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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. At the end of "Chapter 8: The Cause of Liberty," by what year had Northern soldiers broadened their concept of liberty to include black people?

2. In the discussion of the psychological and physiological issues soldiers faced in 1864, a private in the 100th Pennsylvania wrote that he slept one night out of how many?

3. Which individual was one of the highest-ranking Jewish officials during the war, who denounced the Emancipation Proclamation to his wife in January 1863?

4. After discussing how the language of soldiers in letters home is cliche today, McPherson says that which writer noted that World War I made words like "glory" mock-heroic?

5. From which state was the major whose letter home during the summer of 1862 contained the line "slavery must be cleaned out," from which the title of the chapter was inspired?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

3. What difference did class and education make in terms of support when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation?

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

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

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

7. 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?

8. Describe the information and political education level maintained by soldiers in "Chapter 7: On the Altar of My Country."

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

10. In "Chapter 10: We Know That We are Supported at Home," why did some officers worry that married men made bad soldiers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a well-developed essay, analyze and discuss the effect being in the presence of slavery had on non-abolitionist Union soldiers. Include quotes and supporting information from the text.

Essay Topic 2

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.

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.

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