Photo Contributed
After a five year hiatus, Troop 30 of Centreville returned to the Battlefield of Antietam for a history-filled campout before the holidays. The Troop 30 Committee Chair and self-proclaimed Civil War historian Mitch Simmons first introduced the Scouts to the life of a Civil War Union soldier during a troop meeting. He then instructed the volunteer in close order drill movements for the Scouts to have an appreciation for how a replica 1861 Springfield musket would be carried on the march and the steps in its loading. Simmons led the 16 Scouts and 5 adults through a 10-mile hike where they discussed key movements and aspects of the battle. They covered each component of the critical battle that marked the single bloodiest day in America’s military history with a combined loss of over 22,000 killed, wounded, and missing/captured. The Scouts of Troop 30 are in or rising students in the pyramids for Westfield High School, Centreville High School, Chantilly High School, and home-school. Contact troop30scoutmaster@gmail.com about getting a son involved in Scouting.