Andersonville

For soldiers that became prisoners of war, life was harsh. Confederate prisoners in the North suffered because supplies were often deliberately withheld as revenge for the South's actions in causing the Civil War. For Union prisoners in Southern camps, food, shelter and medical care was in short supply for them as well as the citizens of the Confederacy.

Start this assignment by reading the link to "Life as a Prisoner."

After you have learned about being a prisoner, click on the link to Andersonville, the most notorious prison camp of the Civil War, and work with your team to answer the following questions:

1. Why was Andersonville chosen to the the site of a prison camp? 

2. Why did the prison have such a high mortality rate?

3. Who was responsible for the conditions and deaths at Andersonville?

4. "Wirz" was the last casualty of Andersonville." Should Captain Wirz, the officer in charge of the prison,  have been hanged for the deaths that occurred under his administration? Why or why not?

Gettysburg Address

1. A score equals 20. To what year does Lincoln take us back? Why?

2. To what was Lincoln referring to when he says the United States was born "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal?"

3. According to Lincoln, what is the Civil War testing?

4. What advice does Lincoln give? 

5. According to Lincoln, what might happen if the North loses the Civil War?

Civil War Soldiers

Although historians, teachers, and students concentrate mostly on the major battles of the Civil War, we can learn a great deal by studying smaller battles as well. The Battle of Rivers Bridge was fought in South Carolina on February 2-3, 1865. 

First, read the Surviving on the Battlefield (Reading 1) to find out about Civil War tactics and specifically the Rivers Bridge. Then continue on to letters and reports about the battle and respond to the following questions:

Reading 2:

1. Compare the 2 casualty reports. Why do you think the number of Union casualties was twice the number of Confederate casualties?

2. Compare the number of Confederate casualties estimated by the Union commander compared to the number reported by the Confederate commander. Why do you think accounted for the discrepancy?

Reading 3:

1. Read the memoirs of Sgt. Moore and Captain Wilson. Both reported about the medical treatment received by wounded soldiers during the battle. Describe the medical services given to the Union and Confederate wounded as reported in the two accounts.

2. Read Mrs. Cherry's letter. What was her purpose in writing it?