DOCSLIB.ORG

Steve Bunker: the Civil War on the Western Plains

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Steve Bunker: the Civil War on the Western Plains April 2018 Vol XXXIII, No 8 Thurs April 12 Steve Bunker: The Civil War on the Western Plains (Editor’s NOTE: Due to the snowstorm on March 8, Steve Bunker’s talk was cancelled and rescheduled for April. See President’s note for update on Ned Smith’s talk.) The War of the Rebellion in the West has been largely overlooked, overshadowed by dramatic campaigns in the East. But from western Kansas to New Mexico, and north to Minnesota, war was fought in encounters as strategically important as any larger battles in the East. Steve Bunker gets some helpful Confederate and Union forces not only fought bitterly with advice on gathering rations for his each other, but Mexican‐Americans and Native Peoples along regiment of 1st Maine cavalry with some of the first organized “colored” units, found re‐enactors. themselves caught up in a confused struggle of changing loyalties and conditions that did not end with the surrenders in 1865 back East. While heroes were made and new states were created, terrible massacres and what anyone today would consider to be war crimes were common. The Civil War easily bled into the subsequent Indian Wars, involving many of the same people. We can never cover the whole war in the West in one hour but we can examine some important events. We will talk about the Texan invasion of New Mexico and characters like Kit Carson and John Chivington; the tragedy of Chief Black Kettle; the Maine sea captain who anchored Kansas for the Union; the extraordinary march of the California volunteers, and the recent reenactment of a forgotten march and battle in what is now Wyoming. I will bring a couple of artifacts from that period for people to examine. ******************** Over 55 years ago, a teenaged Steve Bunker co‐founded the First Maine Cavalry, a reenactment and living history Kit Carson led the 1st New Mexico Volunteer organization that is active today. Infantry and trained the new men. In October 1861, he was made a colonel. The Volunteers fought the Confederate forces at Valverde, He was instrumental in the creation of the Civil War New Mexico, in February 1862. (Wikipedia) Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. He is former Department Commander, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Currently he is working to place a memorial stone on the battlefield at Middleburg, Virginia, dedicated to the First Maine Cavalry. An infantry veteran of the Vietnam War and former merchant mariner, Bunker lives in Gray with his wife, Sharon, and two loud macaws. As you know, he has been a member of the Chamberlain Round Table for many years. JLC CWRT meetings are the second Thursday of each month: 7:00 pm Morrell Room Curtis Memorial Library 23 Pleasant St, Brunswick ME Weather Cancellations: Channels 6, 8, 13 If the Library closes due to a storm, the meeting will be cancelled. Members will receive an email notification of cancellation from the CWRT Secretary. 2 News from Headquarters From the President – Dan Cunningham We almost made it through the winter without canceling a meeting due to weather. Unfortunately, one of the blizzards that came up the coast in March came at the wrong time and our March meeting was canceled. For those of you who were looking forward to hearing Steve Bunker talk he will now be our April presenter. Ned Smith who was originally scheduled to talk is unable to make it and Steve graciously adjusted his schedule to take his place. Ned has been rescheduled for next season. Our current bank balance is in good shape, but please renew your memberships when they come due. Most of our large expenses for the year will occur in May and June, and if we want to start our 2018/2019 year with a healthy bank account we need you to renew your membership. In addition, it would be helpful if you participated in the book raffle and even the Adopt‐A‐Speaker program. Remember if you donate $50 towards the Adopt‐A‐Speaker program you are eligible to have dinner with the speaker of your choice at Richard’s Restaurant. You would pay for your meal but would have the opportunity to get to know the speaker personally and ask any questions you might have. Let’s hope for good weather for our April meeting. I hope to see you there, and in the meantime let’s hope winter finally decides to step aside and allows spring to come. 3 JLC CWRT Board of Trustees – 2017/18 President: Dan Cunningham (729‐9520) Vice President: Gardner Shaw (703‐472‐8618) Treasurer: Paul Lariviere (724‐2414) Secretary: Steve Garrett (956‐8729, cell 607‐9713) [email protected] Program Coordinator: Bill Attick (726‐4685) Members: Steve Bunker, Lucy Cunningham, Carol Manchester, Ken McAfee Treasurer’s Update – Paul Lariviere Quick Stats – March: Meeting: March 8, 2018 Speaker: Steve Bunker’s talk was CANCELLED due to Snow Storm Attendance: 0 Book Raffle tickets sold: 0 In‐Kind Donations: none Book prizes distributed: 0 INCOME: NET Income for March: $60.00 Memberships $113.50 $0.00 Book Raffle revenue NET Income this Fiscal Year: $50.00 Cash Donations $1,189.72 $3.50 Coffee Sales YEAR‐TO‐DATE $0.00 Book Sales Bank Balance, March 31, 2018: $5,285.11 $113.50 TOTAL Cash Income for Mar EXPENSES: $ 0.00 Speaker Dinner 4 Adopt‐A‐Speaker – Dinner Host Program In conjunction with its Adopt‐A‐Speaker setup, the JLC CWRT maintains a Dinner Host program. With this arrangement, members who donate to the Adopt‐A‐Speaker program at the “General” level have the opportunity to have dinner with a visiting speaker at Richard’s Restaurant in Brunswick. Under this program, the CWRT pays for dinner for the speaker, and the host pays for his/her own dinner. See the last page of the newsletter to enroll in the Adopt‐A‐Speaker program. Please contact Paul Lariviere (Treasurer) to make arrangements to host a specific speaker, at least one week before the program. Apr 12 Steve Bunker (Ned Smith to be rescheduled) Civil War in the West May 10 Elizabeth Hallett Mourning Customs during the Civil War Era Jun 14 Will Greene Battle of the Crater, Petersburg 5 Field Report Historical Perspectives from our Members Ulysses S. Grant and the Myth of the Yazoo Bender by Noma Petroff It is extremely hard to see how the Cadwallader story can be classed as anything but one more in the dreary Grant-was-drunk garland of myths. – Bruce Catton (Grant Moves South, p. 464) Grant’s reputation as a two‐fisted drinker is legendary. If there is one thing that people know – or think they know – about Grant, it’s that he was quite a drinker. I hear that constantly from people I meet. “Well, I really don’t know much about the Civil War, and I don’t know much about Grant, but there is one thing I can tell you.” “Oh, yes, what is that?” “He definitely liked to bend his elbow!” But, as historian James McPherson puts it, the problem is that most of what people think they “know” about Grant’s drinking is based on fabrication: Many wartime stories of Grant’s drunkenness are false; others are at best dubious. Grant’s meteoric rise to fame provoked jealousy in the hearts of men who indulged in gossip to denigrate him. Subject to sick headaches brought on by strain and loss of sleep, Grant sometimes acted unwell in a manner to give observers the impression that he had been drinking. (Battle Cry of Freedom, p. 588) Ulysses S. Grant’s rise to power was accompanied by attacks on his For his part, McPherson goes on to state that he thinks Grant personality from various quarters. A must have had some type of drinking problem, but it has favorite theme was alleged incidents of been much exaggerated. I’m not certain that I would even Grant’s drinking. go as far as McPherson does, but I think we both agree that most of the stories of Grant’s drinking are fictitious. So, it’s a problem for fans of the Grant’s‐a‐drunk perspective (or, in its most recent iteration, Grant’s‐an‐alcoholic). Most references to Grant’s drunkenness are simply generalizations. (There are many specific instances where Grant takes one or two drinks, but does not get drunk – but these don’t really meet the need for a story 6 about actual drunkenness.) After 1860, practically all the stories fall apart at the slightest pressure. Captain William J. Kountz submitted accusations of instances of Grant’s drinking at Cairo in January 1862, but with his reputation as an obnoxious, vindictive blow‐ hard (Grant had received a petition from 37 riverboat men, requesting his removal) the allegations seem questionable. And for anyone who takes the time to read Kountz’s thirteen pages of accusations, they will see that the charges quickly degenerate into the surreal. For example the idea of Grant – who hated to dance – getting drunk and going to a “negro ball” is simply not believable. (The full text can be read in John Y. Simon’s Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Vol. 4, p. 110‐223, also available online.) Similarly, Major General Henry Halleck’s accusations to his superiors, after Grant’s victory at Fort Donelson, also do not pass the sniff test. Halleck wired McClellan, “Rumor has just reached me that since the taking of Fort Donelson, General Grant has resumed his former bad habits.” Comments historian Jean Edward Smith, “Grant was on the wagon and Old Brains knew it.” (Smith, Grant, p.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Black Lives and Whitened Stories: from the Lowcountry to the Mountains?
