Category Archives: Quiz

Quiz for July 28, 2015

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Pickett’s Charge?

Q#1 – What were the names of the three Confederate Division commanders in Pickett’s Charge?

Q#2 – On Cemetery Ridge, which Union Corp was the target of the Confederate assault and who was the Corps Commander?

Q#3 – Which Union division was directly in the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge?

Q#4 – What other military action did Lee plan to initiate concurrent with the infantry attack on Cemetery Ridge?

Q#5 – Approximately how many Confederate cannons were used to bombard the Union Line on Cemetery Ridge prior to Pickett’s Charge?

Q#6 – What are the three main reasons given for the ineffectiveness of the Confederate bombardment of the Union Line on Cemetery Ridge prior to Pickett’s Charge?

Q#7 – What was the name of the general in charge on the Union artillery?

Q#8 – What was the reason there was little or no close artillery support provided by E. Porter Alexander’s artillery once the Confederate infantry actually began to move toward the Union lines?

Q#9 – What is the current most accurate estimate of the number of Confederate infantry troops that actually made Pickett’s Charge?

Q#10 – Of the 3 main divisions involved in Pickett’s charge, how many Confederate brigades were involved?

Q#11 – As the Confederate infantry lines approached Cemetery Ridge, what were the Union troops on Cemetery Ridge heard to be shouting at them?

Q#12 – Which Union regiment attacked Confederate General Brockenbrough’s brigade on the left flank of Pickett’s Charge causing the Southerners to retreat back to Seminary Ridge?

Q#13 – What was the name of the Union brigade that delivered devastating musket fire into the right flank of Pickett’s division as it attacked up the slope of Cemetery Ridge?

Q#14 –What was the name of the Union brigade that defended the Union center where a low stone wall took an 80-yard right-angle turn that became known afterward as “The Angle?”

Q#15 – What were the approximate number of Union casualties resulting from Pickett’s Charge? What were the Confederates?

Quiz for June 30, 2015

Civil War Quiz: Little Known Facts About the Seven Days Battles

Q#1 – How many “major” battles were fought during the Seven Days Battles?

Q#2 – What are the names of the “major” battles that were fought and in what sequence were they fought?

Q#3 – What was the name of the minor battle that was fought on June 25 that signaled the beginning of the Seven Days Battle?

Q#4 – What was the name of the farm where on June 28 Confederate General Brig. Gen. Robert A. Toombs’s brigade was severely battered by the Union 49th Pennsylvania and 43rd New York regiments?

Q#5 – After a major battle was fought on June 26, what was the number of Confederate troops that Union General McClellan reported to Washington that he estimated he was facing?

Q#6 – What are the other two names given to the Battle of Gaines’s Mill?

Q#7 – Of the “major” battles fought during the Seven Days Battle, which is the only one that was a clear-cut Confederate tactical victory?

Q#8 – What was the name of the railroad line where the Battle of Savage’s Station was fought?

Q#9 – What was the name given to the first instance of an armored railroad battery to be used in combat by the Confederate Army?

Q#10 – At the Battle of White Oak Swamp, what Confederate government official came under artillery fire and had to be ordered from the field by AP Hill?

Q#11 – Which Union General prepared the Union positions on Malvern Hill?

Q#12 – How many Union cannon were placed on Malvern Hill to repulse the Confederate attack on July 1?

Q#13 – What was the name of the location on the James River that Union General McClellan retreated to after the last engagement of the Seven Days Battle?

Q#14 – Which side incurred more casualties during the Seven Days Battle?

Q#15 – After the end of the Seven Days Battle, the Army of the Potomac encamped around Berkeley Plantation. What was the name of the US President who was born there?

Quiz for May 26, 2015

Civil War Quiz: Battle of Seven Pines

Q#1 – What were the dates when the Battle of Seven Pines was fought?

Q#2 – What two other names are often given to the Battle of Seven Pines?

Q#3 – Near what river on the Virginia Peninsula was the battle fought?

Q#4 – What was the approximate size of the Union Army?

Q#5 – What was the approximate size of the Confederate Army?

Q#6 – What was Confederate Joseph E. Johnston’s attack plan?

Q#7 – What critical mistake did Confederate General James Longstreet make at the beginning of the battle?

