Study Guide Lesson 9: Stories of the Confederate South – “The Yankee in the Orchard”

This story is set in modern times along the Red River, near Alexandria, Louisiana. However, the backdrop is the Red River Campaign during the Civil War. The story is based on a family legend. The legend is true, but the modern day application is fictional. The orchard is still on the family’s farm and perhaps someday the story will be vindicated by archaeologists.

Topics and Questions for Discussion, Papers, and Projects:

1. The Red River Campaign. Use the school’s data base for further research. However, here is a good site: http://www.civilwarhome.com/redriverrecords.htm  Students can construct an illustrated map of the campaign. Another good  resources is One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: The Red River Campaign of 1864, by Gary Joiner.

2. Students can discover, record, and present a family legend.

3. Students can analyze modern differences between Southerner and Northerners.

4. Research the story of Louisiana’s Catahoula Cur dog.

5. Research and discuss the Southern view of treatment of women and contrast the South’s  chivalric view to that of other views. What view does Billy have of women?  What does he not know of these women? What does he not know of history?

6. Research Reconstruction from a Southern point of view.

7. How does this story define the Southern Woman?