    National Park Service <Running Headers> <E> U.S. Department of the Interior Historic Resource Study of Black History at Rock Hill/Connemara Carl Sandburg Home NHS BLACK LIVES AND WHITENED STORIES: From the Lowcountry to the Mountains David E. Whisnant and Anne Mitchell Whisnant CULTURAL RESOURCES SOUTHEAST REGION BLACK LIVES AND WHITENED STORIES: From the Lowcountry to the Mountains By David E. Whisnant, Ph.D. Anne Mitchell Whisnant, Ph.D. Primary Source History Services A HISTORIC RESOURCE STUDY OF BLACK HISTORY AT ROCK HILL/CONNEMARA Presented to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site In Partnership with the Organization of American Historians/National Park Service Southeast Region History Program NATIONAL PARK SERVICE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NOVEMBER 2020 Cultural Resources Division Southeast Regional Office National Park Service 100 Alabama Street, SW Atlanta, Georgia 30303 (404) 507-5847 Black Lives and Whitened Stories: From the Lowcountry to the Mountains By David E. Whisnant and Anne Mitchell Whisnant http://www.nps.gov Cover Photos: Smyth Servants: Black female servant rolling children in stroller. Photograph, Carl Sandburg National Historic Site archives, (1910; Sadie “Boots” & Rosana [?]). Smyth Servants: Swedish House HSR, p. 22; (Collection of William McKay, great-grandson of the Smyths). Also Barn Complex HSR Fig. 11, p. 7: Figure 11. The Smyths’ servants in front of the kitchen building, ca. 1910. (Collection of Smyth great-grandson William McKay). Sylvene: From HSR, Main House, pp. 10, 37: Collection of Juliane Heggoy. Man and 3: Swedish House HSR, p. 22; (Collection of William McKay, great-grandson of the Smyths). Also Barn Complex HSR Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Portraits of Outstanding African American Women. Grades 4-8+
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 406 274 SO 027 046 AUTHOR Metcalf, Doris Hunter TITLE Portraits of Outstanding African American Women. Grades 4-8+. REPORT NO GA-1548; ISBN-1-56417-717-3 PUB DATE 96 NOTE 99p.; Published by Good Apple, an imprint of Modern Curriculum Press, Simon & Schuster Elementary, 299 Jefferson Road, P.O. Box 480, Parsippany, NJ 07054-0480. AVAILABLE FROM Frank Schaffer Publications, 23740 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Instructional Materials (For Learner) (051) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS American Studies; Biographies; *Black History; *Blacks; Elementary Education; *Females; Modern History; North Americans; Social Studies; *United States History IDENTIFIERS *African Americans ABSTRACT This resource book provides information and activity sheets on the achievements and contributions of exceptional African American women, past and present. The book contains six sections, thematically organized around the central issue(s) affecting the lives of the women featured. Introductory questions, biographical portraits and skill-building activities for grades 4-8 are included for each individual. "They Spoke from Their Hearts" profiles Toni Morrison, Edith Simpson, Dr. Sarah Garland Jones, Dr. Clarice Reid, Mahalia Jackson, and Katherine Dunham. "They Let Nothing Stand in Their Way" examines the contributions of Bessie Coleman, Mary Fields, Phillis Wheatley, Norma Merrick Sklarek, and Cheryl Miller. "They Broke New Ground" focuses on Ella Fitzgerald, Zora Neale Hurston, Judith Jamison, Lena Horne, and Susan Taylor. "They Did Not Bow to Fear" highlights the work of Tina Turner, Clara Brown, Fannie Lou Hamer, Unita Blackwell, and Yolanda King. "They Stood Up for Other People" chronicles the work of Ida B.
