The Life of a Civil War Soldier

Barbara J. Sanders

Reprinted from the OAH Magazine of History
16 (Winter 2002). ISSN 0882-228X
Copyright (c) 2002, Organization of American Historians
 

There are a number of national parks, state historical societies, and other public history organizations that can and want to assist classroom teachers in meeting their curriculum objectives with items and activities that are theme- or site-specific and that enhance the textbook. The following lesson plan is based on the theory and concepts of Gettysburg National Military Park's "Life of a Civil War Soldier" traveling trunk program, which loans materials and lesson plans to schools across the country. The demand far exceeds our supply, and so the following article is a "recipe" for creating and presenting a trunk of Civil War materials to your own class, year after year. Most of our trunks, and the following activities, are targeted toward a fifth-grade class, but could easily be adapted to classrooms from third through eighth grade.

Through experiences with all five of the senses, the daily life of a soldier can be reconstructed for students, personalizing the study of the Civil War.

The goal of the traveling trunk is to provide multisensory experiences surrounding the daily life of a Civil War soldier, thereby instilling interest in, and understanding of, the American Civil War and the soldier's experience.

1. To identify several of a soldier's clothing articles and accoutrements (sight).

2. To sing a song from the Civil War era and translate its meaning (sound).

3. To follow basic drill commands for a Civil War company (feeling).

4. To describe the taste of hardtack and identify other staples of a soldier's diet (taste and smell).

5. To personally identify with at least one soldier through his writings of camp and battle (emotions).

6. To combine all these experiences into a picture of the daily camp life of a Civil War soldier.

1. An old trunk.

2. Uniform items (sack coat, trousers, brogans, blouse, kepi).

3. Accoutrements (cap, cartridge box, bedroll, canteen).

4. Haversack with personal items (see below).

5. Index cards for matching activity (see below).

6. Sheet music and recordings of Civil War era songs.

7. Flour, water, salt (for hardtack).

8. Samples of letters written by Civil War soldiers.

9. Any other available Civil War resources (photographs, books, etc.).

District school boards, parent-teacher organizations, and a myriad of other funding sources are usually enthusiastic about an investment for the benefit of school children in the area. To invest is to"put money into business in order to get a profit." In the case of your traveling trunk program, the initial investment will be in the range of five hundred to eight hundred dollars. The profit, however, will continue to build over the years as students benefit from at least a week-long, comprehensive study of the Civil War that is contained, prepared, and most importantly effective with just minimal repair and replacement costs each year.

Once you have confirmed funding, you can begin to assemble the supplies for your trunk, as recommended above. An old trunk (or one that has an aged quality) will work well for the opening lesson, as well as for storage of materials. With the popularity of battle reenactments and encampments, reproduction Civil War uniforms and accoutrements are fairly easy to come by. A quick search on the Internet for"Civil War uniforms" or"Civil War sutlers" will yield a multitude of companies with a range of prices, quality, and reputability (see here for a start-up list of companies). Many of the sutlers (providers of army goods) will cut down the uniforms so that they fit well for the age of your students and look good when worn on top of their school clothes. There will be some assembly required with many of the accoutrements. For example, the U.S. or C.S. gold plate is sold separately from the cartridge box, as is the crosstrap and breast plate used to carry the item. It is best to work with a sutler or reenactor in your area to prepare these items, or access photographs of soldiers and items during the Civil War to become your own expert.

Keep in mind that low inventory, shipping, and preparation time can add up to several weeks. If you are planning to teach the Civil War in the spring, begin your research and assembly in the fall (and vice-versa). By the time your Civil War unit approaches, your students will have great anticipation for"whatever is in that old trunk," and for their study of the Civil War.

Below are some samples of activities and learning stations that can be unearthed from your trunk during the Civil War unit. Each includes some background information and presentation suggestions, but you should, of course, work with other sources to make the unit suitable for your class and your curriculum.

The purpose of this activity is to build anticipation for the week of study. After assembling all of the items into a trunk or case, read aloud pages one through eight of Karen Weinberg's novel Window of Time (Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Publishing Company, 1991). In it, Weinberg describes a young boy discovering an old trunk in his basement filled with a musty Civil War uniform, accoutrements, and other materials. By putting on these items, he is transported back to the Civil War. Explain to the students that they too will be transported back to the Civil War era by experiencing some of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and emotions that comprised the daily life of the Civil War soldier.

