Caring for Civil War Casualties

After learning about the way in which medical care developed during the Civil War, read the excerpts from the diary of M.W. Bates, and answer these questions:

1. How did the ambulance driver and Dr. Avery behave under fire? Do you think they behaved responsibly? Why or why not?

2. What response did Dr. Goodale give when asked about Lt. Bates's condition? Why do you think surgeons did not attempt to operate on severely wounded patients?

3. Why does Bates believe he survived his wounds? What further challenge did Bates face on his trip home?

Lincoln's Early Speeches

Read the excerpts from Lincoln's "House Divided," Cooper Union, and First Inaugural Address. Write a paragraph that answers these three questions: 

1. What connections can you make between the three speeches?

2. What is Lincoln's position on slavery?

3. How did Lincoln appeal to the southern states in his First Inaugural Address?

Letters from First Manassas:

Sullivan Ballou's Letter:

1. Why did Sullivan Ballou volunteer for the Union Army?

2. As her husband foreshadowed, Sarah Ballou was widowed and forced to raise her children alone. Do you think that this affected her feelings about continuing the war? If you were in her place, would you have favored ending the war? Why?

J.W. Reid's Letter:

1. Private Reid tells how terrifying a battlefield was for the men who fought in the Civil War.How do you think soldiers mustered the courage to stay and fight in the Civil War? Do the letters of Reid and Ballou give any clues to what they were relying on to protect them?

2. Which of the two letters do you feel more accurately represents the feelings of a common soldier in the Civil War? Why? How could the other letter be changed to make it more realistic?