The Battle of Gettysburg through Union and Confederate Eyes

Battle of Gettysburg through Union and Confederate Eyes

Lesson by Kathy White

Essay by Gary W. Gallagher, University of Virginia

Grade Level: 6–8
Number of Class Periods: 2
Primary Era: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877

About This Lesson Plan Unit

Cover Image of Lesson Plan featuring an image of dead soldiers

The two lessons in this unit explore the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Students will read a letter and a speech by Abraham Lincoln and a letter by Robert E. Lee providing two leaders’ assessments of the battle and examine two photographs taken after the battle. You will assess student comprehension by asking them to summarize the main ideas in the texts and images and respond to one of the Essential Questions.

Lesson Plan Author: Kathy White
Historical Background Essay by: Gary W. Gallagher, University of Virginia

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Additional Information About This Unit

Common Core State Standards

Common Core State Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

Essential Questions

Essential Questions

What are points of agreement in Abraham Lincoln’s and Robert E. Lee’s descriptions of the Battle of Gettysburg?

What claims did Civil War photographers make about the Battle of Gettysburg, war, and war’s consequences?

How did both Union and Confederate leaders judge the importance and success of the Battle of Gettysburg?

Documents

Documents

Letter from President Lincoln to General George G. Meade, July 14, 1863

Letter from Robert E. Lee to His Wife, Mary Lee, July 12, 1863

Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863

Timothy O’Sullivan, photographer, “A Harvest of Death, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,” July 1863, published in Gardner’s Photographic Sketch Book of the War, vol. 1, 1865–1866

Alexander Gardner, photographer, “Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter, Gettysburg,” July 1863, published in Gardner’s Photographic Sketch Book of the War, vol. 1, 1865–1866