Viewfinder: The Civil "Sponge" War

When you look around town, what do you see?

Every week, we'll highlight people, places and events around Vienna in this spot.

Last week, sixth graders at took a trip back in time with a full day dedicated to activities that recreate the Civil War, a tie-in to their unit on the time period in their history classes.

They wrote letters taking on 1860s personalities; visited a chuck wagon where they sampled beans and beef jerky; visited a Civil War hospital and witnessed a contrived amputation; and had a photo shoot in the style of Matthew Brady.

But the highlight for many students was a sponge war. Divided into the Union and the Confederacy, students used sponges to recreate battle grounds. Inbetween, teacher Kevin Garrahan lectured students about different battles and encouraged them to look around and get just a taste of what such widespread destruction would look like.

To get a glimpse of the day, click through our photo gallery in the media player above.