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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On July 1, 1864, a captain for the 103rd Illinois wrote that it was day sixty-two for his regiment, and that they'd spent how many of those days under fire?
(a) 62.
(b) 50.
(c) 33.
(d) 48.

2. When a twenty-five year old soldier in the 2nd Vermont married his fiancee during a furlough in "Chapter 10: We Know That We are Supported at Home," how many months was he with her during the first year of marriage?
(a) 4.
(b) 7.
(c) 1.
(d) 10.

3. As "Chapter 12: The Same Holy Cause" opens, McPherson says that Civil War soldiers never heard of all BUT WHICH of the following terms?
(a) Shell shock.
(b) Courage.
(c) Battle fatigue.
(d) Psychiatric casualties.

4. In the discussion of a Louisiana cavalry sergeant who'd been the headmaster of a boys' school prior to enlisting, by what battle does the soldier cite Yankee hatred as his reason to fight?
(a) Pleasant Hill.
(b) Belmont.
(c) Mesilla.
(d) Vicksburg.

5. In the discussion of combat stress reaction, readers learn that this phenomenon was most common during which year of the Civil War?
(a) 2nd.
(b) 3rd.
(c) 4th.
(d) 1st.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the discussion of Bell Wiley's study of Billy Yank, how many Union soldiers were interested in emancipation out of every ten surveyed?

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. When a sergeant in the 8th Georgia wrote to his family in 1863 that he would willingly sacrifice his life upon the altar of his country, readers learn that he did so in which battle?

4. After the discussion of the conflict between love of family and love of country, McPherson quotes an Alabama soldier as saying he worried for his wife if they failed. What was his wife's name?

5. As "Chapter 7: On the Altar of My Country" begins, McPherson quotes an analysis of surviving Tennessee soldiers that showed they weren't really aware of the South's goals during the Civil War. Which decade was the analysis?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

4. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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