Major General William S. Rosecrans, officer of the Federal Army

Major General Braxton Bragg, commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee

Generals at the Battle of Stones River

grades

4, 5, 6

subjects

language arts, technology,
U.S. history

time allotted

approximately 2 weeks

setting

indoors / computer project

group size

25 to 30 students

skills

research, library, computer, discussion, public speaking

methods

the learner will discover the importance of good leadership and other contributing factors, as they relate to the outcome of the Civil War.

materials

computer, presentation software (HyperStudio, Power Point, etc,) research material (Encarta, Grolier, World Book, etc.), photographs of General Rosecrans and Bragg

keywords

artillery
civil engineer

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

	List the generals at the Battle of Stones River
	Discuss the qualities of good leadership.
	Compare and contrast the generals of the Union and Confederate troops.
	Create a HyperStudio presentation on the computer to present to the class.

Background Information
Braxton Bragg was born on March 22, 1817 in Warrenton, North Carolina. He attended the U.S. Military Academy and graduated in 1837 specializing in artillery. The Seminole and Mexican Wars were his first experience in war and he resigned from the U. S. Army in 1856 to become a planter.

Bragg joined the Confederacy and eventually became a Full General. Some of his major battles included: Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga and Chattanooga. In February 1864 he became a military advisor to Jefferson Davis. After the Civil War, Bragg was employed as a civil engineer. He died on September 27, 1876 and is buried in Mobile, Alabama.

William Starke Rosecrans was born in Delaware County, Ohio on September 6, 1819. He also attended the U.S. Military Academy as an Engineer and graduated with the Class of 1842. Rosecrans performed routine engineering assignments after graduation and was also an instructor at West Point. He resigned from the U.S. Army in 1854 and continued as a civil engineer, architect and kerosene refiner.

When the Civil War broke out, Rosecrans remained with the Union and eventually rose to Major General. He was involved in many major campaigns including Corinth, Stones River and Chickamauga. He resigned from the U.S. Army once again in 1867 and became Minister to Mexico. Rosecrans also was a U.S. Congressman from California and a Register of the Treasury. He died on March 11, 1898 and was originally buried in Los Angeles, California but in 1902 he was reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery.

Classroom Activities

	Read and discuss information about the Battle of Stones River
	Students will be divided into the North and South
	Students will work in groups to research their assigned generals
	Students will create on the computer a HyperStudio presentation from their perspective of the battle based on their assignment. The presentation will contain biographical information about the generals Rosecrans and Bragg.
	Students may also research and include other significant generals in the Battle of Stones River.
	Students will give a HyperStudio presentation to the class based on their assignment.

Follow-up Activities

	Have students research other significant battles and generals of the Civil War.
	Have students graph causalities from Stones River and other battles of the Civil War.

Resources
Cozzens, Peter. The Battle of Stones River. Eastern National Park and Monument Association, 1995.

Katz, William Loren. An Album of the Civil War. New York: Franklin Watts, 1977.

Civil War Times, Historic Times, Inc., April 1972.

Natural Resources

Cultural Resources

The Battle of
Stones River

Related Resources