Dreaming of Home: Personal Narratives from the Battle of Stones River

grades

4, 5, 6

subjects

language arts, social studies, writing

time allotted

1 hour

setting

classroom, (enhanced with a visit to the Stones River National Cemetery)

group size

30 students

skills

listening, organizing information, creative writing

methods

the students will listen to letters written by Civil War soldiers to their wives. They will then describe each setting using their five senses and write a poem or letter to correspond with the scene.

materials

paper, pencil, and copies of letters by Arza Bartholomew and Christian Nix. Optional for diorama: construction paper, shoebox, glue, crayons and scissors.

Objectives
At the end of this activity, students will be able to:

	Describe the settings of home and battle as described in the letter.
	Use a graphic organizer to categorize descriptive words according to the five senses.
	Write a poem or letter using the descriptive words about the battle or home.
	Draw a sketch or create a diorama depicting a battle scene or home life.

Background Information
Christian Nix was a German immigrant who enlisted in the Union army June 6, 1861, two days after he married Maria Kasper. He joined the 24th regiment of the Wisconsin volunteers, which brought him to the Battle of Stones River. He wrote a letter to his wife from Murfreesboro, which included his poem "The Soldier’s Dream of Home." He was shot at the Battle of Stones River on December 31, 1862, and died on January 3, 1863. He is buried in the Stones River National Cemetery. Also included with this lesson is a letter sent to his wife from Captain A. Philbrook expressing his condolences.

Immigrants were a very important part of the military during the Civil War. There were entire regiments of immigrants from Germany, Italy, etc. Many joined the cause to prove their loyalty to their new nation.

Arza Bartholomew enlisted with the 21st Michigan. In a letter to his wife "Frank" he gives a very descriptive account of the Battle of Stones River. He is also buried at the Stones River National Cemetery.

Activity

	Students will create two graphic organizers by drawing five columns on their paper and heading them with the five senses: hear, see, taste, touch, and smell. They will title one “Description of the War” and the other “Description of Home.”
	Read Christian’s and Arza’s letters and have students listen carefully for descriptive words about home life and the battle at Stones River.
	List descriptive words from the letters under the appropriate sense and have students add other descriptive words for the two settings.
	Discuss the differences in the two settings.
	Write a poem or letter home to a loved one using descriptive words from graphic organizer charts.
	Draw a sketch to illustrate the poem or letter.
	Read aloud the letter informing Maria of Christian’s death.
	View the following letters or download a PDF of this lesson
	Christian Nix’s letter home
	Captain Philbrook’s letter to Maria
	Arza Bartholomew’s letter to Frank

Follow-up Activities

	Create a diorama. Cover the inside of a shoebox with background. Create three-dimensional figures to go inside depicting a battle scene or home life.
	Find Wisconsin on a map of the U.S. Determine approximately how far away Christian was from home using a map scale.
	Locate Christian’s homeland, Germany, on a world map. Why would he want to fight for the U.S.? Discuss immigration to the United States and how to become a citizen.
	Find the percentage of men lost during the battle from Arza’s regiment according to the figures in his letter.
	Stop by the Visitor Center for a self-guided tour of the National Cemetery to help you locate Christian’s and Arza’s graves.

Natural Resources

Cultural Resources

The Battle of
Stones River

Related Resources