Q#8 – Where was Union General George McClellan at the start of the battle?

Q#9 – What fairly new scouting technique did the Union employ to identify where Confederate forces were located and where they were marching to?

Q#10 – What was the name of the bridge over the Chickahominy River that collapsed almost immediately after Union General Edwin V. Sumner’s II Corps crossed it?

Q#11 – What wounds did Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston suffer that resulted in him having to be replaced by Robert E. Lee as Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia?

Q#12 – Which side won the Battle of Seven Pines?

Q#13 – What did Union General George McClellan write his wife regarding his reaction to the battle?

Q#14 – After the battle, what maneuver did the Army of Northern Virginia execute?

Q#15 – After the battle, what action did Union General McClellan take with his army?

Quiz for April 28, 2015

Civil War Quiz – Politicians During the Civil War

Q#1 – Who was President Abraham Lincoln’s first Secretary of War?

Q#2 – Who was President Jefferson Davis’s first Secretary of War?

Q#3 – What was the name of the only Confederate Vice President?

Q#4 – What was the name of the President Abraham Lincoln’s first Vice President?

Q#5 – What was the name of the Governor of South Carolina when that state seceded from the Union in December 1861?

Q#6 – When George McClellan ran for President in 1864, who was his Vice Presidential running mate?

Q#7 – For the Presidential election of 1864, there was a splinter political party given the name the Radical Republicans. What was the name of their Presidential candidate who withdrew before the actual election?

Q#8 – What were the names of the two Confederate Commissioners that were taken prisoner by Union naval personnel off the British ship Trent while traveling in England in 1861?

Q#9 – Who was the first Speaker of the Confederate House of Representatives?

Q#10 – Who was the Speaker of the US House of Representatives at the start of the Civil War in April, 1861?

Q#11 – During President Lincoln’s time in office, who held the cabinet position of Secretary of Commerce?

Q#12 – What was the name of the Governor of Maryland in 1861 who opposed abolitionists and supported slave owners, but also sought to prevent Maryland from seceding and joining the Confederacy?

Q#13 – Who was the Confederate States’ first Attorney General, who later was named its Secretary of War?

Q#14 – What was the name of the US Congressman who during his term in office introduced the first bill for a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery that eventually led to the adoption of the 13th amendment to the US Constitution?

Q#15 – What was the name of the Governor of Massachusetts who authorized the creation of the first Negro military unit in the Union Army, the 54th Massachusetts Regiment?

Quiz for March 31, 2015

Civil War Quiz – Civil War Weaponry

Q#1 – What rifle was the most common weapon carried by Union infantry in the eastern theater in 1861-62?

Q#2 – Tests conducted by the U.S. Army were performed to determine which caliber bullet (.58 or .69) was more accurate at a distance when used with a rifled musket. What were the conclusions of those tests?

Q#3 – What was the most widely used weapon by the Confederates during the Civil War?

Q#4 – What rifle was very popular with Confederate snipers because it was capable of hitting a man sized target beyond 1,000 yards?

Q#5 – What was the largest produced and most widely used of all handguns in the Civil War by both sides?

Q#6 – What was the name of the handgun designed by Jean Alexandre LeMat that proved to be the favorite of General Jeb Stuart?

Q#7 – What were the names of the two general types of artillery weapons used during the Civil War?

Q#8 – What artillery piece was considered the weapon of choice if the opposing forces were concealed behind terrain features or fortifications?

Q#9 – What was the name of the factory located in Richmond, Virginia, that produced a large quantity of Confederate weapons?

Q#10 – What is the name of the term used to modify the barrel of a cannon which adds spiral grooves along the inside of the gun barrel for the purpose of spinning the shell or shot thereby increasing the range and accuracy of the gun?

Q#11 – Did an Artillery Shot projectile include an explosive charge?

Q#12 – What was the effective range of an artillery canister projectile?

Q#13 – What was the name given to the two-wheeled carriage that carried an ammunition chest and was connected directly behind a team of horses and towed the artillery gun?

Q#14 – What was the purpose of the piece of artillery equipment called a Caisson?

Q#15 – What was the name of the company that was the Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company’s chief rival in providing weapons to the Union Army?

