In your earlier reply, you justified the use of the term federal based on this reasoning, tying the term directly to today's political atmosphere:

"Pick up a newspaper today and you will read about activities of the Federal government, the same one that existed during the war. "

I am certain you are aware of the way "federal" is used today as a politically charged weapon, the posts here prove it.

Higher up on this board you clearly say you prefer to use "confederate' to describe the soldeir or army or navy etc. because it is the actual name of the government. I agree. Therefore the only logical and approprite equivalent term to use opposite "confederate" for the opposing army would have to be based on the actual title of the government opposing the confederate army.

And since there is no such entity as the Federal States of America, no government with that title ever existed, therefore by your own reasoning federal is not the true equivalent to "confederate". Only a word based on the name USA, United States, etc would be approriate as the counter to Confederate.
If we used "American" to describe the Northern soldiers, you would reply but the Confederates were American as well.. so the only choice left is Union.

Federal is not in any title. It is a political adjective only.

And yes, indeed, George, when one deliberately uses a specific term and deliberately conciously avoids using another specific term for the purpose of conveying a specific "approved" political concept it is being "politically correct". That is what being "PC" means and Southern conservative have been using the technique a long long long time.

Things like the "War of Northern Aggression" etc are the very heart and soul and definition of "political correctness" ... the words are very carefully selected and meant to convey a specific political overtone. Southern conservatives are very very very selective and sensitive to the words they choose to "correctly" -- from their point of view -- convey the war "politically".

The technique is used on the left, the right, and the center.. Conservative Sarah Palin (and liberals who agree) wants to eliminate the use of the word "retarded". Conservatives do not like politically and emotionally charged words like "pigs" to describe police officers. I can name many many similar examples, so it is silly to make a statement claiming that conservatives, especially southern ones, aren't "pc". To say otherwise is just nonsense.