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Death Tolls and Wounded Report

to President Lincoln

  
 
 

Your Mission:

A Message From Mr. Mark T. Ellis- General Grants Aide
Mission: Imagine that this is the year 1865 and the American Civil war has just drawn to a close. President Lincoln has given his top commanders the task of reconstructing and mending the Union. However, there are many Americans in both the North and the South that are in disarray.  President Lincoln wants an immediate report on the status of the Union. 
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General Grant has summoned you to his office to see if you and your team can help him determine the losses of life and the number of wounded. He has given you a sheet with a list of the major conflicts of the Civil War. He has also provided for you a list of resources that you can use to find out the information that he needs.

Your mission is to use the 21st Century technology of spreadsheets to design and make charts and graphs that the General can use in his report to President Lincoln.

Below is a list of the types of tools you will use and the type of information (data) you will need to collect.

Tools:  You and your team will be using the Excel Spreadsheet program to create the charts and graphs you will need. I will provide an Excel spreadsheet with a list of the battles on it as well as the types of data that needs to be collected.  (Officers killed, enlisted wounded, etc.)

I will also be providing you with examples of the types of charts and graphs I would like to see.  You will be creating a bar chart for both the Northern losses as well as a bar chart for the Southern losses.  You will also be creating a bar chart for civilian losses as well.

In Summary:

  1. You will collect data (numbers of dead and wounded) and put the numbers into the appropriate spaces on the Excel spreadsheet. (Spreadsheet will be started for them listing the major Civil War Battles)
  2. You will make a bar chart showing the losses of life, wounded and any other information you would like to display on the sides of the North and the South as well as civilian casualties.  (Example will be included)
  3. You will then summarize your findings and present them in a report so that General Grant can show hem to President Lincoln.

Resources:  This page has a list of resources that you can use to build your charts and graphs with as well as write your report.  What you need to keep in mind is that this lesson is about the information you are gathering and not about how to use the Excel program.