David Pasquini

Main Ideas
Why men decided to fight in the Civil War is an effective starting point for examining the complexity of human decisions. Exploring the individual citizen's decision whether or not to join the war offers an excellent opportunity to add a much-needed human dimension to the teaching of the Civil War. The draft riot of July 1863 overshadows any other war protest in American history. Although Illinoisans certainly did support the war and enlistments remained high, controversies emerged. Southern Illinois displayed strong disunionist sentiment. On the whole, most Illinois men voluntarily joined to fight the war and preserve the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation was not well received by many Illinois soldiers, in particular those from the southern and western portions of the state. However, large numbers of Illinoisans in blue supported Lincoln's decision to strike down slavery.

Connection with the Curriculum
The American Civil War has been identified as the event that "defined us as a nation." It was that terrible struggle which put an end to many questions that emerged as the nation was born. It redefined others: questions about the nature of government, citizenship, and freedom that had been unanswered since the nation's founding. The materials in this section provide an understanding of why northerners decided to fight. These materials are also useful in

having students work with primary sources and draw conclusions from the information contained in the primary sources.

Teaching Level
Grades 11

Materials for Each Student

• A copy of the narrative portion of this article

• Handouts 1-5

•Wall maps of the U.S.

• U.S. history textbook

Objectives for Each Student

• Analyze the differing attitudes towards the start of the Civil War and decide why northerners decided to fight the attempt by the South to create an independent nation.

• Appreciation of the human side of the Civil War.

• Understand the importance of Illinois and its citizens and soldiers in the Civil War.

Opening the Lesson
Show five to ten minutes of the battle scenes from a film such as Glory or Gettysburg. Guide the discussion towards exploring student thoughts on why men would be willing to face the savagery of Civil War combat. Identify possible motivations for both Union and Confederate soldiers. In identifying Union motivation the students might suggest that soldiers fought to preserve the Union, to free the slaves, to put down secession and treason, or simply to escape the boredom of civilian life. Confederate motivations might be to fight for independence, or state's rights, or simply "to see the elephant" (a common expression of the era that means to seek excitement). Students might give additional reasons. The important point for the teacher is to draw out opinions for discussion and consideration. The teacher should list student responses on the board or overhead so that

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comments can be copied by the students. Allow ten or fifteen minutes for discussion. Then instruct students to construct a hypothesis of a couple sentences that represents their best explanation for why people decided to fight. To simplify the process, instruct the students to concentrate on explaining why northerners decided to fight.

Distribute Handout 1. Assign the map for homework or as an in-class activity prior to undertaking the following discussion. Review the location of the required items to ensure that students can locate important places, rivers, and other points prior to reading the narrative portion of this article.

In reviewing this assignment with Handout 1, help students understand that Illinois was strategically located; it was like a dagger pointed into the heart of the Confederacy. Using a map of the United States, identify Cairo, Illinois, and compare its location to Richmond, Virginia. Just how far Illinois extended southward may surprise some students. The numerous rivers, especially the Ohio and Mississippi, would be critical invasion routes both into the South and the North. The rivers would also be important for transporting troops and supplies. The critical point is that Illinois, for geographical and economic reasons, would be much concerned and affected by any war that pitted North against South.

Help students speculate how different parts of Illinois might react to the news of war. Help students understand that people from Kentucky, Tennessee, and other southern states settled the deep southern part of the state and that new Englanders settled many parts of northern Illinois. The geographical length of the state tended to intensify differing perspectives of North and South.

Point out that the population of the state was much more evenly distributed than at present. Illinois' population boomed between 1850 and 1860. By 1860, the state boasted a population of 1,711,961. The major urban areas were Chicago, Peoria, Galena, Alton, Quincy, Freeport, and Rock Island. Foreign immigration increased, especially in the urban areas. Illinois counted 7,628 free African Americans among its citizens. With such diversity, differences of opinion about the crucial issues of the day would be most likely.

