View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. During the discussion of what sustained soldiers during the Civil War, what does McPherson say was a dominant theme in the letters home?

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. As "Chapter 11: Vengeance Will be Our Motto" opens, which is an essential component, according to McPherson, of the masculine code of honor?

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

5. When talking about how some soldiers' wives felt they had greater responsibility to their families than the founding fathers, a lieutenant from which regiment received letters from his wife complaining about raising three children without him?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way did the Confederate soldiers identify with the Founding Fathers in the discussion of the concept of liberty?

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

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

4. Why, in the discussion of the mail service, does McPherson say that efficient mail delivery was so important?

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

6. At the close of "Chapter 12: The Same Holy Cause," what final lessons does McPherson hope readers take from the book?

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

8. Explain the phenomenon of "dry rot," as discussed in "Chapter 10: We Know That We Are Supported at Home."

9. 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?

10. Under what conditions were black soldiers allowed to join the Confederate army during the final year of the Civil War?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Using all available references to officers of both armies, compare and contrast Union and Confederate officers. In what ways did their talents and methodologies differ? Include supporting information from the text.

Essay Topic 2

In a well-developed essay, compare and contrast the Northern concept of liberty with that of the Southern version of liberty. In what two major ways do their interpretations differ? Be sure to include supporting information from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Pick a quote (at least three sentences) from any soldier McPherson quotes in the book and apply John A. Lynn's three categories to that soldier. Explain how and why Lynn's categories apply to the individual you have chosen, and be sure to include supporting information from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,207 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample