One thing that I have never been able to understand was the way the Union army celebrated the 4th of July every year during the War. The Fourth of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a founding document of the United States, which very specifically says that when a group of people feel that their government no longer represents them, they have the right to separate from that government and form their own. That is the body and soul of the document - and yet the Yankees, who were fighting and dying to deny that right to others, were celebrating the document every year. No one has ever been able to explain to me how they so completely ignored the hypocrisy of their celebrations. If anyone can, please do.