Lesson Plan HISTORY

JUNE 3–JUNE 30, 1863 HIGHLIGHTS Prelude to the Battle of Gettysburg Robert E. Lee, CSA Commander of the Army OPENING/ESSENTIAL QUESTION of Northern Virginia George G. Meade, USA Robert E. Lee was Commander of the Army of the Potomac the Confederacy’s Why did the greatest land battle ever fought on the greatest and most loved This native Pennsylvanian would find commander. He led North American continent occur at Gettysburg? himself in command of the Union Army of one of the most daring the Potomac only three days before the armies ever organized, In the summer of 1863, the southern Pennsylvania hamlet of Gettysburg Battle of Gettysburg. His temperament was the Army of Northern harsh and he could be difficult to deal with, Virginia. The general would hardly have been chosen as the site of the turning point of the Civil War. but Meade would lead his army into the was at the pinnacle of greatest battle they had seen and would his career and his army Gettysburg was a rural crossroads. It had no military significance to either the prove to be equal to the task in defeating apparently unstoppable Union or Confederate army. Yet this sleepy little town would be the site of Lee. His success at Gettysburg would be when they marched into later marred by critics who felt that he was the North that summer the greatest land battle ever fought in North America during the three days too slow in chasing Lee back into Virginia. of 1863, but the Battle of Gettysburg would prove of July 1-3, 1863. Lincoln would later refer to the land where the battle was to be the “high tide” of his army and the war. fought as “this hallowed ground.” Ultimately, this battle would determine the Never again would Lee outcome of the war. How and why did the Armies fight here? be able to mount such an offensive operation into the northern states. OBJECTIVES

■ Students will be able to locate Pennsylvania and the town of Gettysburg on a map of the U.S. John Buford, USA ■ Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the importance Union Cavalry Commander of the road system/geography to the battle The commander of a cavalry division in the ■ Students will be able to identify the key movements of both armies and Army of the Potomac, John Buford’s troops encountered the head of a Confederate the key personalities in the prelude to battle column on June 30th near Gettysburg. It Special Thanks to: was Buford who decided to stay in the area ■ Students will be able to identify the sequence of events leading up to Carolyn Ivanoff overnight and wait for the Confederates to return the following day. His choice would Shelton Public Schools the battle of Gettysburg set the stage for the Battle of Gettysburg for her writing and that began the following day. preparation of this ■ Students will be demonstrate an understanding of how Civil War lesson plan armies traveled

VirtualGettysburg.com • To order, contact Another Software Miracle • P.O. Box 705 • Sharpsburg, MD 21782 • 240.214.3664 phone • 800.417.9596 toll-free • 831.303.9256 fax Lesson Plan PRELUDE TO THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG

Civil War Timeline 1861-1865 April 12, 1861 June 3 - August 1, 1863 April 9, 1865 Fort Sumter Gettysburg Campaign Surrender at Appomattox 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865

Gettysburg Campaign Timeline June 1863 July 1863 August 1863

July 1–3 - Battle of Gettysburg August 1 - Cavalry action near Brandy Station June 3 - Lee launches second invasion of North July 4 - Lee begins retreat

June 9 - Battle of Brandy Station

June 13–15 - Second Battle of Winchester July 14 - Lee completes Potomac crossing

June 17 - Battle of Aldie

June 19 - Battle of Middleburg

June 20 - West Virginia becomes 35th state

June 24 - Lee crosses Potomac June 25 - Battle of Upperville

June 28 - General Meade replaces General Hooker June 29 - Battle of Westminster June 30 - Battle of Hanover

Photographing the Gettysburg Battleﬁeld

It is thought that the ﬁrst photographs of post-battle Gettysburg were taken some time in the afternoon on July 6, 1863, three days after the battle and two days after Lee’s retreat to Virginia. The fact that it took so long to begin the documentation of this catastrophic event is almost incomprehensible to someone with 21st century sensibilities. Even harder to believe is that certain parts of the battleﬁeld, such as the famed Peach Orchard, escaped the camera’s view until the 1880s — some twenty years after the battle!

Find out more at: http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/exhibit/photos

VIRTUALGETTYSBURG.COM VirtualGettysburg.com • To order, contact Another Software Miracle • P.O. Box 705 • Sharpsburg, MD 21782 • 240.214.3664 phone • 800.417.9596 toll-free • 831.303.9256 fax Lesson Plan PRELUDE TO THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG

INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH DID YOU KNOW? Verbal interaction and exploration of the This can be done in collaborative learning essential question between students and groups, on individual computer stations or as a teacher forms the initiation of the lesson. one-computer class with the teacher utilizing a Utilizing Virtual Gettysburg Software, students data projector to play the Prelude. will view the Prelude to the Battle module.

