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Homefront Tennessee:
Children and the Civil War
Lincoln Letters for Kids and the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum
In conjunction with
The City of Harrogate
and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area present
Homefront Tennessee: Children in the Civil War
Exploring the Past through Artifacts Activity
Written by Natalie Sweet
Materials needed:
Paper and pens for writing letters
A large container with sand inside
Replica artifacts, like bullets, bones, and buckles
A container that can be sealed as a Time Capsule
Items to place in the Time Capsule
Having never participated in an archeology dig (or class) before, I began with the simple expectation that I could have an “amateur” archaeologist come to the camp to explain to the camp participants how they found artifacts. I now know how ridiculous that expectation was. For one, I didn’t want to teach the class that digging is all that archaeology is about, and that in many cases, digging without experience in archaeology or permission is illegal. So, my focus for this “dig” took on a new aspect.
First, it is important to explain to participants that under no circumstances should they ever dig up dirt to find artifacts. For one, what is in the dirt surrounding the artifact can explain just as much as the artifact itself. For this reason, it is important that only a trained archaeologist digs.
However, I had promised we would dig. So, my project took on a different aspect. We brought in a large container of mulch (in one of those cheap swimming pools), and buried “artifacts.” Before we dug, though, we had an explanation for our young historians. Once again, we reminded them that they should never do this activity themselves unless they became trained archaeologists. Next, we explained how when archaeologist find artifacts, they are careful to measure the depth, location, and the soil around the artifact to discover more clues. Then we let them sift through the mulch to find their treasures.
After finding the objects, we brought the students around in a circle to lay out what they had found. Some of the objects included:
We then talked about the objects they found and what they meant. We described the types of wounds the bullets created and what type of treatment they required. We talked about the animal bones and beans we found and what that might mean in relation to what a soldier would eat. The belt buckles with CSA and US told us whose camp we had wandered onto, and the bullet molds helped tell the story of how soldiers sometimes had to be self reliant.
Next, we traveled to the War Gallery to look at items that came from people’s attics. We discussed the guns that had been found and how the soldiers used them. We looked at the coats and described how much smaller people were during the Civil War, and how uniforms identified a person’s rank and allegiance.
Finally, we gave the students a chance to create a lasting artifact of their experience at the museum. We discussed how all of the artifacts told us about the people we were studying that week. Next, we provided a chance for each student to pick an artifact that meant something to them. The list included:
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A CD of the history program they were taking part in, with their lessons and activities included.
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A picture of the group so people in the future would know what we looked like
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A newspaper headline that told what was going on in our world
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A picture of our president and facts about him
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A popular book, such as Harry Potter, that all of the children liked to read
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Baseball cards with their favorite athletes
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A clipping of a magazine article about their favorite TV show
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clipping of a magazine article about their favorite movie
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A popular magazine, like American Girl
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An American flag
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A Tennessee flag
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A McDonald’s wrapper (so they will know that was something we liked to eat!)
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A pair of headphones, so they know we liked to listen to music
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A video game controller
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A 5th grade school book
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A picture and facts on Tennessee and its governor
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A Tennessee Volunteer item
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A Tennessee Titans item
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A postcard of the museum
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A pressed flower
After picking an item, each student wrote a note about how the item they picked was important to them. Then we put everything into a container to be placed in the museum vault, and agreed it could not be opened for twenty years. A special certificate was placed in each student’s folder so they could present it to the museum in 20 years to remember what they were like when they were in the 5th grade. With a good memory, most may return to remember the fun (and educational) time they had at history camp!
Natalie Sweet
Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum
Lincoln Memorial University
Box 2006 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway
Harrogate, TN 37752
natalie.sweet@lmunet.edu
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