Category Archives: Quiz

Quiz for January 29, 2019

What Do You Know About Civil War Prisons and Prisoners?

Q#1 – In July 1862, Union & Confederate armies agreed to formalize the prisoner exchange system. What was the title of the agreement that was named for the two officers who developed it?

Q#2 – The formal prisoner exchange system established a scale of equivalents for the exchange of military officers and enlisted men. What was the scale for a navy captain or an army colonel versus army privates or ordinary seamen?

Q#3 – Did the formal exchange agreement include non-combatants?

Q#4 – What were the specifications that captives had to agree to before they were paroled or exchanged?

Q#5 – Why did the prisoner exchange system collapse in 1863?

Q#6 – Starting in 1863, how many Union soldiers were sent to Confederate prison camps? How many Confederate soldiers were sent to Union prison camps?

Q#7 – Starting in 1863, approximately how many Union soldiers died in Confederate prison camps? How many Confederate soldiers died in Union prison camps?

Q#8 – Which Union prison was sometimes described as “The North’s Andersonville”?

Q#9 – What was the official name assigned by the Confederacy to the prison located at Andersonville, Georgia?

Q#10 – Approximately how many Union prisoners were imprisoned at the Andersonville Prison?

Q#11 – Nearly 13,000 Union prisoners died at Andersonville. What were the three chief causes for the deaths?

Q#12 – What was the name of the Confederate prison where a majority of Union officer prisoners were incarcerated? Where was it located?

Q#13 – What was the name of the Confederate general who escaped from the Ohio Penitentiary in 1863?

Q#14 – What was the nickname Confederate prisoners gave to the prison located at Elmira, NY?

Q#15 – What was the name of the first Federal military installation seized forcefully by a Southern state government that eventually was used as a Confederate prison?

Quiz for November 27, 2018

What Do You Know About Sherman’s March to the Sea?

Q#1 – Initially, Sherman’s March to the Sea had a more formal and official name; what was that name?

Q#2 – What was the primary objective that Grant & Sherman hoped to accomplish with Sherman’s March to the Sea?

Q#3 – The terrain of southeastern Georgia between Atlanta and Savannah was swampy and criss-crossed with numerous rivers and streams. What was the name of the man who was Sherman’s Chief of the Bridge Building Team?

Q#4 – For the campaign, Sherman’s force consisted of 62,000 men: 55,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 2,000 artillerymen manning 64 guns. What marching formation did Sherman establish for his troops?

Q#5 – Confederate John Bell Hood had taken the bulk of his forces in Georgia on his campaign to Tennessee in hopes of diverting Sherman to pursue him. What was Sherman quoted as saying in response to Hood’s maneuver?

Q#6 – What was the name of the military unit that served as Sherman’s personal escort on the march?

Q#7 – The 300-mile march began on November 15. The first real Confederate resistance was felt by Union General Howard’s right wing on November 22. What was the name of this battle and the results?

Q#8 – In what order did Sherman align his troops as they marched through Georgia?

Q#9 – What orders did General Sherman give to his foragers?

Q#10 – Southern civilians with property in the line of march, before Union troops reached their properties attempted to hide their food and valuables. What two groups of people did the Union troops rely on to help them find these hidden items?

Q#11 – On the few occasions when Union foragers were captured by Confederate troops while they were taking goods from Southern citizens, what was usually their fate?

Q#12 – As Sherman’s march continued towards Savannah, they were joined by a group of approximately 25,000 people. Who were these people?

Q#13 – On December 8, 1864, what tragic incident occurred at a place called Ebeneezer Creek located about 20 miles north of the city of Savannah?

Q#14 – When Sherman’s armies reached the outskirts of Savannah on December 10, what actions did they find that Confederate General William Hardee had performed which blocked Sherman from linking up with the U.S. Navy as he had planned?

Q#15 – On December 17, 1864, Sherman sent a note to Confederate General Hardee demanding the surrender of the city of Savannah. What were Hardee’s and the City of Savannah’s responses?

Quiz for October 30, 2018

Civil War Quiz: Do You Know Who These Civil War Generals Are?

Q#1 – Before the Civil War, this Union general was the Speaker of the House in the US House of Representatives. What’s his name?

Q#2 – This Confederate general gave Thomas J. Jackson his nickname of “Stonewall”. What’s his name?

Q#3 – This Union general commanded the Army of the Ohio at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. What’s his name?

