Civil War Quiz: Little Known Facts About the Civil War

Q#1 – Approximately what percent of the soldiers who fought for the Union Army were immigrants?

Q#2 – When black soldiers began signing up with the Union Army in early 1863, why did they refuse their salaries for 18 months?

Q#3 – True or False: Was there more than one attempt to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln?

Q#4 – Both before and during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln advocated a policy called colonization – what was this policy all about?

Q#5 – In 1863, what justification did the United States Government use to confiscate Robert E. Lee’s Virginia estate and turn it into a cemetery?

Q#6 – During the Civil War, there were two prominent individuals named Jefferson Davis. One was the president of the Confederate States of America. Who was the other?

Q#7 – Stonewall Jackson was a well known hypochondriac. Often, Jackson thought himself “out of balance.” What physical action did Jackson perform, even under fire, to counteract this perceived medical malady?

Q#8 – Stonewall Jackson also suffered from poor eyesight. What action did he perform to attempt to improve his vision?

Q#9 – After President Abraham Lincoln died on April 15, 1865, what unusual item was found in his leather wallet??

Q#10 – Daniel Emmett, a loyal Unionist who in the 1850s was the composer of the song “Dixie,” became disgusted by the song’s popularity in the South after the Civil War began. How did President Abraham Lincoln characterize the song “Dixie”?

Q#11 – What was the original name of the holiday that is now known as Memorial Day?

Q#12 – What were the names of the seven future U.S. presidents who served in the Civil War?

Q#13 – At the Battle of Gettysburg, which Confederate unit suffered the worst regimental losses in a single battle: 708 of 800 killed, wounded, or missing?

Q#14 – Horses and other draft animals had about a 7-month life expectancy during the Civil War. Approximately how many horses died during the war?

Q#15 – What happened to President Lincoln’s personal copy of the Emancipation Proclamation?

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Confederate Government?

Q#1 – What was the motto adopted by the Confederate Congress for the Confederacy?

Q#2 – There were no official Confederate National Anthems. However, there was an unofficial anthem – what was it?

Q#3 – What was the Provisional Confederate Congress?

Q#4 – The Confederate Congress was modeled after the United States Congress with both a House of Representatives and a Senate. How many Senators and Representatives were there?

Q#5 – The Preamble to the US Constitution begins with the phrase “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” What was the opening phrase of the Confederate Preamble that signified the stark difference in governmental philosophy?

Q#6 – How many articles were contained in the Confederate States Constitution? How many amendments were added?

Q#7 – In addition to the President and Vice President, what were the names of the other Confederate Cabinet Offices?

Q#8 – During the course of the Civil War, which Confederate Cabinet Offices did Judah P. Benjamin hold?

Q#9 – What famous American historical figure is on the Great Seal of the Confederate States of America?

Q#10 – The First Confederate Congress did not meet on a continuous basis. How many sessions did it hold?

Q#11 – What was the name of the politician who fulfilled the role of President of the Confederate Senate?

Q#12 – How were Confederate Senators determined?

Q#13 – In the Confederate Congress, there were three regions that were represented by non voting members of the House of Representatives. What were the names of those regions?

Q#14 – What was the name of the politician who was Speaker of the Confederate House of Representatives for the Second Confederate Congress that began session in May, 1864?

Q#15 – What was the date of the last session of the Second Confederate Congress?

The Civil War quiz for October has been postponed until the November meeting.

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Events Leading up to the Civil War?

Q#1 – What were the names given to Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 of the US Constitution that had an eventual effect on the Civil War?

Q#2 – What was the purpose of Fugitive Slave Act of 1793?

Q#3 – In 1807, Congress passed what law making the importing or exporting slaves a federal crime?

Q#4 – What was the objective of American Colonization Society that was established in 1816?

Q#5 – The Missouri Compromise of 1820 involved Missouri and what other state?

Q#6 – Why was the Tariff of 1828 called the “Tariff of Abominations” by its opponents in the South?