With a basic comprehension that Illinois could not dodge involvement in the Civil War, coupled with a brief overview of how different settlement trends would lead to differing opinions about the issues surrounding the start of the war, the students are ready to participate in a recruiting rally.

Developing the Lesson
• Have students read the narrative portion of this article and discuss what the article has to say about reactions to the start of the war. Further attention should be given to identifying how individuals responded to the war as the conflict continued.

• Distribute Handout 2. Explore how the attitudes in the poem may have changed at various times in the war-- in April 1861 with the news of the attack on Fort Sumter; after the news of bloody Shiloh in April 1862 (Illinois contributed 28 of 65 Union regiments and accounted for more than one-third of the total loss of 13,047 killed, wounded, and missing); when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in January 1863; upon reports that Sherman's bummers (which referred to soldiers foraging off the land) had taken Savannah in early December, 1864; and, in late April, 1865, with news that the war was over upon Johnston's surrender to Sherman.

• Distribute Handouts 3 and 4 and make sure that students understand what is expected of them during the recruiting rally. Assign roles of specific men using Handout 5, and explain the role play. The purpose of the role play is to discuss what should be done in reaction to the news of Fort Sumter. Who will enlist and why? Who will stay home and why? For the purpose of the role play, all participants will play males. However, roles can be modified in the role play to include female roles. If female roles are added, then an additional question to be debated at the role play is the place of women in the war.

• Explain that the time of the role play is shortly after news has arrived that the rebels have taken Fort Sumter. President Lincoln has issued his call tor "the militia of the several States of the Union, to the number of seventy-five thousand" to put down the insurrection. The teacher may want to have the students construct posters reacting

to the news of the firing on Fort Sumter. (Models can be found in any number of picture books on the Civil War). Have the room set up as a town square. (Place desks around the edge of the room leaving the center of the room open). Have the posters up on the wall. For additional effect, the teacher may have Civil War music playing as students enter the room to participate in the role play. The teacher should serve as the mayor of the town to guide the discussion. To spark discussion, the teacher may want to play the role of a Copperhead opposed to supporting Lincoln's call to put down insurrection.

Concluding the Lesson
Have students who decide to enlist sign the muster sheet and become members of the Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The teacher should debrief the activity using the following questions:

1. To what extent may each of the following have gotten men to participate in the Civil War: peer pressure, patriotism and family ties, the emotion of the moment, and the desire for excitement?

2. What historical events in U.S. history might be compared to the firing on Fort Sumter? What were the reactions of Americans to those events?

3. In a war to make men free, was the draft justified? Based on the narrative portion of this article, what caused the New York draft riots? Why might the Irish immigrants in New York be likely to challenge the draft?

4. What is your reaction to Robert Kennicott's initial delay in joining the army? To accepting donations to pay for a substitute? Was Kennicott less of an American for not having gone off to war, or were his reasons (work and family) sufficient to justify his decision?

5. During much of the Vietnamese War, young men who went to college were exempt from the draft. How does this compare and contrast with the situation during the Civil War?

6. What is patriotism? Does a modern nation need patriotism to survive, or has the move towards various international organizations and economic associations made the type of patriotism displayed in the Civil War obsolete?

7. Before the Civil War ended, more than 600,000 men had either been killed in battle or had succumbed to diseases. Was the war worth fighting?

Extending the Lesson

• Students can pursue individual research into their Civil War ancestors, or they can research the role of the individual for the role play. Refer to Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor by Bertram H. Groene.

• Bring Civil War reenactors into the classroom and have students interview a Civil War reenactor about his war experiences using the questions on Handout 3.

• Discuss whether today's generation should remember the Civil War.

• Discuss the importance of preserving battlefields and making national parks.

Assessing the Lesson
Assess student performance on the role play worksheet, the writing of a letter home, and evaluation based on the oral discussion rubric. The debriefing following the role play is a critical component of the activity and is most necessary to effectively assessing student learning.

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Locate the following on the map below: Chicago, Watseka, Kankakee, Onarga, Glenview, Ashkum, Loda, Cairo, Bloomington, Carbondale, Centralia, Peoria, Galena, Rock Island, Springfield, St. Louis (Missouri), Lake Michigan, Mississippi River, Illinois River, Ohio River, Wabash River, and the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

Handout 2 -- A Civil War Poem

Richard W. Burt was a veteran of both the Mexican and the Civil Wars. After the Civil War he lived in Peoria, Illinois, until he died on July 8,1911. Burt enlisted in the Civil War, and according to his obituary "served throughout the war and was a gallant soldier." In March 1864 he was promoted to the rank of captain. Despite a wound received at Resaca, Georgia in May 1864, Burt remained in the service until his unit was mustered out on July 15,1865. According to Burt's obituary in a Peoria area paper, he was "one of the oldest and most prominent residents of Peoria... He was a man scrupulously honest and honorable, gentle, kindly and brave, and his death is being mourned by the entire community." Burt found the time to write many poems about the war (War Songs, Poems and Odes). One of Burt's poems gives a interesting perspective on how one veteran remembers why many decided to wear Union blue.

Freemen! hear your country's call,
Strike for Freedom one and all,
Never let your standard fall,
Raised for glorious liberty.

Lay the knavish traitor low,
We know them now as Freedom's foe,
Let them fall by Freeman's blow,
Whose cause is human slavery.

Strike! who love Columbia's laws,
Strike! and gain the World's applause,
For you fight for Freedom's cause,
You fight for glorious liberty.
Strike! before it is too late,
Strike! decide your Country's fate,
Let rebels feel the crushing weight,
Of every blow for liberty.

Freemen, rise! your Country save,
The Stars and Stripes must ever wave,
Sustained by patriots true and brave,
And lead the way to victory.

Loyal Sons of Freedom stand,
By your Country, Freedom's Land,
Draw the Sword at its command,
Strike death blows to slavery.

Let the traitor find their place,
With the tyrants of the race,
Who their Country would disgrace,
With servile chains and slavery.

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The War Begins Role Card—Preparation Worksheet

Directions: Complete the following worksheet. Answer questions 1-5 briefly but specifically. Use information in the narrative portion of this article and your textbook to develop your role. Make use of your imagination to enlarge your role. Remember that you are living in a country where a long-term, agonizing crisis appears to be coming to a conclusion. Your residence in Illinois makes you very interested in what happens between the North and the South.

Your Name ________________________________________________

Name of person being portrayed __________________________________

Circle Appropriate Response: Actual Person/Fictional Male/Female Occupation at start of the war_________________________

1. What would be your reaction to first news about the attack on Fort Sumter?

   
   
   

2. What would be your reaction to first news about President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers?

   
   
   

3. What would be your opinion about who is to blame for the national crisis?

   
   
   

4. How might war affect the way you make a living?

5. What would be your attitude about slavery in 1861?

Select one of the options below and briefly defend your position

Option One—Enlist immediately
Explanation—Briefly list the pros and cons of your decision and identify possible consequences.

Pros/Cons                                      Possible Consequences

Option Two—Wait until you are forced to enlist due to threat of draft
Explanation—Briefly list the pros and cons of this decision and identify possible consequences.

Pros/Cons                                      Possible Consequences

Option Three—Decide to pay a substitute
Explanation—Briefly list the pros and cons of this decision and identity possible consequences.

Pros/Cons                                      Possible Consequences

Option Four—Become a Copperhead and oppose the war
Explanation—Briefly list the pros and cons of this decision and identify possible consequences.

Pros/Cons                                      Possible Consequences

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Fundamental problem/central question to explore:

Supportive questions/concepts:

Anticipated essential insights (what it is hoped the students will take away from the discussion):

Thinking Pathways:

Origin or source—describe how you came to your point of view.

Conflicting views—respond to differing points of view.

Implications and consequences—consider what follows from a statement.

Support, reasons, evidence and assumptions—support view with reasons.

Cueing:

Knowledge—identification and recall (who, what, where, how, describe).

Comprehension—organization and selection of facts and ideas (retell, what is the main idea?).