In this activity at least one student gets the chance to feel, and all students get the chance to see, the full weight and composition of a Civil War soldier's uniform. Bring in a bathroom scale and weigh your student prior to the beginning of this activity. As the student pulls the items out of the trunk, you can pass around and talk about each one before they are assembled on the soldier/student. Progress as follows:

1. The first item your student can put on is the cotton shirt. The fact that the shirt is made of cotton could be used as an introduction to the causes of the Civil War. Certainly, the plight of African Americans worsened with the rise of the cotton industry, and the issue of tariffs and how they affected the cotton trade with Europe contributed to the growing controversy between the North and the South, especially as it related to the issue of states' rights.

2. Once your student has removed his or her shoes, the woolen pants can be pulled on over existing clothes. The suspenders can be drawn over the shoulders, and at this point it would be appropriate to mention that belts were rarely used to hold up pants in those days. Other items were often attached to belts, as the students will soon see. You can also discuss the wool material of these pants, and how they would feel during the hot, humid summer days while marching on dry, dusty roads.

3. The student can slip into the sack coat next, followed by the brogans (shoes). Notice the gold buttons on the sack coat. As the student is fastening these buttons, you can talk about the pride and excitement that many soldiers felt at the beginning of the war. However, this patriotic"war fever" was soon replaced with the realization of a long, hard, and horrid conflict.

4. The brogans are followed with the cartridge box slung over the student's left shoulder and resting on the right hip. The canteen and haversack (fully loaded) can be slung over the right shoulder, with both items resting on the left hip. The waist belt, with cap box, can be drawn in around the waist over the cartridge box strap. The belt keeps this item from moving about. (Note: It is difficult to find reproduction paper cartridges that do not contain black powder, but it is important to weigh down the cartridge box to its full nine pounds.)

5. The bed roll (a rubber blanket rolled over a wool blanket) can already be tied off on both ends so that all the student has to do is slip it over his or her head, allowing it to run diagonally from the left shoulder down to the right hip. A knapsack was also standard issue to a soldier, and this could be used to carry personal items or some of the items just mentioned. But remind students that army-issued supplies were already quite heavy, with a total weight of forty or more pounds, including the rifle. As a result, men would often throw away or discard knapsacks, heavy frying pans, and other odds and ends they obtained or had brought from home, and then carry personal items, such as photographs, rolled up inside their bedroll.

6. Last but not least the student/soldier can place the kepi on his or her head. Obviously, the rifle and bayonet cannot be included in the trunk, but the fully equipped soldier was often carrying better than forty pounds of additional weight.

Once the student is uniformed and equipped, weigh him or her again, and compare the weights with the class. Ask them how difficult it would be to march twenty miles in one day with so much extra weight added to them. You might also ask your students if they could fit everything they would need (or like to have) for a three-month camping trip into one knapsack or haversack.

Seeing and Touching the Civil War:"A Matching Game"

During this lesson, your students will become familiar with the contents of a typical soldier's haversack, and therefore his day-to-day life in the army.

Prepare a set of index cards with the name of each item within the haversack on the fronts of the cards, and a description of that item and what it was used for on the backs of the cards. Students can work together to match up the items and their uses with the cards. Some examples of common soldier items are: a tin cup, plate, eating utensils, hardtack (firm, thick crackers), ration bags (beans, coffee, flour), housewife (sewing kit), eyeglasses in a case, wooden comb, diary/journal, paper money, soap, mirror, tobacco, match box, bone toothbrush, and prayer book. Prepare and describe the items that you can obtain and that you feel are worthwhile to an understanding of the daily life of a Civil War soldier.

Hearing the Civil War:"Music of the Civil War"

Music played several very important roles in the Civil War. Drum beats and bugle calls rallied the soldiers and directed them through the battle. Sentimental and patriotic songs were sung in camp—passing the time, remembering the homes soldiers left behind, and building their strength for the battles ahead. This activity is meant to expose the students to some of the most popular sounds of battle and songs of camp life, thereby bringing the emotions of the period to the forefront.

1. Obtain copies of the following songs (either sheet music or recorded copies):"Dixie's Land,""The Battle Cry of Freedom," and"Home, Sweet Home."

2. Divide your class into two groups, and assign one group"Dixie's Land" and the other group"The Battle Cry of Freedom." Each group can learn to sing their song (with the help of a teacher or recording) and discuss the words as they relate to the context of war. For example, the words of"Dixie" reminisce about the southern way of life that Confederate soldiers were fighting to preserve, and"The Battle Cry of Freedom" talks of preserving the Union and fighting for freedom.

3. At the end of the lesson, both groups can learn and sing"Home, Sweet Home," since both sides of the war would have known and sung that song. Students can then talk about the commonalties among all soldiers, such as missing the comforts of home and the companionship of loves ones.

