Tom Maute gets mixed reactions Tuesday from Sherman Elementary fourth-graders as he shows them tobacco similar to what was used by soldiers during the Civil War. Each fourth-grade class represented a particular company of the 45th Illinois Infantry during the special history project, “A Day in the Life of a Soldier.” Maute, a staff member for the Vicksburg Warren School District, volunteered to help the students get a close-up lesson on the war, artillery and some of the soldiers’ habits. (The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)