle sites and best of all, a water park! We have so much more to do in such little time. It will be fun. Many Civil War soldiers had troubles such as bad hygiene, bad communication and uniforms and flags that didn't match. Camping out every night has helped me see how hard life as a soldier is.

Lissette D.
I would summarize my OSNV experience so far by telling you that it has been fun. The most fun thing so far has got to be staying in the hotel. I had lots of fun! Some of the challenges facing the Civil War soldiers are that if it rained their gunpowder would get wet and they wouldn't be able to use it. Also if their horse got shot they would be out of luck. The experience of camping each night helped me assume my role as a Civil War soldier by putting myself into that person's shoes.

Alexis
I would say that through these six days of being on the road, I have had the best adventure ever and I can't wait for what the week will bring later on. I would hope to have an awesome time! My experience has made me think about the life of Civil War soldiers because if it rained their gun powder would get wet and messed up. I also learned that the soldiers sometimes did not have matching uniforms even on the same side. I've also learned that soldiers really had it tough and they were very brave and very aware of what they were doing for their country. I want to be like them.

Katie
So far everything in my OSNV experience has been really fun. I really liked going to the water park and going down the slides. I also LOVED the boat and the night we slept at the University of Kentucky. Some challenges facing Civil War soldiers were poverty and mismatched uniforms. It was also very hot and sometimes water wasn't easy to find. This experience has helped me understand why the soldiers felt and how hard it is to sleep on the ground.

Cheyene M.
This experience has been very fun and interesting learning about Civil War history. One of the challenges facing the Civil War soldiers was that sometimes they didn't have the right supplies. Camping each night has helped mt to see what it was like to be a soldier.

Skyler
My OSNV trip has been fun so far. I have made a lot of friend and had new experiences. This is a once in a lifetime chance. Some Civil War soldiers were facing food shortages, communication problems, and non-matching uniforms. Wearing wool was difficult in the summer and if your horse was shot you fell on the ground. When it rained your gunpowder got wet and was useless. This experience helps me to understand how hard it was to be a soldier.

Mandi B.
OSNV has been ve3ry fun. We went to the water park and camped outside. We also went to the St. Louis Arch and sang a lot. Some of the problems facing Civil War soldiers were communication problems, problems with their gunpowder and they had to walk a lot. I now understand how hard it was to be a soldier and how much we have to work together.

Jensen M.
OSNV has been so much fun. We are making new friends, learning a lot, and having an awesome time. The camping is tons of fun and the bus rides are awesome. There were many challenges faced by Civil War soldiers: not enough food, running out of water, rain, heat, communication problems, and different uniforms (they didn't know who was on which side). This experience has taught me that camping is fun on the first night but after a while it is a pain. It helps me appreciate what I have. The soldiers had it tough. I would hate to camp out every night.

Jessee U.
I would summarize my OSNV experience so far as exciting and fun, and I am glad that I came. Civil War soldiers challenges were mismatched uniforms, wet gunpowder This experience has heped me understand how the soldiers slept and what they would do during the day.

Claudia M.
My experience at OSNV is amazing because traveling across 2/3 of the country is awesome! Some of the challenges that Civil War soldiers faced were that they couldn't get their gunpowder wet and their uniforms were very hot. This experience has made me feel like a soldier becuase I'm camping at the same places the soldiers camped.

Sissi
My experiences so far have been very fun. I have made tons of new friends! We've been to tons of new places that I haven't been before. It's a great opportunity and very fun. One challenge Civil War soldiers faced was having no toilet paper or showers so they would be unsanitary [Editor's note: But would they have missed it? Modern toilet paper was only invented in the late 1850s.]. Also weather would be a problem because the weather is unexpected. The experience of camping each night has helped me understand what Civil War soldiers went through.

Jade
This trip has been fun, exciting and long. During the Civil War, soldiers faced communication problems and the problem of not having the same uniforms. This trip has taught me how soldiers lived every day.