Q#7 – The 1830 Supreme Court ruling in the case North Carolina v. Mann had what effect on slave owners?

Q#8 – What was the name of the newspaper that Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison began publishing in 1831?

Q#9 – Who was Nat Turner and what event was he associated with?

Q#10 – The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills passed by the US Congress. What do many historians argue was the net effect of the Compromise?

Q#11 – Before it was published in book form, in 1851, where did Uncle Tom’s Cabin first appear for readers?

Q#12 – How did the 1853 Kansas–Nebraska Act affect where slavery would be allowed?

Q#13 – What act of violence occurred on May 22, 1856, in the US Senate?

Q#14 – What was the purpose of John Brown’s attack on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry in 1859?

Q#15 – In the presidential election of 1860, what were the names and political parties of the other candidates who ran against Abraham Lincoln?

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Civil War Medicine?

Q#1 – What were the main reasons infection was one of the main causes why a soldier died from his wounds?

Q#2 – During the first year of the Civil War, frequent epidemics of which four childhood diseases was rampant in Union Army camps?

Q#3 – Both Union and Confederate soldiers involved in military operations developed which four main illnesses?

Q#4 – What liquid solutions were used during amputations to partially sedate patients?

Q#5 – Today, it is known that if a wound produces pus, it means the injury is infected. During the Civil War, what did doctors think the presence of pus in a wound meant?

Q#6 – For the Union, what was the ratio of casualties dying of disease? What was the ration for the Confederacy?

Q#7 – For the Union, what was the name of the governmental agency that handled most of the nursing care of the armies, together with necessary acquisition and transportation of medical supplies?

Q#8 – Because there were no antibiotics yet developed during the Civil War to deal with diseases, what treatments did many doctors and surgeons prescribe for their patients?

Q#9 – In August 1861, what Union general appointed surgeon Charles S. Tripler as the first Medical Director of the Army?

Q#10 – In February 1861, who appointed David C. DeLeon as Surgeon General of the Confederate Medical Department?

Q#11 – During 1861 and most of 1862, why did the Confederacy employ a policy of furloughing wounded soldiers to return home for recovery?

Q#12 – At the beginning of the war, the Union ambulance service was very ineffective for several reasons: poorly made vehicles, lack of organization, and corrupt and dishonest staff that manned the ambulances and sought to steal from the wounded passengers. What was the name of the individual who made significant improvements in the Union ambulance service?

Q#13 – For both the North and South, approximately how many women volunteered to work in hospitals?

Q#14 – In addition to assisting surgeons during procedures, giving medicines, supervising the feedings, and cleaning the bedding and clothes of patients, with what two very personal tasks did women assist wounded soldiers?

Q#15 – For more than a century and a half, it has been accepted that about 620,000 Americans died in the Civil War. What is the name of the historian who in 2011 published a paper that described the use of demographic methods and sophisticated statistical analysis that produced a number of 750,000 soldiers who died in the war?

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About What Civil War Soldiers Ate?

Q#1 – Why was there never enough meat for Confederate soldiers?

Q#2 – By 1863, next to planning strategy and tactics, what did Confederate generals spend most of their time on?

Q#3 – What seasoning ingredient was sometimes added to beef and always added to pork?

Q#4 – What were the most common field rations issued to individual Union soldiers?

Q#5 – What was a major problem that affected the quality of food?

Q#6 – Condensed milk was very helpful in supplementing the rations for the Union army. Who invented it?

Q#7 – Confederate soldiers had more access to tobacco than their Union counterparts. While opposing troops were on picket duty, it was common for Union soldiers to trade what food item with the Confederate soldiers in exchange for tobacco?

Q#8 – What food item did Southern soldiers frequently substitute for coffee?

Q#9 – Due to its wide availability throughout southern North America, what item was also an important source of food for Confederate soldiers?

Q#10 – What was the name of the military unit that existed in both armies that had the responsibility to organize the feeding of soldiers during the war?

