Then have the students research clothing, dialects, mannerisms of the period. Set aside a day where each student can act out a scene from the life of their important person. You may even be able to get the drama department involved in costumes. You could invite administrators and parents and serve traditional refreshments. Many of these folks are businessmen who only do this on the weekends, but would be happy to stage a re-enactment for your class.
Music Divide the class in half.
Teach one side the lyrics to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, teach the other side Dixie. Have a competition to see who can sing the loudest, quietest, etc. When reading about Bill's capture and subsequent imprisonment, we discuss the conditions in prison camps. An excellent movie to show at this point in the story is the TNT Originals production of Andersonville. I try to show an excerpt from the TNT miniseries starring Martin Sheen as Gen. Robert E. Lee.