Interestingly enough Jim in 1961 I was in the 5th grade. This was when I was 10 going on to 11 years old. Because of the interest in the centennial of the Civil War a number of now "Politically incorrect" toys were on the market, including Kepi's, Confederate play money, of which I still have $4,000 face value worth and such.

My favorite toy was a musket with a Rubber Bayonet that you could put on and take off. It even had cork round balls that you could put down the barrel muzzleloading style and a ramrod to push it to the breech. You then put a greene stickum cap on the rear and when you pulled the trigger the hammer would fall and discharge the cap which sent the cork ball flying.

They still sell a version of those muskets at re-enactments today. But not nearly as detailed and the one I had. Today's toy musket don't shoot cork balls and have rubber bayonets.

Anyway recess time was nothing like they are today. Our teachers would allow the kids to bring toys to school if we kept them in the coat closet until recess. So all of us boys had our cap guns to play Cowboys and Indi... opps native americans. Except I played Rebs and Yanks leading bayonet charges across the play ground field. Can you imagine what would happen now days if a kid brought a toy gun onto a school bus and take it into a classroom, let alone playing on a playground with it?

And no in my mind then the Rebs always won.

Do you remember that one of the first TV serial in the late 1950's was a show called "the Gray Ghost" in which the main charactor was John Singleton Mosby?

Times they do change.

Now as for Franks question, it depended on who was doing what. We changed roles at Reader Railroad because the paying tourista would get into the game. Sometimes the yanks would ambush the train and rob the gentlemen and ladies and the rebs would rescue them. Or the yanks would be riding as train guards and the rebs attack the train. Sometimes the yanks won and sometimes they didn't. We rebs would never rob the passengers. We could do pretty much do what ever we wanted to if it entertained the passengers and that was the whole point.

But it was a unique experience to ride on the front of the cowcatcher of a steam locomotive as it rambled and bumped down the tracks.