"BE PREPARED"  THE NMCWM AND BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

                                                 
For one hundred years the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have lived under the motto: “Be Prepared.” When Lord Robert Baden-Powell, BSA founder, was asked what a boy should be prepared for he said simply “anything!” For this reason, Boy Scouts have always stressed training in first aid, evacuation of the injured from wilderness areas and sanitation in and out of camp. This summer the Museum is helping to put a historical perspective on these important issues for Scouts from the National Capitol Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Scouts attending the Goshen Scout Reservation camps near Lexington, VA, are now being treated to programs on evacuation, camp diseases, first aid, sanitation and Civil War surgery. The Museum hopes to present these programs to over 200 scouts and scouters from the Washington, DC, region during the course of the summer. So far the response has been overwhelming. None of the units that have been a part of the program were aware of the Civil War roots of modern medical care. They have been especially interested in the advent of aid stations as a precursor to modern first aid and the development of an organized ambulance system. In addition to lectures and demonstrations, the boys have been involved in stretcher carries and triage exercises. Despite the good physical condition of many of them, they were amazed at how difficult it is to carry a human body for more than 100 yards. They were also deeply moved by the difficulty of making the life and death triage decisions such as those that were made by physicians after every battle. This emotional and physical link to our Civil War past is building an experience that will help these boys understand the real importance of Civil War medicine in the future. It is also helping drive home the importance of the Boy Scout motto as it related to first aid.

THE ANTIETAM EARLY BANJO CONFERENCE
AND THE PIEDMONT FOLK LEGACY

                                      
In the fall of 2006, the Museum sponsored the Antietam Early Banjo Conference. This unique conference was dedicated to current scholarship relating to the construction, playing style and musical interpretation of the banjo as it existed from 1800 to the end of the Civil War. Despite bitterly cold temperatures and gale force winds, the conference attracted over thirty scholars and performers from thirteen states and some seventy hearty spectators. The Museum is proud to announce that due to the success of the first event and by popular request the Second Annual Antietam Early Banjo Conference has been scheduled for September 14, 15 and 16, 2007. We are equally pleased to announce that this year’s event will be co-sponsored by the North Carolina-based Piedmont Folk Legacy. This non-profit organization is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the banjo and is looking to found the nations first banjo museum of national scope. Together our two institutions will work to preserve the sounds and traditions of the banjo as it was known to the soldiers and civilians of the Civil War. Many people have questioned why the National Museum of Civil War Medicine would sponsor such an event. The answer is pretty simple. In our mission statement, we acknowledge that Civil War medicine did not grow and evolve in a vacuum but rather in a time of profound economic, social, political and cultural turmoil. Music has always been a part of both our society and our culture, and the banjo was a major part of the social and cultural changes that took place in the period from 1843 to 1861. The banjo was the most popular instrument of the 19th century, and, as such, the soldiers, sailors, marines and civilians of the Civil War were as influenced by the new sound of American music as our current generations have been by rock and roll and the electric guitar. In addition, music attracts many visitors that might otherwise not see the Museum or hear our mission. Events like this give us an opportunity to show off our facilities and pass along small tidbits of medical information. Last year we had a lecture on the use of medicine as a morale builder in hospitals. This year we will be looking at songs and banjo tunes that give us a glimpse into period attitudes about medicine and medical practitioners. Songs like “The Invalid Corps” help us understand how comic stage performers interpreted medicine to the audiences of the day. These jokes, in turn, allow us to understand prejudices in much the same way future historians might look to Jay Leno to understand popular humor and society opinions about today’s politicians. With the cooperation of the Piedmont Folk Legacy, this event will be bigger and better than last year. We certainly hope you can all attend the Saturday evening public concert. All concert proceeds will benefit the NMCWM Education Department.