This guide was prepared to assist teachers planning a field trip to a major 1994 exhibit at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. The curriculum guide is divided into three sections: (1) background information on the Civil War, its causes and effects and a chronology from 1860 to 1865; (2) excerpts from Civil War letters from June 6, 1863 to April 21, 1865, seen as the heart of the war years; and (3) a "taste" of army life with recipes for replicating camp cooking. A short bibliography for grades 5-6 is included. (EH)