Carolyn Buzanoski

LS521

This class has been studying the Civil War. We have been paying close attention to the Confederate Army. The soldiers, when they weren’t fighting had many tasks: making camp, collecting firewood, and keeping watch. In some of their free time, they took the time to write letters home, perhaps to a wife or loved one. The goal of this lesson is to explore a few letters that were sent home by a soldier, to try and get an idea of what life as a soldier was really like.

Teacher Note: Students will partner up and sit at one computer per group. Each student will only need a pen or pencil and a copy of the work sheet.

Before you read the Letters:

TASK 1: Students are to individually write down 5 Topics that you think a Confederate Soldier would feel were important to write about to his family.

The Letters of Edmond Hardy Jones,
Private, 64th Georgia

TASK 2: Students are to read the letters and pull out information that tells us the reader what it was really like to be a Confederate Soldier. The questions below are a guide and will aid in your reading for content. Students will be expected to answer the same questions as they find the information on the worksheet.

What did Edmond really tell us about the war?

Did Edmond write about any of your topics?

Name 3 topics Edmond wrote about that you didn’t have on your list.

Why do you think he felt those topics were important?

Were you surprised by any of the information he wrote home?

AFTER YOU HAVE READ THE DIRECTIONS AND UNDERSTAND THE TASK CLICK ON THE LINK TO

LINK: Edmond Hardy Jone's letters home