Download Civil War Letters Lesson - Becoming a Correspondent

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Becoming a Civil War Letter Writing Correspondent
Background: In this activity, you and a partner will play the role of either supporters of the
Union or the Confederacy. You will develop imaginary personalities for these individuals and
begin a series of letters corresponding to each other. Consider the various kinds of Americans
living in the 1860s, such as immigrants, a free African-Americans, slaves, Mexican-Americans,
or Americans whose ancestors fought in the American Revolution.
Letters will look authentic if they are hand written on white stationery. Each should be headed
with a date and the place from which the letter is being written. They should be "mailed" in
envelopes with the name and address of the fictitious person being written to. Samples of Civil
War envelopes can be found at the Library of Congress. Enter “Civil War Envelopes” here, in
the search field and click “Go.”
Part 1: Formulating your Civil War Character
Directions:
On a sheet of paper develop your pair’s characters by answering the questions below.
• What are your names?
• How do you know one another, or how are you related? (e.g. parent child, siblings,
husband/wife, engaged couple, etc.)
• How old is each of you?
• Where does each of you live? (Look at a map and find a city, town or rural area where
you are from.)
• Describe your home and life before the Civil War (important members of your family,
upbringing and education, your livelihood before the war.)
• Describe your reasons for supporting the position of either the Union or the Confederacy.
(If you are a man, explain what compelled you to enlist to fight. If you are a woman,
explain how you feel about your writing partner joining up to fight.)
• Describe the most pressing concern in your life, your hopes and dreams, before the war
broke out.
• Describe the ways in which you fear the war will change your life.
You will use information from part one and incorporate it into your letters in Part 2.
PBS.org/civilwar
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Part 2 Writing your Letters
Directions: Now that you have your character descriptions developed you can write letters to
your partner. The letters should be handwritten and look authentic. Before you write the letters,
you can stain the paper with tea, if you’d like. The letters should be "mailed" in envelopes with
the name and address of the fictitious person being written to. Samples of Civil War envelopes
can be found at the Library of Congress. Enter “Civil War Envelopes” here, in the search field
and click “Go.”
Your letters are to incorporate information from your character description above and center
around one of the major event during the war, listed below. Include information about your
personal life – family stories, relationships, interests, and more. Research the event to identify
additional key information for your letter. Write letters in character rather than in the standard
essays format. For example, consider how a a slave, a slave owner, a northern immigrant, a
northern abolitionist, or others would have reacted to the Emancipation Proclamation.
Event Choices
The election of Abraham Lincoln
and the secession of several Southern
states.
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Battle of Chattanooga
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Gettysburg Address
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The attack on Fort Sumter
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1st or 2nd Battle of Bull Run
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Ironclad ships battle at Hampton
Roads
In 1863, President Lincoln
established a national day of
Thanksgiving the last Thursday of
November
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the Wilderness Campaign
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Seven Days Battle
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Battle of Spotsylvania
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Battle of Shiloh
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Battle of Cold Harbor
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Battle of Antietam
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Battle of Petersburg
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Emancipation Proclamation
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Sherman’s March to the Sea
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The formation of African American
battle units
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Battle of Fort Pillow
Burning of Atlanta
Battle of Gettysburg
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Battle of Mobile Bay
Battle of Ft. Wagner
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Christmas during any year of the war
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Confederate surrender at
Appomattox Court House
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Battle of Vicksburg
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Battle of Chickamauga
PBS.org/civilwar