CURRICULUM GUIDE Cambridge Public School Drama Collaborative • CPS • Department of Drama and Dance Unit Title: Bringing History to Life: Civil War Letter Writing: Penning Dramatic Scenes   Instructions Write a letter from someone involved in the Civil War. You could be: • A wounded soldier in the field hospital writing home, describing the battle • An Abolitionist urging President Lincoln to intensify the war effort • An officer asking his commander for more supplies • A child writing a father at war, describing life at home • A prisoner of war delivering demands for better conditions • An escaped slave who's fighting for the North, telling others back home to join him • A woman describing the burning of her home to her cousin • A bored soldier in the back lines, relating his day-to-day chores and drills • A nurse in a field hospital filing a report to her newspaper back home Try to describe what's happening around you as vividly as you can, supply lots of details, and ask for something back from the person you're writing. Imagine your state of mind, and the situation you're in. Some good starts to sentences: "I can't believe what I've witnessed. I've seen... I've heard... "Please, I beseech you to... "I never knew that... "Around me, everyone is... "I've never told anyone this, but... "Every day, I have to...