Submitted by Tammy Herron (tfherron@gmail.com)

The Society for Georgia Archaeology proudly presents the 2011 Lesson Plan—“Learning Through Archaeology: Rediscovering the Civil War in Georgia.” This Plan was developed based on the theme selected for Georgia Archaeology Month 2011—Gone But Not Forgotten: Rediscovering the Civil War Through Archaeology. This year, the theme was chosen to coincide with the beginning of the Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the Civil War—one of the defining events in our nation’s history. This educational resource offers information, instruction, pictures, questions, activities, and suggestions for additional reading and online resources.

Georgia was the scene of numerous military engagements during the Civil War, including the site of the second-bloodiest battle of the war—Chickamauga. Georgia contains a variety of archaeological sites relating to this tumultuous time, including arsenals, prisoner of war camps, shipwrecks, temporary campsites, battlefields, forts, and other defensive works. We hope that the readers of this lesson plan will become more familiar with the Civil War in Georgia and the effects that the war had on the citizens of this state and the nation.

The 2011 Lesson Plan explores the meaning of archaeology and reveals facts relating to the Civil War in Georgia. The archaeological site featured in this resource is Nash Farm Battlefield located in Henry County between Lovejoy and McDonough, Georgia. An archaeological site report written by Daniel T. Elliott and Tracy M. Dean documents the history associated with Nash Farm and discusses the results of the archaeological investigations conducted at the site. Click here to immediately access The Nash Farm Battlefield: History and Archaeology.

Activities include suggestions for making hardtack or other foods consumed during the Civil War, researching the Battle of Chickamauga—the second-bloodiest battle of the war, and using copies of historic Civil War photographs to consider the archaeological sites the people and material culture in the images would have left behind. The plan notes:

Advances in historic archaeology and battlefield archaeology have improved our understanding of events in Georgia during the Civil War. This subject is of great interest to the public and has been since the days of the war itself. For the archaeologist, context is key. The geographic locations of the battle objects are a vital part of the story. Once these clues have been removed from their battlefield context, their scholarly value is greatly reduced. [page 4]

In sponsoring Georgia Archaeology Month, members of the Society for Georgia Archaeology (SGA) encourage the public to learn about the archaeological resources present in our state and wish to create awareness about the importance of protecting Georgia’s archaeological heritage and preserving these irreplaceable links to our past. (Click here for information about joining the SGA, and an application.)

Click here to access the SGA’s 2011 lesson plan that explores rediscovering the Civil War in Georgia through archaeology.

Posted online on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011