Q#11 – How was the common dish named “Skillygalee” prepared?

Q#12 – For Confederate soldiers, how was another common dish named “coosh” prepared?

Q#13 – What was a “Spirit Ration” that during the American Civil War both armies provided to their troops?

Q#14 – What was the name of the book written in 1853 by William J. Hardee that contained the guidelines for providing food rations for soldiers?

Q#15 – What were the three main reasons that hampered the Confederate government attempts to provide adequate rations for their troops?

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About the Post War Era and Reconstruction?

Q#1 – On May 2, 1865, still-president of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis held a Council of War in Abbeville, South Carolina. What was the purpose of this meeting and what was its outcome?

Q#2 – What was the estimated amount of debt incurred by the Southern States by the end of the war?

Q#3 – Southern Negroes were given a promise regarding their ability to own land on former plantations where they had worked as slaves. What was the name of this promise?

Q#4 –What name did President Andrew Johnson give to his post war plan for the nation? He did not call it Reconstruction.

Q#5 – In the years immediately following the Civil War, Southern legislatures began to pass discriminatory laws designed to preserve white supremacy. What were these laws called?

Q#6 – In response to President Andrew Johnson’s pro-Southern bias regarding his plans for treatment of the South specifically as it related to Negroes, Radical Republicans crafted and were successful in getting what amendment added to the US Constitution?

Q#7 – What was the most significant effect of the Reconstruction Act of 1867 passed over President Johnson’s veto?

Q#8 – During the first years of the Reconstruction period, approximately how many US soldiers were stationed in the South to enforce martial law?

Q#9 – What was the name given by the pro-Democratic Party newspapers for the state constitutional conventions held in 1867 throughout the South?

Q#10 – Through the various Reconstructions actions initiated by Radical Republicans to enable blacks to obtain elected political office, what Southern state was the first to elect a black person as Governor during Reconstruction?

Q#10 – How many articles of impeachment were filed against President Andrew Johnson in 1868? What were the three topics that the articles dealt with?

Q#12 – In the presidential election of 1868 won by Ulysses S. Grant, who was the Democratic Party’s candidate?

Q#13 – The Ku Klux Klan is the best known organization that used terror tactics against blacks. What was the name of the News Orleans-based organization that adopted similar terrorist tactics against blacks?

Q#14 – In the Spring of 1871, Congress passed the Enforcement Act in response to growing acts of terror by white supremacist groups in the South. What powers did this Act give President Grant ?

Q#15 – What was the last southern state to be readmitted to the Union?

Civil War Quiz – What Did The Northern Home Front Have to Deal With?

Q#1 – What was the estimated population of the northern states at the beginning of the Civil War?

Q#2 – The Civil War did not stifle immigration into the North. On average, how many people immigrated each year into the northern states?

Q#3 – The war caused a significant split in the Democratic Party. What two factions were created as a result of the split?

Q#4 – While many northerners were against slavery as being immoral, what was the prevailing opinion of Negroes by people living in the North?

Q#5 – At the beginning of the Civil War, what was the existing debt owed northern merchants by people and companies from the South?

Q#6 – The fear that the North would lose the Civil War mostly by financial default through the loss of the South as customers never really materialized – why?

Q#7 – To pay for the war, Congress began to print money as did the Confederate Congress. However, why was the North able to avoid the ruinous levels of inflation that beleaguered the South?

Q#8 – What inventions greatly improved the North’s agricultural capacity?

Q#9 – What discovery just prior to the war in 1859 provided the North with a source of income and wealth that helped pay for the cost of the Civil War?

Q#10 – When Congress passed legislation in 1862 authorizing conscription and the draft of men into military service, what were the age limits?

Q#11 – What was the justification provided by Congress for the $300 “commutation fee,” which allowed a person to be excused from the military service?

Q#12 – What was an unexpected adverse side effect of the draft?

