Rachel

8-2

Fisher Jr./Sr. High School

The following information is included in my Civil War Report...

John M. Fisher was most likely a farmer before he went to war. Many of the soldiers at that time were also most likely farmers. This is a conclusion that I have made from the research I have found.

The plow is the earliest known agricultural machine in use since ancient times. A plow at that time would have been made of wood, maybe painted, and would have had metal blades, known as colters, that would be pulled through the ground by oxen. It was a simple device. That, from my own conclusions, would have been rather difficult to use, because although the oxen were pulling it, you still had to help guide and direct the plow in the right direction. In addition, the ground was bumpy and rocky, so it would have thrown the plow off course, which is another conclusion I have made. Today, the plow is more advanced and is pulled by a tractor. Also, today's' plow is much wider, which would allow the plow to turn up more soil than usual. Therefore, although both plows are similar, the plow has advanced greatly from then to now. This information was collected from the Early American Museum.

The corn planter was also a useful tool used during the Civil War era. The corn planter was somewhat like a pump. It was made of wood, or tin, and filled with corn. The farmer would put its pointed tip into the ground. The tip, after about three inches, would have a piece of wood surrounding the tip. This piece of wood was to stop the tip from going any farther into the ground. The farmer would then have pushed the pump like handle down. This would push a kernel of corn into the ground. The farmer would repeat this process as long as necessary. The conclusion that I have made about the corn planter is that it was a simple devise, not very difficult to use, and it was light enough to use. Today, a tractor also pulls the corn planter. This information was also collected from the Early American Museum.

Now I am going to sum up my conclusions that I have made from my research. These tools were two of the most common farming tools (artifacts) that were used during the Civil War era, by John M. Fisher and other farmers.

The plow would have been made of wood, and would have metal blades that were pulled through the ground. It was a simple device that would have been difficult to use. It would have also been difficult to use because the ground was rocky, which would have thrown the plow off course.

The homemade corn planter was a simple device that was not difficult to use. It also seemed light to manipulate.

This is a summary of the two most commonly used tools of the Civil War era. This information was collected from the Early American Museum and from the two URLs that are mentioned below.

Most of the information that I have found is from the Early American Museum, Lake of the Woods, Mahomet, IL.

Some of this information was concluded by my own knowledge.

And also from the URLs:

I would like to thank Trevor, the guide at the Museum, for helping us when we needed help and Mr. Petersen, my US History teacher, for helping me on my project.

 This is a picture of a plow that was used during the Civil War.