Life+of+a+Soldier+during+the+Civil+War

5.7 Determine the meaning of the terms of this period with a visual representation including:
 * Union and Confederate States
 * Yankees and Rebels
 * Blue and Gray
 * Johnny Reb and Billy Yank

5.14 Use concrete words, phrases, and sensory details to describe the experience of the war on the battlefield and home front. After the battle of Ft. Sumter, the Confederacy was ready to do battle with the Union to preserve their way of life. 11 states made up the Confederacy. Even though the South had few resources such as factories, railroads, & money, they had an army of experienced soldiers who knew what it took in order to survive. A confederate soldier was nicked named Johnny Rebel. Many Confederate soldiers had military experience and were very well trained in using a gun. Having lived in rural areas, these soldiers knew that area along with know how in order to survive. Union soldiers were called Yankee Blue. These soldiers were more equipped because of the larger amount of resources that the North had available.

The average age of a soldier was 25 although it would not be surprising to see boys as young as 12 being on the battlefield. Because both sides had a hard time fill men to join, they imposed a draft which would require men of a certain age to serve in the military. Some men could pay someone up to $300 to substitute for them to avoid going to war. This brought a lot of back lash about the draft and claimed that the war was "A rich man's war and a poor man's fight". Camp life was hard for both sides. Sometimes family members would come and help around camp to help the soldiers. Over time, Confederate soldiers would have fewer and fewer supplies which will eventually take a toll on them. Disease was the biggest problem at these camps. With little to no way to fight off infections, many soldiers didn't die on the field, they would die of infection. Open up the document above and read The Ballad of Billy Yank. What is the author trying to say to the reader? What is the mood of this poem? What details help you determine your answer?

Check out the video clip below to help you get a better understanding of life of a soldier http://www.ahctv.com/battles-history/videos/assignment-discovery-civil-war-soldiers-life.htm

Click on the link below and browse through the information about about the life of a soldier during the Civil War. http://www.history.com/interactives/civil-war-150#/home

http://teachinghistory.org/civil-war

Now scroll down the page of the history interactive website above and click on the faces of the Civil War. Pick a couple of images of the soldiers and write out the mood and tone of the images and explain your answer for each.

Now that you have looked at different media presentations and images, go back to the ballad poem. Reread it. Discuss with your group how these media presentations help you better understand the message of this poem.

=**Pink and Say Reading activites**=