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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. While talking about the Emancipation Proclamation's effect on Union morale, McPherson says that, in comparison to enlisted men, what percentage of officers supported emancipation?

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

3. In the discussion of Lincoln's idea that the United States represented the last best hope for the survival of republican government, the world is bestrode by all BUT WHICH of these?

4. As "Chapter 12: The Same Holy Cause" opens, McPherson says that Civil War soldiers never heard of all BUT WHICH of the following terms?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What was meant when some soldiers wrote home about being stuck in a "rich man's war," toward the end of "Chapter 7: On the Altar of My Country"?

2. How did Northern soldiers initially respond when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation?

3. After discussing how the conflict between love of family and love of country was a major concern for many Confederate soldiers, how does McPherson say the men resolved this dichotomy?

4. 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?

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

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

7. When McPherson discusses the extra incentive Confederate soldiers had to keep fighting, what does he say about the Northern opinion of Southern soldiers?

8. In the discussion of revenge, why does McPherson say that the Confederate army was more motivated by hatred and revenge than the Union?

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

10. In "Chapter 9: Slavery Must be Cleaned Out," what convinced non-abolitionist Union soldiers that slavery was an evil that must be stopped?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Based on McPherson's discussions, analyze and discuss three ways in which the fact that the Northern and Southern armies were comprised primarily of volunteers affected a key component of the war as a whole. Include supporting information from the book and be sure to cite sources as necessary.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the qualities that a good officer would possess, based on the letters from soldiers. Fully explain three essential qualities and explain why each is important to the soldiers in the book. Include quotes and supporting information from the book.

Essay Topic 3

The men who became soldiers during the Civil War era were largely defined by Victorian ideals of manhood. Compare and contrast these ideals--and the soldiers who embodied them--with the modern equivalents. Be sure to include supporting information from the text.

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