TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Use A Lesson
About This Lesson
Setting the Stage: Historical Context
Locating the Site: Maps
1. Civil War Battles in
Maryland and Virginia
2. Both Armies During
the Battle
Determining the Facts: Readings
1. Three Days of Carnage
at Gettysburg
2. Perspectives of
the Participants
A. A Soldier's View
B. The Call to Duty
C. Changes in Loyalty
3. The Gettysburg Address,
November 19, 1863
Visual Evidence: Images
1a. Union Dead
1b. Aftermath of the battle,
Trostle House
Putting It All Together: Activities
1. Putting Yourself in the
Shoes of a Civil War Soldier
2. Comparing Perspectives
3. Persuasive Writing and
Speaking
RELATED INFORMATION
Gettysburg National Military Park
Curriculum Kit Home
TwHP Home
National Register Home
Supplementary Resources
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On July 11, 1863, Lt. John T. James of the 11th Virginia Infantry, Confederate States of America, sat down to write a letter to his family telling them of his experiences at the Battle of Gettysburg. He explained that on July 3 his unit had been ordered to march about one mile over open, slightly undulating farmland toward a battle-hardened Union army that was defending its own northern soil. James and his comrades believed that the fate of the Confederacy hung on their efforts. But in less than an hour, one-half of the men who marched with him became casualties. The South lost the Battle of Gettysburg and never again, in a major action, was able to fight on Union soil. James must have wondered how he could possibly describe this enormous loss to his loved ones. His simple explanation told the story: "We gained nothing but glory, and lost our bravest men."
The Civil War (1861-1865) was an epic period in the American experience. Still a relatively young nation of about 33 million people, the United States would see almost 5 million of its men directly engaged in the conflict. Both the North and the South believed they were fighting for political ideals--the North to maintain the liberty and union that the hard-fought Revolutionary War had brought about; the South, to uphold that liberty as it was reflected in states' rights.
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