RELATED VOCABULARY, PEOPLE AND PLACES J.E.B. Stuart, CSA Four abreast Henry Harrison Concentrate forces Confederate Cavalry Commander Even his most ardent admirers had a difficult Artillery John Buford Concentration time defending Stuart’s actions during the Gettysburg Campaign. General Lee’s Cattle trains Flank Escalation orders to Stuart gave the cavalryman some leeway, so he took advantage of a confused Robert E. Lee Flank to Flank Cavalry situation to raid Union supply lines and ride northeast around the Army of the Potomac George G. Meade Potomac River Scouts/patrols into Pennsylvania. This happened while Lee J.E.B. Stuart Campaign map Carbine moved his Army of Northern Virginia up the Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland and Pennsylvania. Definitions can be found at www.virtualgettysburg.com/educators/glossary Separated by about 80 miles, Lee had no way of telling where Stuart was. Nor could Stuart use his cavalry to be Lee’s “eyes GUIDED INDEPENDENT PRACTICE and ears” to inform him of where the Union army was. General Stuart did not arrive at Students will take notes documenting issues such as the unique aspect of how Lee’s headquarters until long after the Battle of Gettysburg had opened, and Lee openly important facts and aspects of the prelude in the armies met at Gettysburg, difficulty of expressed his displeasure at Stuart for riding anticipation of discovering the answer to the communications, the challenges faced by off and not keeping in contact with the army. essential question in preparation for learning General Buford, and the directions that Watch the Prelude and see if you can pick out which Confederate (red) unit is J.E.B. assessment/culminating activity. Students each army entered the battle from. Stuart. Hint: On June 25th he breaks away should be directed to take note of specific and moves southeast.

CLOSURE/CULMINATING ACTIVITY Each student will assume the identity of a facts of what they witnessed in the prelude so reporter traveling with either the Army of the that when people from their home town read Potomac or the Army of Northern Virginia. the newspaper article describing the prelude After witnessing the prelude, students will to the battle they understand the important prepare a battleﬁeld dispatch that will be movements of the armies, how the armies met telegraphed to their home town newspaper. at Gettysburg, and the facts leading up to the Henry Harrison Students are to include pertinent and accurate opening shots of the battle. Spy The identity of General James Longstreet’s famous scout, known only as “Harrison” remained a mystery for more than a ASSESSMENT century. However, in 1986 historian James O. Hall identiﬁed this elusive man. Utilizes a scoring rubric for the culminating activity (see back page) Researching the Civil War records at the National Archives, Hall found conclusive evidence that Longstreet’s scout was Secret Agent H. T. Harrison. CONTENT STANDARDS Harrison appeared at Longstreet’s headquarters near Chambersburg, Virtual Gettysburg software and lesson plans the National Standards for History guidelines Pennsylvania on the night of June 28, 1863 align with major state and national standards for grades 5-12: chronological thinking, with news that Federal forces centered around Frederick, Maryland and were on in U.S. History, culture, geography, science historical comprehension, historical analysis there way north. At that moment Lee’s army and technology including components on and interpretations and historical research was dispersed over a wide area of south central Pennsylvania. Based solely on the environment and ecology. Virtual Gettysburg capabilities can be found, along with additional information from a spy, Lee directed his and its lesson plans are appropriate for middle national, state, and local standards at: army to converge near Gettysburg. Harrison’s news saved Lee from a potential disaster and high school students. Alignment with www.virtualgettysburg/educators/standards and thus altered the course of history.

BRINGING THE BATTLEFIELD TO LIFE TM VirtualGettysburg.com • To order, contact Another Software Miracle • P.O. Box 705 • Sharpsburg, MD 21782 • 240.214.3664 phone • 800.417.9596 toll-free • 831.303.9256 fax Lesson Plan PRELUDE TO THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG

Student Self Teacher Newspaper Article Scoring Rubric Possible Assessment/ Assessment/ Points Score Score

Article was written in a logical sequence and is well organized 10

Article captures the reader’s attention and events are easily 10 understood by the reader

Student provides accurate and speciﬁc facts from the Prelude to Battle module that allow the reader to understand how and why the 10 battle occurred in Gettysburg

Article provided in-depth coverage of the topic 10

Student uses related vocabulary, names of places, and people 10 accurately

Article was written in a way that demonstrates student understanding of the learning objectives from the lesson plan, i.e., geography, road 10 system, military movement, key personality, sequence of events

Student used information and material from the Prelude to Battle module in the article that shows organization, appropriate transitions 10 in events, and a clear conclusion

Correct spelling, sentence structure, usage and punctuation are 10 evident throughout the article

Article was typed using word processing software and formatted 10 appropriately

Article was handed in on time 10

Total Possible Points 100

Each category is rated according to the following scale: 9-10 = Excellent, 8-9 = Very Good, 7-8 =Satisfactory, 6-7 = Unsatisfactory, 6-0 = poor

PRIMARY SOURCES Coddington, Edwin, The Gettysburg Campaign, A Study in U.S. Department of War, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation Command. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1968. of the Ofﬁcial Records of Union and Confederate Armies. 128 vols. And index. Washington, 1880-1901. Longstreet, James, Gen. CSA., Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Century Co., 1887. Gettysburg National Military Park – http://www.nps.gov/gett/ Nye, Wilbur S., Here Come the Rebels! Baton Rouge: Louisiana Virtual Gettysburg Teacher Resources State Press, 1965. www.virtualgettysburg.com/educators/