4. Cassettes and compact discs that play and explain common bugle calls and other sounds of battle are available from Eastern National Bookstore, located at Gettysburg National Military Park, (877) 438-8929. Eastern National also has"Window of Time" and other books referenced in this article.

Through this activity, students get a sense of belonging to a group that functions together as trained soldiers do, as well as a sense of the hard work (and often boredom) that made up the daily life of a soldier.

Unearth a diagram of Civil War battle formation from the trunk, and also possibly a copy of a Civil War tactics manual. Using elected officers, have the students get into formation on a large open area. Use the lieutenant and one corporal as file-closers. The file-closers stay to the rear while on the march. The flag bearers will always be at center-front of the formation when on the march. Students should be lined up shoulder-to-shoulder. The captain will give the orders to the company, always starting with the word "Company." The lieutenant should also practice giving orders.

Activity 1: Making Hardtack

The process of making hardtack will familiarize students with one of the primary foods of Civil War soldiers and illustrate the poor diet they had to endure. Pull the hardtack recipe from the trunk and help students prepare it.

Recipe: 2 cups of flour

3/4 to 1 cup of water

6 pinches of salt

Mix ingredients well and spread dough 1/2 inch thick onto baking sheet. Bake for 1/2 hour at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, and cut dough into 3 inch squares. Turn dough over, return to oven and bake another 1/2 hour. Turn oven off, leaving oven door closed, and leave hardtack in until it is cool.

Activity 2: Civil War Lunches

This class meal introduces students to the types of food eaten by Civil War soldiers. They can choose from hardtack, cornbread, dried beef, salt pork, apples, coffee, vegetables, bread, butter, jam, nuts, oatmeal cookies, eggs, honey, and canteen water. Have the students pack a Civil War soldier lunch and bring it to school. Eat your lunch together outside if the weather permits, possibly doing regimental drills after or before eating. If confined to indoors, consider showing a Civil War film, such as The Red Badge of Courage. It is an excellent portrayal of Civil War life, with mundane, boring camp routines changing dramatically when men go into battle.

This activity allows students to identify with a soldier's experiences during the American Civil War. Use it as a closure unit once students have experienced the full impact of the Civil War trunk.

Read actual Civil War letters aloud with your students before they attempt to write letters of their own. Letter samples can be found in a multitude of books or by writing to the National Archives or your state historical society.

If there are students present who have a difficult time with written expression, an accommodation could be made where the individual could dictate his or her letter to a partner. This would help to simulate what actually occurred when men were unable to write due to battle wounds, illness, or illiteracy.

Direct your students to write or dictate letters to friends or family members, detailing their experiences as soldiers. Encourage students to write believable accounts of their soldier experiences, providing as many details as possible. Incorporate some of the slang terms of the time, as well as sensory descriptions when writing home to their families (i.e., tell them about a typical day in the army, describing what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel).

Each year almost two million people visit Gettysburg National Military Park, the very best way to learn about the challenges and sacrifices of the men who fought there, and about the life of Civil War soldiers in general. In addition to licensed battlefield guides and the Visitor Center Museum, Gettysburg National Military Park offers five curriculum-based student education programs during the fall and spring. However, we are always looking for ways to accommodate students who may never get a chance to visit the battlefields and learn directly from the site. For this reason, we offer the traveling trunk program as well as an annual educational satellite broadcast to schools across the country. For more information on our outreach and distance education programs, check out the teacher resource pages on our web site at <http://www.nps.gov/gett/>.

The original traveling trunk program at Gettysburg National Military Park was conceived and written by Joe Onofrey, then education coordinator, and Jim Roubal, classroom teacher and licensed battlefield guide at the park. Consultants for that original project included the following teachers: Bob Appleton, Lyne Aurand, Pat Conrad, Richard Megela, Barbara Onofrey, and Bob Steenstra. Thanks also to all the teachers across the country who take extra effort to bring the Civil War to life within the minds of their students.

Barbara J. Sanders is currently the education specialist at Gettysburg National Military Park, where she oversees all of the curriculum-based student education programs and the nationwide"Life of a Civil War Soldier" traveling trunk program. Over the past two years, she also cowrote and coordinated the park's first two national satellite broadcasts to schools. A graduate of La Salle University in Philadelphia, Sanders began her career within the museums of that city before moving to Washington, D.C., to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from George Washington University's museum education program. She first came to Gettysburg in 1998 to help create a new student education program on Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and the creation of the Soldiers' National Cemetery.