a Confederate soldier and Union soldier, Primary Source Analysis help
For this project you will choose two to three primary sources to read, including at least one from a Confederate soldier and at least one from a Union soldier, from the list of choices below:
- Elisha Hunt Rhodes, Diary of a Union Soldier (1862). http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/archive/resources/documents/ch17_04.htm
- Samuel Cabble, Letter Home from the 55th Massachusetts Infantry (1863). http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/samuel-cabble-letter.html
- Edgar Pearce, Firsthand Account of the Battle of Shiloh Written by a Northern Soldier (1862). http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=403
- Reverend John G. Law, Diary of a Confederate Soldier (1860-1861). http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2001.05.0123%3Achapter%3D7.66
- John S. Jackman, Diary of a Confederate Soldier (1862-1863). http://www.rialto.k12.ca.us/rhs/planetwhited/AP%20PDF%20Docs/Unit%207/JACKMAN1.PDF
- Eli Pinson Landers, Letters Home as a Confederate Soldier (1861-1863). http://www.gacivilwar.org/story/the-personal-story-of-life-as-a-confederate-soldier
As you read, consider the following:
- How does each soldier describe the day-to-day reality of the war? What do they have to say about the larger political, military, economic, and social issues of the war? (i.e. secession, slavery, the military strategies of generals, etc.)
- What are the biggest issues that seem to affect their lives?
- How are their experiences and perspectives similar and/or different from one another? What can these similarities and differences tell us?
- How do these documents compare to the secondary source information you have learned about the war so far (in McPherson)?
Summarize your findings in an essay of 3-4 pages (750-1000 words), citing evidence from the primary sources, McPherson, and any other outside sources necessary to your arguments.
Your essay should include:
- An introduction in which you introduce your topic and present a clear thesis statement.
- A series of paragraphs that present evidence that clearly supports your thesis. Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence. Each paragraph should contain only one topic.
- A conclusion in which you restate your main points and thesis.
- All quotations and paraphrased information must include in-text citations APA format.