    [Show full text]
  • Figurative Language Worksheet #1 Alliteration, Hyperbole, and Personification
    Name:_____________________ Week 4 Day 1 Figurative Language Worksheet #1 Alliteration, Hyperbole, and Personification Figurative language is used in all kinds of writing, but is most commonly found in poetry. Figurative language is a way for the writer to add more detail to their writing as well as some extra creativity. For today’s worksheet, you are going to be identifying which of the following three figurative language techniques, alliteration, hyperbole, or personification, are being used in each example sentence. Alliteration: The repetition of the first consonant sound, meaning the first letter or sound of a word. ● Example: She sells sea shells by the sea shore. ● Why is this alliteration? ○ The majority of the words in this sentence all start with the letter “s” Hyperbole: An extravagant statement; an over exaggeration used to emphasize a point. ● Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse! ● Why is this hyperbole? ○ The person isn’t actually going to be able to eat a horse, they are just exaggerating how hungry they are. Personification: A figure of speech in which an inanimate object (something that isn’t alive) is given human qualities or abilities. ● Example: The flower danced in the breeze ● Why is this personification? ○ Flowers don’t have legs, so they can’t actually dance. The figure of speech is being used to describe what the flower looks like in the wind. Directions: For the following sentences, say which of the three types of figurative language listed above is being used. After writing what type of figurative language it is, then explain why.
    [Show full text]
  • The Secrets of Mary Bowser Teaching Guide
    Instructor’s Guide to William Morrow Paperbacks: 9780062107909 These materials were written by Lois Leveen, et al. The Secrets of Mary Bowser Teaching Guide Table of Contents: A Note to Teachers: ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Key Themes and Issues: ........................................................................................................................................ 3 School Success Strategies and Personal Reflection .................................................................................... 4 Connecting to Contemporary Issues ................................................................................................................. 7 Literary Studies and Critical Reading............................................................................................................ 10 Understanding Historical Issues ..................................................................................................................... 12 Assignments from Across the Disciplines ................................................................................................... 15 Social Sciences .............................................................................................................................................. 15 Humanities ....................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • To View the 2014-15 Journal
    UNDERGRADUATE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN STUDIES VOLUME 10 2014-2015 DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES AND AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM It is my pleasure to contribute opening comments to this journal. Indeed, one of the great privileges of being the Director of the Centre for the United States is seeing the journal come together. This year is no different. As in previous years, the essays cover the waterfront of American Studies. Indeed, they stand out as first rate example of how diverse, interesting, and important American Studies continues to be, both at the University of Toronto and more broadly. I want to extend my sincerest appreciation to each author and to the editorial team. Marshalling together high quality work is a task equally important and difficult, and this year’s editors have done this with aplomb. Thank you to both Unita and Kelly. The Centre for the Study of the United States is our country’s preemi- nent place for making sense of our Southern neighbour. It is also a meeting place where scholars in fields as diverse as political science, economics, cinema studies, women and gender studies, history, geography, and many others come together over a shared intellectual interest in the United States. The result of this is well worth noting: we host dozens of public lectures and events each year. We furnish a complete undergraduate program in American Studies. We act as a touchstone for graduate students whose focus is the United States. As important as all of this, we help bring to frui- tion an undergraduate student journal in American Studies, and one which routinely reflects the interdisciplinary, dynamic,scholarly, and relevant na- ture of our Centre.
    [Show full text]
  • Fighting Memory: What We're Still Learning About Race, Gender, and the Civil
    “Fighting Memory: What We’re Still Learning about Race, Gender, and the Civil War Lois Leveen, University of California Los Angeles Summersell Lecture Series One of the most fun things about going around giving talks is hearing old friends introduce you. I did not know is that alt-academic till just now I thought I was an erst academic, like erstwhile academic. Thank you, Lynn, for the lovely introduction and for having me. So, I’m going to do a talk in three parts today. The first part, I’m going to just give you some background on Mary Bowser. In the second part I'm going to talk about using fiction as a way to teach history with some specific examples, and in the third part, I’m going to reflect on what happens when you do that. How many of you before seeing the poster or hearing about this talk had ever heard of Mary Bowser? The usual number. So, when I was in graduate school working on my dissertation, there was this book that had just come out The Shining Thread of Hope: A History of Black Women in America, and in this book, which is about 300 pages long, there are maybe three or four paragraphs about Mary Bowser. From those paragraphs I learned that Mary Bowser was born into slavery in Richmond, Virginia; she was freed by Bette Van Lew, the daughter of the family that owned her, and sent to the north to be educated; and she later made the rather unusual choice of returning to the south, where during the Civil War, she and Bette worked together in a spy ring for the union.