Application—use of facts, rules, and principles (how is? why is?).

Analysis—separation of a whole into component parts.

Synthesis—combination of ideas to form a new whole (predict, infer, create, design, alternative solutions, what might have happened).

Evaluation—development of opinions, judgments, or decisions.

Category		Self-Evaluation
CONDUCT
I behaved in a fair and democratic manner.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work
I gave my full attention to all members of the class at all times.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work
I brought notes to the discussion.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work
I actively participated in the discussion.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work

LISTENING
I wrote comments, ideas and questions down during the discussion.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work
I asked for another participant for clarification or I challenged the comments of a fellow participant.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work
I stayed on task and focused during the entire discussion.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work

SPEAKING
I reviewed the pronunciation and definitions of critical terms prior to my participation in the discussion.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work
I spoke in a loud, clear voice.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work
I used complete sentences.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work

REASONING
I gave specific reasons/facts to support my views.
I did well	I need improvement	I need a lot more work

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Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry Volunteers
Name	Residence	Occupation
Oscar Malmborg	Chicago	Businessman
Milton L. Haney	Bushnell	Minister
Henry S. Nourse	Massachusetts	Teacher
Charles B. Tompkins	Lewistown	Doctor
John B. Tompkins	Lewistown	Doctor
Oliver Erickson	Chicago	Laborer
John Warden	DuPage County	Farmer
Jonas Buck	Belvidere	Farmer
Samuel C. Kellogg	Naperville	Farmer
Hugo Arnott	Mt. Vernon	Farmer
William Bond	Bloomington	Businessman
John Bauman	Elgin	Farmer
James Bunkle	Iowa	Farmer
Henry Buck	Batavia	Farmer
Andrew Dailey	Chicago	Laborer
Porter Martin	DuPage County	Farmer
Edward Hayes	Chicago	Laborer
Dennis Kelly	Belvidere	Farmer
James Kennedy	Naperville	Farmer
William Holden	Elmwood	Farmer
Richard Garbs	Cairo	Farmer
Roger Connaughton	DeKalb	Farmer
Franklin Peacar	Huntley	Shopkeeper
William Short	DeKalb	Farmer
David Stuart	Chicago	Politician
Theodore C. Chandler	Alton	Lawyer
Theodore Chandler	Canton	Farmer
Henry Janes	Kentucky	Shopkeeper
John T. Smith	Iowa	Railroad worker
Charles Merrill	Centralia	Farmer
Charles Sylva	Kane County	Farmer
Henry Benie	Fullersburg	Farmer
Henry Johnson	Chicago	Laborer
Andrew Hill	Chicago	Laborer
Patrick Moran	Chicago	Farmer
Joseph Reynolds	Naperville	Farmer
Edward Beals	Belvidere	Farmer
Henry Kaiser	Fullersburg	Farmer
Thomas Mann	Elgin	School teacher
Nelson Swanson	Chicago	Shopkeeper
John Montgomery	Missouri	Farmer
Henry Hurlbut	Cairo	Steamboat hand
From the narrative portion of the article
Benjamin T. Smith	Watseka	Painter
Moses Messer	Onarga	Surveyor
Robert Kennicott	Glenview	Scientist
Dr. John Kennicott	Glenview	Doctor
Forrest Lindsey	Kankakee	Farmer

Colonel Oscar Malmborg

The Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry Volunteers was recruited principally from young men raised on farms in DeKalb, Fulton, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle, McDonough, and Winnebago counties. The Fifty-fifth was organized at Camp Douglas in Chicago and mustered into service on October 31, 1861. In the Battle of Shiloh (1862) the Fifty-fifth lost the second highest number of men in any unit: 52 killed, 199 wounded, and 26 captured. The Fifty-fifth served under General William T. Sherman at Corinth, Mississippi, and participated in the March to the Sea. Few were recruited to its ranks after the losses at Shiloh. Noted for its discipline, only forty-nine of its members were taken prisoner. The Fifty-fifth was mustered out on August 14,1865. Its dead were buried in nine states.

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