"GETTYSBURG: THE SOLDIERS’ BATTLE" ACTIVITY
PRE-BROADCAST DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

 

Begin this activity by leading a discussion on daily life in the year 2004. Make a list on the board of things students feel they could not live without, such as food, shelter, TV, McDonalds, etc. Follow this discussion with questions pertaining to the life of the Civil War soldier. Have the students answer these questions on paper. Be sure to give them enough time to think about their answers. Hints or sample answers are provided for each question. You might also break the class into small groups and assign one question to each group. Student groups can then present their findings to the entire class. (The research for Questions 5, 6, and 7 might require students to find quotations from letters/journals of actual soldiers.)

 

  1. What kind of food did soldiers eat?

    2. (hardtack, salt pork, whatever they could take or buy from private farms, whatever the sutlers or peddlers sold)

  2. What kinds of shelter did they use?

    3. (tent, improvised shelter, barn, sometimes a hut in the winter)

  3. What health problems did they have to deal with?

    4. (bad food, camp fever, lice, dysentery, pneumonia)

  4. What did they have to do without?

    5. (Mom’s home cooking, comfortable bed, baths)

  5. What kind of responsibilities did they have to accept at a young age?

    6. (killing another human being, possibly command authority, safety of fellow soldiers)

  6. What kinds of pressure did they deal with?

    7. (death, fear, performing more work due to casualties)

  7. How did it feel to be so far away from home for so long?

    8. (miss family and friends, away during holidays, worry about safety of those at home)

 

 

"Gettysburg: The Soldiers’ Battle" Pre-broadcast Activities

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Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325