Q#4 – At the Battle of Gettysburg, this Confederate general was captured by a Union soldier, Private Patrick Maloney of the 2nd Wisconsin, where he was taken behind enemy lines and briefly met an old colleague, Union General Abner Doubleday. This Confederate became the first general officer to be taken captive from the Army of Northern Virginia since General Lee assumed command. What’s his name?

Q#5 – This Union general fought in the Seven Days Battles at Gaines’ Mill on June 27, 1862, where he was wounded but demonstrated the bravery that was eventually recognized in 1892 with the Medal of Honor. What’s his name?

Q#6 – Before the Civil War, this Confederate general who was born in Ireland enlisted in the 41st Regiment of Foot of the British Army. During his three years there, he subsequently rose to the rank of corporal. What’s his name?

Q#7 – This Union general requested reassignment after quarreling with General Joe Hooker after the Battle of Chancellorsville. He then commanded the newly created Department of the Susquehanna during the Gettysburg Campaign in 1863. What’s his name?

Q#8 – Before the Civil War, this Confederate general was a member of the Whig political party and strongly opposed secession at the April 1861 Virginia convention. However, he was soon roused by the actions of the Federal government when President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion. What’s his name?

Q#9 – After the Civil War, this Union general was elected as the 20th President of the United States in 1881 and became the second president to die by assassination. What’s his name?

Q#10 – This Confederate general was court-martialed by Stonewall Jackson for his actions in command of the Stonewall Brigade at the First Battle of Kernstown, and was subsequently killed during Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. What’s his name?

Q#11 – This Union general led the XX Corps competently in the 1864 Atlanta Campaign under Sherman, but asked to be relieved before the capture of the city because of his dissatisfaction with the promotion of Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard to command of the Army of the Tennessee, upon the death of Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson. This general had seniority over Howard. What’s his name?

Q#12 – This Confederate general’s first field assignment was commanding Confederate forces in western Virginia, where he was defeated at the Battle of Cheat Mountain and was widely blamed for Confederate setbacks. He was then sent to organize the coastal defenses along the Carolina and Georgia seaboard and appointed commander, “Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida” on November 5, 1861. What’s his name?

Q#13 – This Union general on November 25, 1862, was arrested and court-martialed for his actions at Second Bull Run. By this time, McClellan had been relieved by President Abraham Lincoln and could not provide political cover for this general who was McClellan’s protégé. This Union General’s association with the disgraced McClellan and his open criticism of Union General Pope were significant reasons for his conviction at court-martial where he was found guilty on January 10, 1863, of disobedience and misconduct, and was dismissed from the Army on January 21, 1863. What’s his name?

Q#14 – This Confederate general was the son-in-law of Union Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke. Also, the general’s wife’s brother was John Rogers Cooke. What’s his name?

Q#15 – On October 16, 1863, this Union general was assigned command of the newly formed Division of the Mississippi, including the Armies of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland. His first order was to put General George Thomas in charge of rescuing the Army of the Cumberland, which had retreated into Chattanooga where they were trapped. What’s his name?

Quiz for September 25, 2018

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Native Americans in the American Civil War?

Q#1 – During November 1861, what three Native American tribes fought three pitched battles (Battle of Round Mountain, the Battle of Chusto-Talasah, and the Battle of Chustenahlah) against Confederate troops and other Native Americans that joined the Confederates?

Q#2 – Where was the First Battle of Cabin Creek, which occurred July 1–2, 1863, fought?

Q#3 – What was involved and led to the Tonkawa massacre of October 23–24, 1862?

Q#4 – What were the conditions of the treaty between Cherokee Indians and the Confederate Government signed on October 7, 1861?

Q#5 – What was the Thomas Legion?

Q#6 – What was the name of the Native American Tribe for whom a monument was erected in their honor in Columbia, South Carolina?

Q#7 – What was the name of the most famous Native American unit in the Union Army of the Potomac?

Q#8 – What was the name of a member of the Seneca tribe who assisted in creating the articles of surrender which Generals Grant and Lee signed at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865?

Q#9 – What is the name of the Native American Indian who was the last Confederate General to surrender in the Civil War?

Q#10 – Why was the Cherokee Nation the most negatively affected of all Native American tribes during the Civil War with its population declining from 21,000 to 15,000 by 1865?

Q#11 – During the War, President Abraham Lincoln met with representatives from several major Native American Indian tribes. What advice did he give them at this meeting?

Q#12 – What was the name of the Colonel who led the Colorado Territorial Militia at the Sand Creek Massacre?