    [Show full text]
  • The Unionist Espionage of Elizabeth Van Lew: an Interview with Elizabeth Varon
    The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History Civil War Institute 2-14-2018 “Give them liberty or give me death”: The Unionist Espionage of Elizabeth Van Lew: An Interview with Elizabeth Varon Ashley Whitehead Luskey Gettysburg College Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler Part of the Military History Commons, Public History Commons, and the United States History Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Recommended Citation Luskey, Ashley Whitehead, "“Give them liberty or give me death”: The Unionist Espionage of Elizabeth Van Lew: An Interview with Elizabeth Varon" (2018). The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History. 263. https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/263 This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution. Cupola permanent link: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/263 This open access blog post is brought to you by The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The Cupola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “Give them liberty or give me death”: The Unionist Espionage of Elizabeth Van Lew: An Interview with Elizabeth Varon Abstract Over the course of this year, we’ll be interviewing some of the speakers from the upcoming 2018 CWI conference about their talks. Today we are speaking with Elizabeth Varon, Associate Director of the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History and Langbourne M. Williams Professor of American History at the University of Virginia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Camp Olden Gazette News from the Camp Olden Civil War Round Table Summer 2017 President’S Gavel
    The Camp Olden Gazette News from the Camp Olden Civil War Round Table Summer 2017 President’s Gavel. Dear Camp Olden, Friends and Members - Spring 750,000 men died in the American Civil War is here with Summer to follow and we're almost in but the tragedy was magnified by disrespectful September when we'll be celebrating our 25th burial practices where large numbers of Anniversary at the "reception" at the Museum and bodies were dumped, unidentified, into trenches. Enemy soldiers were frequently not Abbott House with Charlie Zahm our civil war balladeer's voice wafting across the warm buried at all and left to rot where they fell. September evening. The event will be held on This program covers this issue and shows how September 7th (First Thursday in September) so after the war federal and state governments mark your calendar. The Abbott house will be part sought to rectify the matter. of the evening with the President of Hamilton We are fortunate to have Martin as our member Historical Society as our tour guide. Finger food half the year acting as our part time Publicity and sparkling cider will be set out in the historic Chairman along with our Secretary. (Anyone dining room on the center table as guests wander wishing to do publicity from December thru May through the centuries old home. Attire for the when Martin is in Florida, please let me know.) evening is "Period dress" or "Old Fashioned” to th As most of you know, I do a television show bring the true "living history" feeling to our 25 "History for my Grandchildren" and, in Anniversary celebration.
    [Show full text]
  • The World of Mary Bowser: Q&A with Lois Leveen
    P s AUTHOR The World of Mary Bowser: Q&A with Lois Leveen INSIGHTS , As an author, how do you make the life of someone who lived EXTRAS one hundred and fifty years ago feel real to readers today? As you wrote the story from Mary’s point of view, how could you conjure up what she might be thinking? & That’s what drew me to this story: the chance to interweave research and imagination. I love to learn lots of details about the more period I’m writing about, and what I uncover sparks my inven- tion of plot and dialogue. ... For example, reading is extremely important to Mary. It’s something that is forbidden by Virginia law and by Mistress Van Lew. It’s what her mother and Bet both conspire to give her. It’s what she relies on once the war starts, first to smuggle messages from the prisons and later to gather intelligence in the Confeder- ate White House. But as important as reading is for a slave or a spy, it’s crucial to Mary in a more personal way. When she is living in Philadelphia, reading is really her first great love. Lit- erature touches her emotionally and allows her to connect with other people. In that way, she isn’t so different than readers of The Secrets of Mary Bowser. When I considered what Mary might be reading, it helped me understand how she would think and feel and act. Of course, I am a literature geek, so I love reading literature from all eras, and for readers who are interested, I’m happy to share Mary’s reading list.