Quiz for February 24, 2015

Civil War Quiz: Civil War Cavalry

Q#1 – The flamboyant Confederate cavalry commander of the Army of Northern Virginia went by the name Jeb Stuart. What did the letters J.E.B. stand for?

Q#2 – What was the name of the Union cavalry commander who led a raid through Mississippi during April-May 1863? (Note: The John Wayne movie “Horse Soldiers” was based on this event)

Q#3 – What was the name given to the cavalry brigade that George Armstrong Custer commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg?

Q#4 – What was the nickname given to Confederate cavalry battalion commander John Singleton Mosby?

Q#5 – During the Civil War, what was the main mission of cavalry for both the Union and the Confederates?

Q#6 – What was the nickname Union cavalry troopers gave to Union commander Hugh Judson Kilpatrick?

Q#7 – It is well known that JEB Stuart was killed at the Battle of Yellow Tavern. Who was the Union cavalry commander at that battle?

Q#8 – What is the name of the battle that was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil?

Q#9 – What was the name of the Union cavalry commander who repulsed a flanking attack by Confederate Nathan Bedford Forrest that was instrumental in saving the Union Army at the Battle of Franklin in November 1864?

Q#10 – He was nicknamed the “Black Knight of the Confederacy”, commanded Stonewall Jackson’s cavalry forces in the Valley Campaign and was killed in battle in 1862—what was his name?

Q#11 – How was Confederate general and cavalry officer John Hunt Morgan killed?

Q#12 – What was the name of Union cavalry general Philip Sheridan’s horse?

Q#13 – After Jeb Stuart was killed at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, who was named commander of the Confederate cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia?

Q#14 – John Buford commanded two cavalry brigades on July 1, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg. What were the names of the two brigade commanders?

Q#15 – He was considered the tactical master of modern 19th-century mounted forces and wrote a cavalry tactics manual just prior to the Civil War that became the training and fighting textbook for troopers from both sides, and was called “The Father of the United States Cavalry”—what was his name?

Quiz for January 27, 2015

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Robert E Lee?

Q#1 – What was Robert E. Lee’s birth date?

Q#2 – Who was Lee’s father?

Q#3 – What year did Lee enter West Point?

Q#4 – What was Lee’s major course of study at West Point?

Q#5 – How many demerits did Lee incur during his 4 years at West Point?

Q#6 – Lee married a woman named Mary Custis. Who was her grandmother?

Q#7 – During the summer of 1835, what job was Lee assigned?

Q#8 – How many children did Robert & Mary Lee have?

Q#9 – During the Mexican–American War, what was Lee’s job in support of General Winfield Scott’s march from Veracruz to Mexico City?

Q#10 – In 1852, what job was Lee assigned at West Point?

Q#11 – In 1855, Lee was promoted as second-in-command of the Second Cavalry regiment in Texas. What was the name of the commander he served under? (Hint: Lee’s commander would later become a General in the Confederate Army)

Q#12 – On August 8, 1863, following the battle at Gettysburg, Lee sent a letter to President Davis. What did the letter contain?

Q#13 – After the Civil War, what job did Lee undertake?

Q#14 – What were Lee’s views on granting Negroes the right to vote?

Q#15 – Lee died October 12, 1870. What medical malady occurred two weeks prior that contributed to his death?

Quiz for November 25, 2014

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Ulysses S. Grant?

Q#1 – What was Ulysses S. Grant’s birth date?

Q#2 – What was Ulysses S. Grant’s birth name?

Q#3 – What town and state was US Grant born in?

Q#4 – How did Grant’s name get changed to Ulysses S. Grant?

Q#5 – What nickname did Grant go by when at West Point?

Q#6 – Grant graduated from West Point in 1843 with a class of 39 – where did Grant rank in his class?

Q#7 – Grant fought in the Mexican War. In his memoirs, what did Grant write about his thoughts on that war?

Q#8 – What was the maiden name of the woman that Grant married?

Q#9 – In 1856, Grant and his family moved to a section of his father-in-law’s farm and, to give his family a home, built a house. What name did he give to the house?

Q#10 – Early in the Civil War, how did Grant earn the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant?

Q#11 – What was the month and year when President Lincoln named Grant commander of all Union armies?

Q#12 – What was the reason Grant declined President Lincoln’s invitation to attend together a play at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865?