Q#13 – What were the root causes of why the Santee Sioux in Minnesota in 1862 attacked and killed American civilians? (Estimates of the number of civilians killed ranged from 450 to 800.)

Q#14 – In January 1862, who led in the creation of the 1st and 2nd Indian Home Guards?

Q#15 – In the aftermath of the Civil War, which Native American Indian groups were totally devastated by the War?

Quiz for August 18, 2018

Civil War Quiz: What Happened in the Month of August During the Civil War?

Q#1 – What significant event did the citizens of the State of Tennessee vote for on August 1, 1861?

Q#2 – On August 3, 1861, a Union naval officer performed what act for the first time from a ship stationed off Hampton Roads, VA?

Q#3 – What was the name of the first significant battle of the Civil War fought in the western theater, on August 10, 1861?

Q#4 – What was the name of the Union General who led the successful amphibious landing that captured Cape Hatteras, NC?

Q#5 – To fund the Civil War, what significant action did the U. S. Congress perform on August 2, 1862?

Q#6 – On August 14, 1862, what order did Union General-in-Chief Henry Halleck give to Union General George McClellan?

Q#7 – On August 17, 1862, Confederate General Robert E Lee took what action with JEB Stuart?

Q#8 – Union General Benjamin Butler on August 22, 1862, took what action regarding the recruitment of soldiers into the Army?

Q#9 – In the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, on August 8, 1863, what action did Robert E. Lee perform regarding his role in the Army of Northern Virginia?

Q#10 – What action began in Minnesota on August 18, 1863, that diverted Union military resources away from the Civil War?

Q#11 – On August 21, 1863, what event was performed by William Quantrill’s Raiders?

Q#12 – What was the military engagement that occurred on August 5, 1864, where Union Admiral David Farragut is quoted as giving the following orders: “Damn the torpedoes, go ahead”?

Q#13 – On August 21, 1864, 2,000 Confederates led by Nathan Bedford Forrest occupied what city in Tennessee for a few hours during the day, nearly capturing Major Generals Stephen Hurlbut and C. C. Washburn? (The answer was included in Tom Roza’s April, 2017 Presentation on Forrest.)

Q#14 – What critical battle was fought on August 31, 1864, that led to the Confederates abandoning Atlanta, GA, a few days later?

Q#15 – What legislative action did the State of Mississippi perform on August 14, 1865?

Quiz for July 31, 2018

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Really Know About the Battle of Gettysburg?

Q#1 – What was the name of the battle fought on June 9, 1863, that involved Union and Confederate cavalry and preceded the Battle of Gettysburg?

Q#2 – When General Jubal Early entered Gettysburg on June 26, 1863, why was his demand of $10,000 worth of goods and produce not met by the town’s citizens?

Q#3 – What action by Pennsylvania militia thwarted Confederate General Early’s plan to attack Harrisburg, PA?

Q#4 – What was the name of the Union cavalry officer who fired the first shot at the Battle of Gettysburg on the morning of July 1, 1863, in the vicinity of a stone bridge across Marsh Creek?

Q#5 – What were the names of the two Union colonels who commanded the two brigades under John Buford?

Q#6 – Jennie Wade was the only civilian killed at the Battle of Gettysburg when a skirmisher’s bullet pierced two wooden doors while she was standing in her sister’s kitchen kneading dough. Who built the coffin that she was buried in?

Q#7 – Early on July 2, Confederate General Longstreet made his arguments to Robert E Lee in favor of disengaging from Gettysburg and making a wide swing around the Union’s left flank. What reason did Lee give Longstreet for rejecting that suggestion?

Q#8 – Early on July 2, Union XII Corps division commander General John Geary was ordered to remove the two regiments he had stationed on Little Round Top and relocate them to Culp’s Hill. Geary recognized the danger of leaving Little Round Top undefended thus leaving the Union line open to being flanked by Confederates. Who did Geary notify of this concern and what was the response?

Q#9 – What was the name of the general who Union Commander George Meade ordered to accompany General Sickles in assessing if Sickles should relocate his III Corps from their position on the southern end of Cemetery Ridge further west to a line along the Emmitsburg Road? What was that general’s reaction to Sickle’s request?

Q#10 – On July 2nd, what was the name of the Union regiment that Union General Hancock ordered forward to close a large gap in the Union line on the south end of Cemetery Ridge that was being threatened by the Confederate General Cadamus Wilcox’s brigade?

