U.S. History: Civil War- Battle of Nashville: Map Activity

Federal engineers worked hard to create accurate maps to mark the positions of troops, cities, towns, railroads, rivers, roads, hills, and any other important features. These maps are excellent sources for understanding the geography of Civil War battles, and are also some of the best maps for recording the geography of southern towns in the 1860s. The Battle of Nashville, which raged from December 15-16th, 1864, took place on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee during the American Civil War. This battle was an overwhelming victory for the Federal army, who took control of Nashville and shattered the Confederate Army of Tennessee as a result of this battle.

Weblink address (URL):

Battle of Nashville: Map Activity

Home Page for the Lesson Plan- Source

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives:

Students will list features on the map, such as rivers, railroads, streams, etc. and discuss the importance of those features as it relates to the Battle of Nashville. Students will also explore the importance of maps during this historical periods.

Essential and guiding questions:

What can maps tells us about the past?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Applying

Extension suggestions:

Though this lesson plan focuses on one map related to the Battle of Nashville, the structure and methodology of the lesson plan can be adapted to fit any map that is available on the Library of Congress. Thus the teacher can use this content to address different topics of United States, Tennessee, and World History, or to further explore the major battles and themes of the American Civil War.
Schedule a day in your school’s computer lab, or assign each student a tablet/laptop if you have those available. Direct your students to the Library of Congress’ website. Once there, have them access the “Collections with Maps” feature on the website. This page shows all of the collections that feature maps within them.
Instruct your students to pick one map to analyze using the Library of Congress’ Primary Source Analysis Tool. The next class period, have your students present on their different maps or share their findings in small groups. Alternatively, the teacher could have their students type up a report on their chosen map. This option is also great because the teacher can then tape the maps and brief reports up in their rooms or in the hallway for other teachers and students to look at and observe.