Taylor R.
I would summarize my OSNV trip like this: I have had fun on our trip and I have made lots of friends. The bus rides are long but I can have fun with friend when we are driving. I really like camping but all the bugs keep me up. I like the food that we are eating. All of the information we are learning is cool and fun to listen to. I'm a little homesick but I am really glad that I cam on this once in a lifetime trip. Some challenges that Civil War soldiers faced were the lack of communication and supplies, different uniforms and similar flags that made battle confusing. Camping each night has helped me understand the life of CW soldiers by making me think about how the soldiers felt only having a blanket and clothes -- no tents.

Eledina
I would summarize my OSNV trip by talking about all the fun things that I did. A challenge faced by Civil War soldiers was that it took a long time to load their gun. Because of this trip I have learned to act different and put myself in a soldier's shoes.

Pilar D.
My experience so far at OSNV is an experience that I"ll never get a chance to do again. It is so fun and cool. Challenges face by Civil War soldiers include non-matching uniforms and and communication problems. My experiences of camping each night help me assume my role as a Civil War soldier because I can be in their shoes. My play also helped because I stepped into the role of a slave.

Devyn
My experience at OSNV has been very interesting and I want to keep learning. SOme soldiers didn't have uniforms, food, weapons and horses, which was a big challenge for them. This trip has helped me understand the soldiers struggles in the Civil War. They had to sleep in tents and carry the tents and all the stuff they brought with them.

Jerveil
My experience so far has been great and exciting. Also it has been informative. One of the challenges that the soldiers had to face was not running out of suplies and not getting insured. This experience has helped me understand the life of a Civil War soldier because I know more about their lives and I can teach someone else now.

Issac
On day1 we were at Glorieta Pass, on day 2 we went to Honey Springs, on day 3 we went to wilson's creek/St. Louis Arch, day 4 we went to the Spirit of Jefferson ship. Soldiers faced the challenge of lack of food and water, injuries, diseases and wet supplies. Sleeping outside has helped me to understand the life of a Civil War soldier.

Nathaniel
My experience has been amazing so far and I think it will get better as we go along on this fun trip. The soldiers faced gangrene, being shot and never seeing their families again. Camping has made me understand the life of a soldier because I know the soldiers didn't get to sleep in beds and they had to make their own fun.

Tommy T.
My experiences so far at OSNV have been great because I love to learn about history. Some of the challenges soldiers faced were eating bad food and drinking bad water. They also had to wear wool uniforms every day. This experience has helped me to understand everyday life for soldiers.

Bennett T.
Glorietta Pass was really fun. Honey Springs was also fun but it was a little humid. St. Louis was cool and the arch was breathtaking. Louisville was really neat. Soldiers faced challenges including disease, hunger, water shortages and the enemy. Camping has helped me to know that the soldiers slept under the stars.

Austyn J.
My experiences so far have been awesome and fun! A challenge that soldiers faced was that sometimes they got mixed up because of mis-matched uniforms. This trip helps me learn how soldiers lived.

Anthony G.
On this trip so far I have seen many places and battlefields. Soldiers faced the challenges of camping and a lack of medicine and food. This trip has taught me what being a soldier was like because I'm doing what people in the old days did.

Coleton B.
I liked going to the arch and camping in the tents on the battlefields best on this OSNV trip. One challenge that Civil War soldiers faced was that they had to walk all day for weeks. This trip has helped me understand their lives becasue we are not sleeping in beds most of the time.

Lanny M.
I have had a lot of fun at this camp. Challenges that Civil War soldiers faced were illness and battle wounds. I have learned that soldiers had to work very hard.

Jared E.
I love the camp because I see a lot of my friends that live far away. Civil War soldiers faced diseases and loss of supplies. They were also hungry a lot. This trip has taught me that soldiers had it hard when they were putting up tents.

Fernando
This OSNV trip is awesome! I am really enjoying it. One challenge that Civil War soldiers faced was having to get all of their supplies ready. After being on this trip I now know a lot about being a soldier.

Tristan H.
OSNV is fun and we've seen a lot of stuff! The life of a soldier was challenging because they had to camp in the wilderness and make their own food. Putting up my own tent in the dark has taught me what it might be like to be a Civil War soldier.