Q#11 – On July 2nd, what was the name of the Confederate Division commander that General Lee had counted on to continue the echelon attack against the center of the Union Line on Cemetery Ridge, but was severely wounded before he could order his division forward?

Q#12 – At General Meade’s council of war on the evening of July 2nd, to facilitate the decision-making regarding options for the Army of the Potomac, Meade’s Chief of Staff General Daniel Butterfield wrote down three questions that the generals in attendance needed to answer. What were those three questions?

Q#13 – Lee’s initial plan for attacking on July 3rd involved two flanking attacks launched at the same time: Longstreet attacking the Federal center on Cemetery Ridge from his positions in the Peach Orchard and Devil’s Den; Ewell attacking southward from the trenches that General Johnson had seized on Culp’s Hill. Why did this plan disintegrate before it even had a chance to get started?

Q#14 – Approximately how many cannons were deployed for the Confederate artillery bombardment that preceded Pickett’s Charge on July 3rd? Approximately how many rounds of ammunition were available to each gun?

Q#15 – What was the final attack on July 3rd following the defeat of Picket’s Charge?

Quiz for June 26, 2018

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About The Coastal War?

Q#1 – What was the first Union combined Army-Navy operation of the war, executed in August 1861?

Q#2 – How many Union soldiers participated in the first large amphibious assault that took place on February 7, 1862, at Ashby’s Harbor, North Carolina?

Q#3 – What were the names of the two Confederate forts that guarded the mouth of the Mississippi River south of New Orleans?

Q#4 – What was the name of the Union officer who was the overall commander of the naval attack on New Orleans in April 1862?

Q#5 – What was the name of the Union commander of the Federal mortar flotilla that participated in the attack on New Orleans?

Q#6 – What type of barrier did Confederate defenders use to try to prevent Union warships from sailing up the Mississippi River?

Q#7 – What was the name of the Confederate ironclad deployed to assist in the Southern attack on the Union strategic supply depot at Plymouth, North Carolina?

Q#8 – Beginning in August 1863 for almost 280 consecutive days, how many artillery shells did Union forces fire in their bombardment of Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina?

Q#9 – During the Federal siege of Charleston, South Carolina, what was the name of the Confederate Commander?

Q#10 – What was the name of the Confederate fort in South Carolina that was attacked by the 54th Massachusetts Regiment in July, 1863?

Q#11 – What was the name of the Federal warship that was attacked by the Confederate experimental submarine HL Hunley?

Q#12 – In 2013, the most likely cause for the sinking of the HL Hunley was discovered. What was the cause?

Q#13 – In his attack plan for Mobile Bay, Admiral Farragut asked for several ironclad monitors. What nickname did Farragut give to these types of vessels?

Q#14 – What was the name of the Confederate ironclad that was used in the defense of Mobile Bay?

Q#15 – What was Confederate Drift Torpedo?

Quiz for May 29, 2018

Civil War Quiz: What Facts Do You Know About Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant?

Q#1 – Robert E. Lee’s father, “Light Horse” Harry Lee, fought with George Washington during the Revolutionary War. What role did Lee have a Washington’s funeral?

Q#2 – What was Ulysses S. Grant’s actual name at birth and what does the letter ‘S’ in Grant’s name stand for?

Q#3 – Lee was born on his father’s 51st Birthday. What are the origins for giving him the names ‘Robert’ and ‘Edward’?

Q#4 – After Grant resigned from the Army in 1854, he spent the next seven years in several professions: farmer, real estate agent, and rent collector. What was the job he performed on St Louis street corners?

Q#5 – What reason did the Federal Government give to justify the seizing of Lee’s home ‘Arlington’?

Q#6 – Grant struggled to secure a field command at the outbreak of the Civil War. What was the first field command he was given?

Q#7 – Where did Lee rank in his West Point graduating class of 1829?

Q#8 – Where did Grant rank in his West Point graduating class of 1843?

Q#9 – Lee served as a tactical commander in the Mexican-American War under what General?

Q#10 – Grant struggled with alcohol throughout his life. During the Civil War, Grant’s penchant for binge drinking was usually kept in check by what person?

Q#11 – What was the result of Lee’s first military operation as a Confederate general at the Battle of Rich Mountain that took place on July 11, 1861, in Randolph County, Virginia?

Q#12 – What was Grant’s and his wife’s reason for declining the invitation to attend the play at Ford’s Theater with President Lincoln and his wife?

Q#13 – Lee never referred to Northern soldiers as “the enemy”. What phrase did he use to refer to them?