Q#13 – What organization was founded with the assistance of Mary Livermore and George Templeton Strong to support sick and wounded soldiers of the U.S. Army during the American Civil War?

Q#14 – The elections of 1862 both for the House of Representatives and governors in six states were extremely volatile and divisive. What was the narrow margin that President Lincoln’s Republican party retained its role as majority party in the House?

Q#15 – What two major Northern military victories in the late summer/early fall of 1864 sealed Lincoln’s re-election bid?

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About the Assassination of President Lincoln?

Q#1 – What did President Lincoln dream just a few nights before the events of April 14, 1865?

Q#2 – What was the name of John Wilkes Booth’s father?

Q#3 – John Wilkes Booth had a brother named Edwin. Was Edwin older or younger than John?

Q#4 – John Wilkes Booth sympathized strongly with the South. A number of historians suggest there were three contributing factors for this sympathy – what were they?

Q#5 – In 1859, Booth witnessed the execution of John Brown. What were his reactions to the execution?

Q#6 – In the fall of 1864, what plot did Booth come up with that did not involve assassinating President Lincoln?

Q#7 – What was the name of the woman who gave Booth a special ticket to attend the March 4, 1865, Inauguration of President Lincoln?

Q#8 – How did Lincoln’s visit to Richmond on April 2 indirectly result in the assassination of the President?

Q#9 – On April 14, 1865, Booth ordered Lewis Paine to assassinate which Union General. And when that plot failed, who was the next target for Paine?

Q#10 – What type of pistol did Booth use to assassinate President Lincoln?

Q#11 – Who was the politician that George Atzerodt was supposed to assassinate?

Q#12 – On April 14, 1865, what were the names of the betrothed couple who were guests in the box at Ford’s Theater with the Lincolns?

Q#13 – What are the two most likely reasons why John Parker, the person assigned to guard the Presidential box at Ford’s Theater, was not present at the time of the assassination?

Q#14 – Which leg did Booth break when jumping to the stage after he shot Lincoln?

Q#15 – 23 year old surgeon Charles A. Leale was the first doctor to reach Lincoln in the Presidential box. What medical procedure did Leale perform that relieved pressure on Lincoln’s brain?

Civil War Quiz: What Did the Southern Home Front Have to Deal With?

Q#1 – At the beginning of the Civil War, approximately what percentage of Southern families owned slaves?

Q#2 – At the bottom of the Southern economic ladder were 2 million or so impoverished whites; what nicknames were they called?

Q#3 – What employment exclusion of the 1862 Confederate conscription act establishing a military draft was most often violated by draft boards attempting to meet their draft quotas?

Q#4 – At the start of the Civil War, the North had approximately 22,000 miles of railroad tracks. How many miles existed in the South?

Q#5 – As the war continued, food shortages across the South increased resulting in skyrocketing inflation. For example, during the winter of 1864, in Richmond, what was the cost for a pound of bacon?

Q#6 – What were the two main reasons why so many of the South’s 260 institutions of higher learning closed during the Civil War?

Q#7 – What recurring theme regarding slavery permeated the homilies of Southern ministers at their Sunday church sessions?

Q#8 – The Civil War radically changed the role of women in Southern society. What was the prevailing role for women before the war?

Q#9 – The vast majority of Southerners differed dramatically on exactly what they were fighting for. Where were the origins of Southern loyalty planted?

Q#10 – What two actions by the Confederate Congress in 1863 had a devastating impact of the food supply throughout the South?

Q#11 – What type of graft was very common among Confederate Commissary units?

Q#12 – What Union general became known as the “Beast of New Orleans”?

Q#13 – When the Confederate Congress approved printing money that was not backed up by gold, what process was implemented that (unsuccessfully as it turned out) would reduce counterfeiting?

Q#14 – In 1864, in a desperate effort to replace huge losses in their armies, how did the Confederate government revise its draft laws?

Q#15 – During the period October 1, 1864, to January 1865, how many Confederate soldiers deserted their armies?