Life of A Soldier- Civil War in America

TO BE READ BY JAN 23. Posts Due Jan 28

The following excerpts are to be read by Jan 23 and a response of 200-500 words to be left in the comments section answering the following prompts to each reading.


Lee's Letter to Sister/Brother in regards to his impending decision whether to fight for the Union or Confederacy.

Lee Resigns- Lee's resignation letter to W. Scott & a letter to his daughter during wartime. - What do Lee's letters tell us about southern secession? Was is necessarily a popular or unanimous idea? Was the resignation of soldiers from the U.S. army easy? Why or why not? What, in the end was the reason for Lee's decision not to accept Lincoln's offer to command the Union army and instead take a lower rank within the Confederacy?



The following letters are part of a collection written by Newton Robert Scott, Private, Company A, of the 36th Infantry, Iowa Volunteers. Most of the letters were written to Scott's neighborhood friend/sweetheart  Hannah Cone, in their home town of Albia, Monroe County, Iowa, over the three year period that he served as Company A's clerk. The final letter, describing the long-awaited mustering out in August of 1865, was written to his parents.

Scott's letters to Hannah are filled with rich details of the war and the living conditions in the Union camps in Mississippi, Missouri, Iowa and Arkansas. He tells of the terrible diseases that took a heavier toll than Confederate bullets, and the soldiers' frustration and impatience with the politicians in Washington.

Not only do we get a clerk's detailed account of the activities of Company A and the "boys of Monroe County," we also get a glimpse into the emotions of a 21-year-old farm boy uprooted from his family, friends, and sweetheart. In spite of his obvious education and proper upbringing, his polite prose sometimes gives way to impatience and sarcasm as he acknowledges Hannah's accounts of the many fairs, socials, and weddings taking place at home. Indeed he must endure the most embittering news of all when he is told that his sweetheart, "darling Hattie" has forsaken him to marry another.

Even though Scott & his comrades prayed for a Confederate surrender before their three year enlistment was completed, they were to serve the full term and were sent home five months after Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

The story does not end here. A year after returning home Scott married Hannah, his faithful correspondent, with whom he raised nine children. Newton and Hannah lived long, productive lives. Hannah raised her family and died of heart failure at 69. Newton was a mail clerk for the railroad for 41 years. He died a peaceful death at 83.

Union Soldier Writes Home- AND Grant's Memoirs- Vicksburg - why are letters/Memoirs like these invaluable to understanding the war? What do these letters reveal to us about the life of a Union soldier v. General? What, if anything surprised you in both the letters and Grants memoir of Vicksburg?

January 14-16 Leading up to war

Due Jan. 23, 2014
All links are to be read and a short response (200-500 words total/not per reading) answering the prompts need to be left in the comment section by each student.



Lincoln: A House Divided  What is Lincolns primary objective in the giving of this speech? Who/what does he blame for the countries division and how can it be resolved?

Lincoln Douglas Debates 1- 7  - Compare and contrast the ideals of Douglas v. Lincoln in regards to their positions on slavery and states rights.  Why would you consider these debates to be so significant to our understanding of the differences between north and south?

Lincoln's First Inaugural Address - In what ways (if at all) does Lincoln's inaugural address reflect the sentiments shared in his house divided speech/his debates with Douglas? To whom is he addressing in this speech and what as president is he hoping to ensure?

F. Douglass: Excerpt from his narrative - How would this excerpt from Douglass' personal narrative have moved northerners to become abolitionists and angered southerners who for years had suggested slavery was a beneficial institution for blacks?