Q#14 – How did Grant prevent Robert E. Lee from being charged with treason after the Civil War?

Q#15 – What were the causes of Lee’s and Grant’s deaths?

Quiz for April 24, 2018

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About the Federal Government during the Civil War?

Q#1 – Who was President Lincoln’s first Vice President?

Q#2 – Who were President Lincoln’s two Attorneys General?

Q#3 – Why was Simon Cameron, Lincoln’s first Secretary of War, forced to resign early in 1862?

Q#4 – Salmon P. Chase, who was Lincoln’s first Secretary of Treasury, was named and approved to what position in December, 1864?

Q#5 – For Lincoln’s first presidential inauguration on March 4, 1861, who administered the oath of office?

Q#6 – Several major federal agencies were established during Lincoln’s presidency. Three of them were: the Department of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, and the Freedmen’s Bureau. What were the names of the other two?

Q#7 – Shortly after taking office in 1861, President Lincoln took the drastic action of suspending the right of habeas corpus in Maryland. What justification did Lincoln use for this action?

Q#8 – The Enrollment Act was legislation passed by the United States Congress and enacted on March 3, 1863. By what other name was this legislation known?

Q#9 – What authority was provided to the Federal Government by the Confiscation Act of 1862?

Q#10 – The Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect on January 1, 1863, applied in the eleven states that were still in rebellion in 1863. What four states, where nearly 500,000 slaves existed, were not covered?

Q#11 – Lincoln vetoed only four bills passed by Congress during his Presidency; the only important one was the Wade-Davis Bill of 1864, which was proposed for the Reconstruction of the South written by two Radical Republican Senators. Why did Lincoln veto this bill?

Q#12 – What was the “Ten Percent Plan”, known formally as the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction Act, that was a proclamation issued on December 8, 1863, by President Lincoln?

Q#13 – In 1861, Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1861, creating the first federal income tax. What was the initial tax percentage value and what was the minimum income amount?

Q#14 – In June 1864, Lincoln approved the Yosemite Grant enacted by Congress. What was the purpose of this legislation?

Q#15 – In October 1862, France, which had established a puppet state under the rule of Maximilian I of Mexico, proposed an armistice and joint mediation of the American Civil War by France, Britain, and Russia. What was the US Government’s response?

Quiz for March 27, 2018

Civil War Quiz: How Did Weather Affect the Civil War?

Q#1 – What is the name of the meteorological period that the Civil War took place at the tail end of?

Q#2 – What was a well-known example where weather adversely affected Union general George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign in 1862?

Q#3 – At the September, 1862, Battle of Chantilly, what weather condition helped contribute to the death of Union general Philip Kearney?

Q#4 – What battle was fought on May 15, 1864, where hundreds of Confederate soldiers’ feet became stuck in the mud as they attempted to cross a wheat field which the soldiers forever dubbed the “field of lost shoes?”

Q#5 – At the Battle of Chancellorsville in May, 1863, what weather condition helped to contribute to the element of surprise of Stonewall Jackson’s flank attack?

Q#6 – Following his dreadful defeat at Fredericksburg the previous December, what was the name given to Union general Ambrose E. Burnside’s January 1863 military maneuver involving the Army of the Potomac?

Q#7 – What was the name given to one of the most famous (and comical) weather-related incidents during the Civil War that occurred on March 22, 1864, in Dalton, Georgia?

Q#8 – What weather event contributed to the sinking of the USS Monitor off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina?

Q#9 – What was the weather like during Jefferson Davis’s inauguration for the presidency of the Confederate States of America in February 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama?

Q#10 – At the Battle of Gettysburg, Rev. Dr. Michael Jacobs, a math professor at what was then called Pennsylvania College recorded his observations three times a day during every day of the battle. What was the name of the book he created that contains very specific details on the weather at the Battle of Gettysburg and the role it may have played in battle?

Q#11 – During the Battle of the Wilderness in May, 1864, there were unseasonable high heat temperatures that adversely impacted both armies both during and after the battle. How did these high temperatures affect the armies after the battle?

Q#12 – What was the most frequent emotional comment that Union soldiers who had to endure bad weather conditions in southern locations included in their letters home?

Q#13 – Union prisoners incarcerated at Andersonville did what in an attempt to shield themselves from the rain and heat?

Q#14 – Why did a number of Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg actually die from drowning?

Q#15 – During Union general William T. Sherman’s march into South Carolina, massive storms caused numerous rivers to flood their banks. What adverse affect did his cause Sherman’s march?