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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The November 8, 1865, diary entry of a sergeant in the 8th Ohio cavalry noted that how many members of his regiment had voted for Lincoln, as opposed to sixteen votes for McClellan?

2. When talking about the frustrations of Union soldiers in the last two years of the war, what amount do readers learn drafted men could pay to acquire a substitute?

3. When discussing the assertions of patriotism as a motivation for fighting, what percentage of the 429 Confederate letters and diaries used as sources affirmed this motivation?

4. In the discussion of combat stress reaction, readers learn that this phenomenon was most common during which year of the Civil War?

5. While attempting to define the "glorious institutions" that kept men fighting during the Civil War, a soldier from which state defined it as "the guaranty of the rights of property, liberty of action, freedom of thought, religion...that kind of government that shall assure life liberty & the pursuit of happiness"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What can be considered ironic about the Confederate fascination with liberty, as discussed in "Chapter 8: The Cause of Liberty"?

2. In the discussion of vengeance, what disturbing instructions did some soldiers send in letters home to their wives?

3. McPherson denies, in the discussion of liberty, that Southern soldiers were obsessed with slavery. What statistical evidence does he supply to support this?

4. Explain the massacres of black soldiers, as discussed in "Chapter 11: Vengeance Will be Our Motto."

5. What challenges did soldiers face in the last year of the Civil War that exacerbated their combat exhaustion?

6. In the discussion of the mail service, why was it more difficult for the Confederate army to maintain efficient mail service than it was for the Union army?

7. In Lincoln's discussions of democracy, what fear did he express if the South should be allowed to secede?

8. What types of letters did Confederate soldiers begin sending home toward the end of "Chapter 11: Vengeance Will be Our Motto"?

9. Why are there no letters from black Union soldiers, according to "Chapter 9: Slavery Must be Cleaned Out"?

10. Based on the discussion of post-traumatic stress disorder, how likely does McPherson consider the possibility that many regiments suffered from this now well-acknowledged psychological issue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the reactions of soldiers who received encouraging letters from home with those who received complaining letters from home. What affect did each type of letter have on soldiers in the book? Include supporting information from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the attitudes of Union soldiers toward the war before and after the Emancipation Proclamation. Be sure to discuss why some Union soldiers were angered by Lincoln's Proclamation, and include supporting quotes and information from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the Southern war effort during the Civil War with that of the Revolutionary War soldiers. Discuss three things that Confederate soldiers saw themselves as having in common with the Revolutionary fighters, and include supporting information from the book.

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