Be ready to discuss life in the field during the Civil War as reported by those soldiers. What are they experiencing, thinking about, complaining about, etc.? As for the McPherson article, be ready to discuss his explanation for why these soldiers fought in the first place, as well as his perspective on why we remain so fascinated with the Civil War era as a nation/culture.

Textbook assigned: American Horizons Volume 1 Second Edition (by Michael Schaller)