A Nation At War Traveling Trunk: Set Up Instructions and Opening Lesson

Set Up Instructions:

The contents of the Nation at War: Traveling Trunk are best displayed if you are able to set the items at six (or seven) tables or station areas in your classroom. Student activity sheets can be placed at each of these tables. Ideally only three to five students are at each table. Prearrange how you plan to subdivide your class into those groups, considering who will work best together.

Each group begins at one station or table area and then is required to move, after an appropriate amount of time, to the next site. It is probably best to allow between fifteen and twenty minutes for each area but your time and space considerations will help you to decide how best you want to display and move the students from one location to another.

Since it requires time to set everything up and these items shouldn’t remain unattended, one extended time slot would be the best. A teacher able to block out ninety minutes of time will probably be in a position to complete the stations (table) activities in a given day. This works well for the classroom teacher that has the same group of students for the entire day. If, however, you happen to have sections of students for Social Studies it poses a different problem. Twenty minutes of instruction followed by another twenty or twenty-five minutes of activity at a table area would allow a teacher an opportunity to rotate a new group of students each day to another table or station area, completing the station activities in 6 or 7 days.

The “You Are a Soldier” video links can be shown, segment by segment, to the whole class, followed by discussion utilizing the discussion guide and/or you can set it up with a small television with headphone sets, or in another room, for students to watch independently when they have extra station time.

You may also choose to only display certain items each day and perhaps some activities will not be possible with your class. We tried to provide an assortment of things to do. Before the students actually have an opportunity to handle any items, however, it is suggested that you strongly emphasize the need for them to be careful with all of the items contained in the trunk. We have included a covenant that we encourage your students to read and sign. It would also be advisable for you to have one or two students volunteer to become quartermasters. They would then be able to do a daily inventory of the trunk’s contents, thereby keeping you better informed.

Opening Lesson Ideas:

Here are some suggestions for the initial presentation and introduction of the traveling trunk:

You might want to read a selection from Karen Weinberg’s Window of Time, pages 1–8. This will help draw your students into the excitement of opening the trunk for the first time.

Consider dressing one of your students in front of the class, overtop his or her regular school clothes. The clothing items were tailored to fit a young person. For more information on the manner in which the clothing items should be worn check for the enclosed activity entitled, “Dressing a Civil War Soldier”.

Another suggested introductory activity for the trunk, and for each day, is to watch and discuss segments in the “You Are A Soldier” video links.


When you are finished with your introductory lesson(s), it will be time to have the students begin at each of the station (table) areas. Keep in mind that some materials from the introductory lessons may need to be returned to the proper station area.

Below are additional suggestions for creating a great learning environment during this independent and small group learning time.

MUSIC: We have included a compact disc(s) with Civil War era music, as well as links on how you can download Civil War music of your choosing, to play during the station rotations. General background material on the role of music in the Civil War with accompanying discussion questions is also included below.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Also in the Addendum are links to great photographs, and some ideas on how to incorporate historic photographs into your Civil War lessons

BOOKS: We have included just a few books within each trunk to complement your classroom and school library. Some are appropriate to display at various stations (such as books on Civil War medicine) and others can perhaps be made available in a book corner for those students who complete station activities faster than others.

DRESSING THE STUDENT(S)

The clothing items provided in the Civil War Trunk should be large enough to fit over a student’s clothing (choose a small to average-sized student).

The first item your student can put on is the cotton shirt. The fact that the shirt is made of cotton could be used as an introduction into the causes of the Civil War. Certainly, the plight of the African Americans worsened as it was their slave labor that was used to grow and harvest the cotton. The issue of tariffs and how they affected the cotton trade with Europe contributed to the growing controversies between the North and the South especially as it related to the issue of states’ rights.

Once your student has removed his or her shoes, the woolen pants can be pulled on over their existing clothes. The suspenders can be drawn over the shoulders and at this point it would be appropriate to mention that belts were rarely used to hold up a pair of pants in those days. Other items were often attached to belts as the students will soon see.

The sack coat can be slipped into next, and buttoned completely, followed by putting on the brogans (shoes). The use of the woolen socks is optional.

This can be followed with the cartridge box being slung over the soldier’s left shoulder, with the cartridge box itself resting on the right hip. The canteen and haversack (fully loaded) can be slung over the right shoulder with both items resting on the left hip. The waist belt, with cap box, can be drawn in around the waist over the cartridge box strap. The belt is used to keep this item from moving about.

The bed roll consisted of the wool blanket on top of the rubber blanket, rolled up with the ends tied together with rope; all that the soldier has to do then is slip it over his or her head allowing it to run diagonally from the left shoulder down to the right hip. The knapsack was not included in the trunk due to its imposing size and the fact that as the war progressed, some soldiers discarded them as they were too cumbersome and impractical on campaign.

Lastly, the kepi can now be placed on your soldier’s head. Obviously, the rifle and bayonet cannot be included in our trunk but fully equipped a soldier was often carrying better than forty pounds of additional weight.

You might also have another student put on the Lincoln dress-up materials (coat, beard, and hat), another a bonnet and apron, and a third the medical corps insignia with instruments, to introduce some of the various perspectives of “a nation at war” that will be explored throughout the course of the coming weeks.