The Battle of Fort Sumter
Essential Question: Why do people within a country fight with one another?
SS5H1 the student will explain the causes, major events, and consequences of the Civil War.
a. Identify Uncle Tom’s Cabin and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, and explain how each of these events was related to the Civil War.
b. Discuss how the issues of states’ rights and slavery increased tensions between the North and South.
c. Identify major battles and campaigns: Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, the Atlanta Campaign, Sherman’s March to the Sea, and Appomattox Court House.
d. Describe the roles of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.
e. Describe the effects of war on the North and South.
Brief Description:
Discussion about who the leaders of the Union and the Confederate army were
Students will watch video(s) about the Battle of Fort Sumter
Reenactment of the Battle of Fort Sumter
-scrap paper for ammunition
PLEASE SEE BOTTOM OF THE DOCUMENT FOR DIFFERENTIATION SUGGESTTIONS (intellectual disabilities)
Materials:
The Battle of Fort Sumter Videos
Images of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant
Script
Crumpled-up paper wads for battle reenactment
Script:
Battle of Fort Sumter
Split your group into two groups (Union army and Confederate army)
A person from each group can take turns reading the script as you act out the battle.
The Union army should be behind a physical structure that acts as Fort Sumter. The Confederate army can be behind another structure to symbolize a boat.
Confederate: You have to leave the Fort right now! Surrender OR ELSE!
Union: No! We will never surrender! We would rather starve!
Confederate: Than starve you shall!
Union Soldier to Major Anderson: Major Anderson! The ship President Lincoln sent with all our food is almost here.
Confederate: Fire!
Major Anderson: Hold them the best you can.
[Here is where you can have the Confederate army pelt the Union soldiers and structure with crumpled up wads of paper. Use discretion on how you would like to do this. For added effect...you can have the Union soldiers have less ammunition than the Confederate army. Also...have some music playing in the background. Perhaps you can play the soundtrack to Glory or the song Dixie? Lots of ad-libbing can go on here with the students...whatever you feel is appropriate "war banter". I would not make this part last more than a couple minutes]
Union: All is lost we are almost out of food. We will never be able to survive! Our fort is crumbling around us. We must surrender!
[Union army raises white flag]
Confederate to General Beauregard: We did it General! The Union army has been defeated! They are surrendering. The civil war has begun!
[Have the Union army "march" out of the fort. The Confederate army can rejoice!]
Method:
1. Take the images of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant and hang them up in front of the classroom. Ask the class if they can identify the men in the pictures. Ask what they think of each man. Can they guess anything about the personality of each man by looking at the photo? Identify the men to the class and explain that they are about to watch a video about the start of the civil war. Please note: that Grant and Lee were not the commander of the Union army until after the start of the civil war.
2. Play the video(s) about the Battle of Fort Sumter
3. After the videos are complete, split the class into two groups (can be done however you want). One group will be the Union army at Fort Sumter and the other group will be the Confederate army that is bombarding the fort.
4. Depending on how much space you have...you can have a physical structure that the Union army can be behind as well as a structure to symbolize the boat for the Confederate army.
5. Read the script and reenact the events of the battle.
6. After the battle is over...clean up all of the materials and bring the class back to the original orientation of the class.
7. As an assessment you can either have a class discussion or create your own paper/pencil test. Either way...here are some questions you can ask
a) What was Fort Sumter's original purpose? It's original purpose was to defend Charleston from foreign invasion.
b) What state was the first state to secede from the Union? South Carolina
c) Why did Major Robert Anderson move his troops to Fort Sumter? Fort Moultrie was in need of major repair and Fort Sumter was the safest place he could hold against attack with his limited number of troops.
d) At a meeting in Montgomery, Alabama, in February 1861, six seceded states formed the what? Confederate States of America
e) Fort Sumter was built in the shape of what? A pentagon
f) What did President Lincoln do to try to help the soldiers at Fort Sumter? He ordered the navy to sail to the fort to provide provision and additional troops
g) Who ordered the ultimatum of Major Anderson to give up the fort? General Beauregard (on the afternoon of April 11, 1861)
h) What day did the civil way begin? April 12th, 1861
i) The bombardment of Fort Sumter lasted how long? 34 hours
j) Was anyone killed in the battle? Only one...it was an accident when a flying spark landing in a gunpowder pile and exploded after the Union surrendered.
Five Ideas for including students with intellectual disabilities:
1. Create name tags (with picture symbols) for Union/Confederate armies to wear during the battle scene.
2. Use an Alternative Augmentative Communication device to help students with disabilities participate in saying a line in the play.
3. Have student(s) sit by the CD player (or speakers) while battle music is playing…you can even have them operate the device.
4. Have student(s) use the computer to start the video(s) to play for the class.
5. Have student(s) hold up the white flag as the Union army surrenders to the Confederate army.
This lesson plan was created by Tim Villegas. For more lesson plans ideas, articles and resources about inclusive education…please visit Thanks for downloading!