Name
Date
from Mary Chesnut’s Civil War by Mary Chesnut
“Recollections of a Private” by Warren Lee Goss
“A Confederate Account of the Battle of Gettysburg” by Randolph McKim
Primary Sources: War Correspondence
A. DIRECTIONS: Read each passage from one of the selections. Then, generate two questions
that arise from the quotation.
Today at dinner there was no allusion to things as they stand in Charleston Harbor. There
was an undercurrent of intense excitement. There could not have been a more brilliant
circle. . . . These men all talked so delightfully. For once in my life I listened.
—Mary Chesnut’s Civil War
1.
2.
“Cold chills” ran up and down my back as I got out of bed after the sleepless night, and
shaved preparatory to other desperate deeds of valor. I was twenty years of age, and when
anything unusual was to be done, like fighting or courting, I shaved.
—“Recollections of a Private”
3.
4.
The first day I went out to drill, getting tired of doing the same things over and over, I said to
the drill sergeant: “Let’s stop this fooling and go over to the grocery.” His only reply was
addressed to a corporal: “Corporal, take this man out and drill him”; and the corporal did! I
found that suggestions were not so well appreciated in the army as in private life, and that
no wisdom was equal to a drillmaster’s “Right face,” “Left wheel,” and “Right, oblique,
march.”
—“Recollections of a Private”
5.
6.
Then came General Ewell’s order to assume the offensive and assail the crest of Culp’s Hill,
on our right. . . . The works to be stormed ran almost at right angles to those we occupied.
Moreover, there was a double line of entrenchments, one above the other, and each filled
with troops. In moving to the attack we were exposed to enfilading fire from the woods on our
left flank, besides the double line of fire which we had to face in front, and a battery of artillery posted on a hill to our left rear opened upon us at short range. . . .
—“A Confederate Account of the Battle of Gettysburg”
7.
8.
Unit 3 Resources: Division, Reconciliation, and Expansion
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Name
Date
from Mary Chesnut’s Civil War by Mary Chesnut
“Recollections of a Private” by Warren Lee Goss
“A Confederate Account of the Battle of Gettysburg” by Randolph McKim
Vocabulary Builder
Using the Word List
adjourned
intercepted
brigade
obstinate
convention
offensive
entrenchments
recruits
fluctuation
spectator
DIRECTIONS: Rewrite each sentence below, replacing the italicized word or phrase with an
appropriate word from the Word List.
1. The newly drafted soldiers did not know how to march.
2. The enemy seized a letter that was being sent to headquarters.
3. The officers failed to make a decision, so they closed for a time the meeting.
4. The soldiers stayed in long deep holes with steep sides in order to avoid being shot.
5. The unit of soldiers prepared for battle.
6. The general was stubborn and wouldn’t give up the fight.
7. A person watching who wasn’t involved in the fight stood on the distant hill.
8. Citizens held a meeting to talk about ways they could help the wounded.
9. The battle showed a marked change in intensity throughout the day.
10. The commander told the officers to plan a position of attack.
Unit 3 Resources: Division, Reconciliation, and Expansion
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26
Name
Date
from Mary Chesnut’s Civil War by Mary Chesnut
“Recollections of a Private” by Warren Lee Goss
“A Confederate Account of the Battle of Gettysburg” by Randolph McKim
Selection Test
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Critical Reading Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers
the question.
1. What kind of primary document is Mary Chesnut’s Civil War?
A. newspaper account
B. diary
C. journal
D. letters
2. In Mary Chesnut’s Civil War, Mary Chesnut’s husband
A. participates in negotiations with the commander of Fort Sumter.
B. is commander of Fort Sumter.
C. is commander of the forces attacking Fort Sumter.
D. is a reporter covering the conflict over Fort Sumter.
3. In the excerpt from Mary Chesnut’s Civil War, Mary Chesnut hosts numerous
merry, witty dinners. Why do the guests enjoy themselves so much when war
seems to be so near?
A. They are sure their side will win.
B. They think war and battle are exciting.
C. They are not personally involved.
D. They are convinced there will not be a war.
4. Which of the following passages from Mary Chesnut’s Civil War is an opinion?
A. “My husband has been made an aide-de-camp of General Beauregard.”
B. “Now he tells me the attack upon Fort Sumter may begin tonight.”
C. “Lincoln or Seward have made such silly advances. . . .”
D. “Today Miles and Manning, colonels now . . . dine with us.”
5. The final words of journal entry in “Recollections of a Private” are “on to
Washington!” What do these words mean?
A. The recruits can go home.
B. The recruits are assigned to General George Washington.
C. The recruits are ready to join in the war.
D. The recruits have been ordered to Washington for more training.
Unit 3 Resources: Division, Reconciliation, and Expansion
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27
Name
Date
6. In “Recollections of a Private,” Goss says he stood before the recruiting office
and reread the recruiting advertisement. He says, “I thought I might have made
a mistake in considering war so serious after all.” What he means is that the
advertisement made the war sound like
A. a boring job.
B. an unrewarding experience.
C. a deadly business.
D. a good opportunity.
7. What do you learn from Goss’s journal, “Recollections of a Private,” that you
would not usually learn from a history book’s account of the Civil War?
A. how a soldier feels as events happen
B. the time and date of events
C. the military strategy for each side in the conflict
D. the names of important figures in the events
8. What is the result of the attack described in the entry “A Confederate Account
of the Battle of Gettysburg”?
A. After a loss of many lives, the Confederate soldiers retreated.
B. The Confederate soldiers surrendered.
C. After a loss of many lives, the Union soldiers retreated.
D. The Union soldiers surrendered.
9. Based on the excerpt from “A Confederate Account of the Battle of Gettysburg,”
McKim’s brigade lost the skirmish because the
A. soldiers were poorly equipped.
B. soldiers lacked the courage to finish the charge.
C. opposing army was much larger.
D. attack was poorly planned.
10. Which word best describes the picture of war painted by Randolph McKim in “A
Confederate Account of the Battle of Gettysburg”?
A. honorable
B. exciting
C. dreadful
D. necessary
Unit 3 Resources: Division, Reconciliation, and Expansion
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