CIVIL WAR LETTER

A Research & Writing Assignment

YOUR MISSION

You will research and create a character from the Civil War. As this character, you will write a letter and gather photos of your experiences during the war. You can create a poster or hand in your information as packet.

YOUR TASKS

  1. Character List: Pick a character from the list attached.
  2. Research:
  • The characters are not real people. You will be creating a person based on your research.
  • Using the Research Organizer, find 2 book sources and 1 internet source to help you find information, pictures and photographs for your project.
  1. Biography Sheet
  • Fill out the attached sheet with all the information. Use your imagination and your research!
  1. Write a 1 page (handwritten) letter as if you were your character, describing your experiences during the Civil War. Your letter should be from 1861, 1862 or 1863. The following requirements must be included
  • Which side are you on, and why do you believe in the cause of your side?
  • Describe your life during the war
  • 2 most important events of the war for you
  • Hopes for the future (family, job, the war itself)
  1. Photo of your character – what might they have looked like?
  2. Photo of where your character lives – what did it look like during the Civil War?

RESEARCH CHARACTERS

Choose the one you think will be the most interesting for you!

  • Confederate Officer
  • Confederate soldier
  • Union Officer
  • Union soldier
  • Free black in north
  • Contraband in the south
  • Slave in the south
  • Plantation owner
  • Union factory owner
  • Union factory worker
  • Southern politician
  • Northern politician
  • Abolitionist
  • Union nurse
  • Confederate nurse
  • Confederate civilian living in Vicksburg, MS
  • Confederate civilian living in Richmond, VA
  • Union civilian living in New York City
  • Union civilian living in Washington, DC
  • Confederate spy
  • Union spy

Civil war character Biography Sheet

The answers to these questions should be a combination of your research and your imagination. Try to create a realistic person!

  1. What is your character’s name? Male or female?
  1. How old is your character? ______
  2. Is your character Union or Confederate? ______
  3. Where is your character from? Be as specific as possible – name the town or city and state. ______
  4. What did your character do for a living before the Civil War started? Was your character rich or poor?
  1. Describe your character’s family (husband or wife; children; parents; brothers and/or sisters).
  1. Describe your character’s best friend.
  1. What kind of home (apartment, farmhouse, mansion, etc.) does your character live in? If your character is a soldier or someone else in the war itself, describe both the home he/she is from, and his/her home during the Civil War.