On Feb, 11, the president of the African American 10th Calvary Regiment, Cpl. Turner, came to Communication & Media Arts High School to inform students about life back during the Civil War.
Cpl. Turner had Mary-Anne Singleton speak on the Underground Railroad quilts and how the quilts gave signals to the passengers.
“I found it interesting that the slaves used the blue quilts to signal information to each other regarding what time they’ll be heading to the Underground Railroad,” said Raya Ghist.
Their “conductors” (those who lead the Underground Railroad passengers to freedom) to alert others the safety of an area or even dangerous animals around. After Singleton spoke, the president came and told students about weaponry at war.
First, he taught about bayonets that are triangular knives that could not only cut, but left a hole in your body.
“I learned the attachments and the function of the rifle and I found it interesting how the bayonet works,” said Devon Young.
Though they weren’t used often, they caused heavy damage and were hard to recover from. He spoke about the different positions to hold the rifle and the different commands that go along with it. He also told us about how the pay differed by their skin color. Colored people made $7 after rations and whites made $13 after rations.