Q#13 – What was the name of the Democrat Party’s candidate that Grant defeated in the Presidential election on 1868?

Q#14 – After leaving the office of President in 1877, what did Grant and his family do?

Q#15 – What was the medical condition that Grant eventually died from?

Quiz for September 30, 2014

Civil War Quiz – What Happened During the Month of September, 1861-1865?

Q#1 – In September 1861, President Lincoln revokes an unauthorized military proclamation of emancipation in Missouri and relieved the Union commander who issued it. What was the name of that Union commander?

Q#2 – What was the date of the Battle of Antietam?

Q#3 – What action did President Lincoln take on September 22, 1862?

Q#4 – The Battle of Chickamauga was fought on September 19/20, 1863. What were the names of the Confederate and Union commanders?

Q#5 – What significant Union victory occurred on September 2, 1864?

Q#6 – What major military action occurred during September 12-15 that was part of Lee’s first invasion of the North?

Q#7 – After many failed attempts to capture it, what Confederate fort located in South Carolina was finally captured by Union troops on September 7, 1863?

Q#8 – What was the name of the battle that was fought on September 12-20, 1861, in Missouri that was won by the Confederates and threatened to keep Missouri in the Union?

Q#9 – On September 4, 1861, a Confederate army moved into Kentucky, occupied Columbus, and began occupying high ground overlooking the Ohio River. What was the name of the Confederate commander?

Q#10 – Following Union general Pope’s disastrous defeat at the Battle of Second Bull Run, what action did President Lincoln take on September 2, 1862?

Q#11 – What major legal action did President Lincoln take on September 24, 1862, that now affected all the states in the North?

Q#12 – On September 8, 1863, the Second Battle of Sabine Pass was fought when a Union flotilla of four gunboats and seven troop transports steamed into Sabine Pass and up the Sabine River. What was the reason for this military engagement?

Q#13 – What was the name of the battle fought on September 21-22, 1864, when Union general Philip Sheridan defeated the Confederate army led by General Jubal Early, which opened up the Shenandoah Valley to a Union “scorched earth” invasion that became known as the “Burning” or “Red October”?

Q#14 – During March 19-21, 1865, what battle was fought in North Carolina?

Q#15 – What was the name of the battle fought on September 14, 1862, initiated by Union General George McClellan after he found Lee’s General Order 191?

Quiz for August 23, 2014

Civil War Quiz – The Battle of Shiloh

Q#1 – What is another name given to the Battle of Shiloh?

Q#2 – What were the dates when the Battle of Shiloh was fought?

Q#3 – What was the name of the main river that bordered on the Battle of Shiloh?

Q#4 – What were the names of the two Confederate commanding generals at the Battle of Shiloh?

Q#5 – What was the name of the Union Army led by Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Shiloh?

Q#6 – What was the name of the Confederate Army that fought at the Battle of Shiloh?

Q#7 – In March 1862, Henry Halleck then Union commander of the Department of the Missouri replaced Ulysses S. Grant as the leader of the western Tennessee offensive with another Union general – then shortly thereafter reinstated Grant as the leader. What was the general’s name who replaced Grant and then was replaced by Grant?

Q#8 – What was the name of the nearby town where Confederate forces assembled prior to their attack against the Union forces located in the vicinity of the Shiloh Church?

Q#9 – Before the battle began, a Union Colonel under General William Sherman warned Sherman that a Confederate attack was imminent. What was Sherman’s response?

Q#10 – Where was Union General Grant located at the time the Confederates started their initial attack at Shiloh?

Q#11 – On the first day of the battle, Union troops formed a defensive line in a field along a road now popularly called the “Sunken Road” where intense fighting occurred. After the battle, what name was given to this location?

Q#12 – Albert Sidney Johnston bled to death on the battlefield of a wound he suffered. What area of his body was he wounded?

Q#13 – On the evening of the first day of battle, Union General Sherman remarked to Grant, “Well, Grant, we’ve had the devil’s own day, haven’t we?” What was Grant’s response?

Q#14 – Who was the Union division commander who arrived late with reinforcements that helped turned the battle towards the Union forces?

Q#15 – What were the reasons the Confederate commanding general withdrew from the battlefield?