    [Show full text]
  • Southern Ladies
    The Word Up Project: Level Blue Unit 12 - Southern Ladies 12A Introduction The Civil War was full of spies. After all, most people in the Confederacy had friends or family in the North, and most people in the Union had friends in the South. If a spy could get information about the other side’s troop movements, it could mean the difference between victory and defeat. These spies risked their lives just like the soldiers. Some of them were women. One of the most important spies was a woman named Elizabeth Van Lew. She lived in Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, and she ran a spy ring of twelve people. One of these people was Mary Bowser, an ex-slave who Van Lew had freed. Van Lew was able to get Bowser a job in the house of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy. In his house, he and his generals discussed strategies, and Bowser would listen. She’d pass the information to Van Lew who passed it on to General Ulysses S. Grant. Without a doubt, Mary Bowser and Elizabeth Van Lew helped the Union win the war. 12B Song Lyrics This is the story of two ladies, one black the other white, Who, during the Civil War, both worked as spies. They fought for the Union against the South, Not on battlefields, but from within the house. Mary and Elizabeth, listen up... Mary Bowser was born a slave, This young black girl was strong and brave. A white girl, Van Lew, Elizabeth, Was eccentric, they called her “Crazy Bet.” She had a sunny disposition and a heart of gold, At a time when humans were bought and sold.
    [Show full text]
  • White Women in Richmond, Virginia, 1860-1880
    ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: "SISTERS OF THE CAPITAL": WHITE WOMEN IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, 1860-1880 Edna Susan Barber, Doctor of Philosophy, 1997 Dissertation directed by: Professor Gay L, Gullickson Associate Professor David A, Grimsted Department of History This dissertation examines the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction on elite, middle-, and working-class white women in Richmond, Virginia. Anne Firer Scott has written that the Civil War was a historical watershed that enabled southern women's movement into broader social, economic, and political roles in southern society. Suzanne Lebsock and George Rable have observed that claims about white Southern women's gains must be measured against the conservatism of Southern society as the patriarchy reasserted itself in the postwar decades. This study addresses this historiographical debate by examining changes in white Richmond women's roles in the workforce, in organizational politics, and the churches. It also analyzes the war's impact on marriage and family relations. Civil War Richmond represented a two-edged sword to its white female population. As the Confederate capital, it provided them with employment opportunities that were impossible before the war began. By 1863 , however, Richmond's population more than doubled as southerners emigrated to the city in search of work or to escape Union armies. This expanding population created extreme shortages in food a nd housing; it also triggered the largest bread riot in the confederacy. With Confederate defeat, many wartime occupations disappeared, although the need for work did not. Widespread postwar poverty led to the emergence of different occupations. Women had formed a number of charitable organizations before the war began.
    [Show full text]
  • Female Spies in the Civil
    Female Spies in the Civil War Overview Most of the stories that we hear about from the Civil War are stories about men...the politicians whose decisions led to the war and guided its course, the generals and officers who tactical strategies determined the outcomes of various battles, and the soldiers on both sides who fought in those battles. But women (white and black) played a pivotal role in the Civil War as well, whether on the home front, as nurses, disguised as men to fight as soldiers, or as spies gathering intelligence. In this lesson, students will explore the often overlooked role of black and white female spies during the Civil War through examination of primary sources and by researching a specific spy who operated during the War. Grades High School *With modified primary sources, this lesson can also be utilized with 8th grade students. Essential Questions • What role did espionage place in the American Civil War? • How did black and white women participate in the war? • What gender roles were women expected to conform to in the 1860s? • How did spying contradict those roles, and how did assumptions about women potentially make them more effective spies? Materials • Cypher Letter, warm up image attached • Cypher Disk, image attached • OPTIONAL: Printable cypher disk (available here) and cardstock, scissors and paper fasteners • Civil War Ciphers & Signals, a 4-minute clip from Morehead Planetarium’s full dome “Tales from the American South” film: https://youtu.be/HiJ_Ieer-Jk • Letters from Civil War spies (teachers will need to either provide technology to students to access these materials directly online, or print out copies) o Rose O’Neal Greenhow (Confederate spy) letters: https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/scriptorium/greenhow/roseindex.html (For this lesson, the eight letters from June 19, 1863 to Feb 17 1864 are recommended) o Sarah E.
    [Show full text]