ATKINS:

I wanted you to see the battlefield.

MARTIN:

I see what you mean. It's just open area.

ATKINS:

It was fields. There were farms here. And a few houses.

MARTIN:

Where did the battles take place?

ATKINS:

Everywhere you can see. Soldiers from the North were on that hill. Soldiers from the South were over there. Somewhere in front of those woods.

MARTIN:

In fact, where those men are right now.

ATKINS:

Yes, those men who are firing guns are acting out the  part of the battle. They are pretending to be soldiers during the Civil War. The Civil War is their hobby.

MARTIN:

Is it a game?

ATKINS:

It's quite serious. They study the war. They study the guns, the battles, and every thing about the war and the time.

MARTIN:

Let's talk about the War.

ATKINS:

Where would you like to begin?

MARTIN:

Perhaps we could contrast the Civil War with some other wars. But first, Professor Atkins, why did the war begin?

ATKINS:

That's a very difficult question. People seldom agree on the reasons for a war. Historians are still arguing about the reasons for the Civil War.

MARTIN:

I suppose there are usually many reasons.

ATKINS:

Yes, one group says the reason was slavery. Another group says it was politics. And another group says it was economics.

MARTIN:

That's quite a few reasons.

ATKINS:

We look at those reasons differently too. At the time of the war, people saw them one way. Now we see them another way.

MARTIN:

Let's talk about the people. I'm always interested in people. Tell me about the people first.

ATKINS:

We know quite a lot about the soldiers. There were so many.

MARTIN:

How many?

ATKINS:

There were about four million soldiers.

MARTIN:

From both sides, the North and the South?

ATKINS:

Yes. But remember they were all Americans.

MARTIN:

Of course. That seems like a lot.

ATKINS:

It was. More than six hundred thousand soldiers died in the war.

MARTIN:

How many civilians died?

ATKINS:

We really don't know. More recent wars have been worse for civilians.

MARTIN:

Why is that?

ATKINS:

Modern technology. The guns and equipment are more dangerous. The fighting often takes place where civilians live. In the Civil War, the fighting usually took place in open areas like this.

MARTIN:

Explain that, please.

ATKINS:

The battles were often on farms. The soldiers were on hills and in valleys. They didn't fight in the cities.

MARTIN:

In modern wars, they fight everywhere.

MARTIN:

Professor Atkins, can we talk about something besides death?

ATKINS:

Yes, I hope so. But war is about death.