Why Klamath Needs History

The Battle

The air is thick with smoke. The boom from the cannons shakes the ground. The reverberation in the air could be felt from miles away. With battle cries and rifles hoisted high, the soldiers rush into battle. Their heavy woolen blue coats seem to slow them down as they rush towards the gray and brown coats at the end of the field. In temperatures of 90 degrees or more, the gray coats took shelter in the shade of a large tree, watching the blues coming towards them. Nearby in the bushes stood their ally, a Cherokee warrior fully dressed in the tradition of his proud people. Off to the side are brightly colored creole soldiers from the Louisiana infantry, who are crying insults and taunts at the blue coats as they fire their long rifles. Infuriated, the blue coats rushed grays under the tree, where they met their "deaths." 

The South has one this day, but there are many other battles to be won. 

This weekend, the Cascade Civil War Society hosted an event out at Moore park, with historic camp life and battle reenactments. Despite participating in one of the most event-packed weekends of Klamath Falls, they had a decent turnout. With over 40 reenactors of all ages and a camp life that consisted of a medical demonstration, blacksmith tent, and a few time-period vendors, this was a great opportunity for an education experience about the time period in America known as "The Civil War."

The War

Any historian can tell you that the Civil War, from 1861-1865, was the bloodiest conflict that America has ever seen. With over 900,000 causalities on the Confederate side and an estimated 1.2 million for the Union, there were more deaths in this war that any other conflict combined. Why were their so many causalities, and what made this fratricide - brother against brother - so deadly? Why is this even important, it did happen, after all, over 150 years ago. But there are few very important things we can learn about our own society from the Civil War. 


1. Medical Advances: While the world of the 1860's was before antibiotics, antiseptics, and theories of how germs spread, the Civil War is responsible for huge leaps of medical advancement, including issues with pain management and the role of surgery triage. With so many patients flying into hospital wards, doctors had to learn more about the drugs they were using, and how to quickly and efficiently treat the wounded. 

2. The Roles of Women: Before the Civil War, the term "nurse" was synoptic with "prostitute". In many cases, they had no knowledge, no experience, and were typically abused by the troops. In 1861, Abraham Lincoln created the Sanitary Commission, where women could provide specific help to the soldiers - even if they weren't on the battlefield. The brace women of the Sanitary Commission arranged "mercy ships" to rescue dying soldiers from the front lines of battle, and we responsible for making quilts, soap, and food to send to the soldiers in need. Never before had so many women been involved in the war effort, and this practice even continues today with soldiers stationed abroad.

3. The Roles of Children: over 300 Northern soldiers were under age 13, having lied about their age to join what seems like a glamorous adventure. A few boys were even under 10 years of age! For the most part, younger children were musicians or drummer boys. Their fatality rate was very high, as they were usually responsible for leading the troops into battle. A few boys even served as heroes, using nothing by their bluff skills and non-weapons to capture enemy soldiers! (You can read about their adventures here.) After the war, however, the military realized that lying about age was a problem, and realized they need tighter registration restrictions. 

Klamath Kulture

So, by now you are probably wondering how this ties in with Klamath Falls, Oregon. Oregon, where the only effects of the Civil War were small skirmishes, feelings of dissent, and trouble with the local Native Americans. The Civil War was a country away back then, and the fighting and deaths didn't seem real. 

Klamath Falls is steeped in rich history of Oregon. As a stop on the Applegate Trail, we have seen many different cultures pass through out town in the last 150 years. We have seen names changed, lakes created, and building erected, burned down, and built again. We made it through the years of racism and inequality, and have come out still standing strong.

Wouldn't it be great to have one day a year when we celebrate our community? With men, women, and children in period dress that strolls the streets of main? What an awesome tourism event this could be! By bringing together Klamath Kulture and displaying it out loud, we could demonstrate how important our town is to us. 

Please join The 13th Floor for our new edition on August 13th, Klamath Kulture, and examine the rich history we have in our past, as well as our future. 

And while you're at it, please see our friends over at the Cascade Civil War Society. They could use your love and your bodies - for reenactments, silly! - to be a part of living history, and keep the memories of this important American event alive.