Category Archives: Quiz

Quiz for May 31, 2016

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

Q#1 – The Battle of Seven Pines was fought on what dates?

Q#2 – What are the primary dates for when the Battle of Chancellorsville was fought?

Q#3 – Stonewall Jackson died on May 10, 1863, from his wounds. What were his last words?

Q#4 – Two major battles were fought in May of 1864 at the start of what was called the Union’s Overland Campaign. What are their names and the dates they were fought?

Q#5 – On May 4, 1865, a significant event regarding President Lincoln occurred. What was that event?

Q#6 – On May 20, 1861, what major political decision was made by the Confederate government?

Q#7 – On May 20, 1862, what important legislation did President Lincoln sign into law? Hint: It was not a military related act

Q#8 – On May 16, 1863, General U.S. Grant fought and won what battle as part of his Vicksburg Campaign?

Q#9 – On May 11, 1864, the Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia was fought. What important commander was mortally wounded in that battle?

Q#10 – On May 15, 1864, a battle was fought where the entire cadet corps from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) made up a portion of the Confederate forces. What was the name of that battle?

Q#11 – On May 2, 1865, the United States Government issued a monetary reward for the arrest of Jefferson Davis. How much was that award?

Q#12 – On May 10, 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured by U.S. troops. What is the name of the location where Davis was captured?

Q#13 – On May 29, 1865, then President Andrew Johnson took what action regarding most ex-Confederates?

Q#14 – What major event occurred in Washington, DC, on May 23-24, 1865?

Q#15 – On May 12, 1865, the last land engagement of the Civil War was fought. Where did this action occur?

Quiz for April 26, 2016

Civil War Quiz – What Do You Know About George Henry Thomas?

George_Henry_Thomas_-_Brady-HandyQ#1 – In what state was George Henry Thomas born?

Q#2 – In 1831, what incident occurred that forced the Thomas family to flee from their home and hide in the nearby woods?

Q#3 – While a cadet at the West Point Military Academy, what nickname did the other cadets give to George Thomas?

Q#4 – What person who would gain enormous fame fighting for the Union during the Civil War was Thomas’s roommate and close friend?

Q#5 – After graduating from West Point in 1840, what military unit in the army was Thomas first assigned to?

Q#6 – In 1851, Thomas returned to West Point in what capacity?

Q#7 – When Thomas returned to West Point in 1851, who was the Academy Superintendent with whom Thomas would eventually establish a close professional and personal relationship?

Q#8 – During Thomas’s long military career both before and during the Civil War, what was the only wound he suffered in combat?

Q#9 – At the outbreak of the Civil War, being a Southerner, Thomas struggled with the decision on which side to join, but opted to remain with the United States. What was thought to have been the main factor in his decision-making?

Q#10 – On January 18, 1862, where did Thomas win the first important Union victory in the war defeating Confederate Brig. Generals George B. Crittenden and Felix Zollicoffer?

Q#11 – In the fall of 1862, what military command did Thomas refuse to accept?

Q#12 – After the battle what future president who was a field officer for the Army of the Cumberland was instrumental in Thomas becoming became widely known by the nickname “The Rock of Chickamauga”?

Q#13 – Prior to the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, why did General US Grant send Maj. Gen. John A. Logan to Tennessee with an order to replace Thomas?

Q#14 – After Thomas’s decisive victory at the Battle of Nashville, what other nickname was given to him?

Q#15 – Thomas died on March 28, 1870, at the age of 53 while serving in San Francisco, California, as commander of the Military Division of the Pacific with headquarters at the Presidio. What was the cause of death?

Quiz for March 29, 2016

Civil War Quiz – War on the Frontier

Q#1 – What was the name of the famous American frontiersman who joined the Union Army and led the 1st New Mexico Volunteer Infantry against Confederate forces at Valverde, New Mexico, in February 1862?

Q#2 – What was the name of the Union officer who was in charge of the Department of New Mexico in 1861 and resigned his commission to join the Confederacy?

Q#3 – What was the name of the powerful Union ironclad that was involved in the April-May 1864 Red River Campaign?

Q#4 – During the Civil War for the Union effort, California raised 8 regiments of infantry, 2 of cavalry, and several smaller specialized units. What was the total number of volunteers that made up these units?

Q#5 – What was the main military purpose for Union troops raised in California?

Q#6 – In the region west of Rocky Mountains, what posed the biggest military threat to Federal troops?

Q#7 – What was the name of the Apache War Chief who engaged in many battles with Federal troops, most famous of which was in the area of Apache Pass?

Q#8 – Pro Southern Democrats dominated California politics prior to the Civil War. What was the nickname given to the governmental office building in San Francisco that was used during pre-war times by these politicians?

Q#9 – On November 29, 1864, a 700-man force of Colorado Territory militia attacked and destroyed a peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians inhabited in southeastern Colorado Territory. What was this event called?

Q#10 – In the Spring of 1864, after taking over command of all Union forces, US Grant assigned which general to deal with the Indian War problems in the West?

Q#11 – True or False: At the beginning of the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers threatened to separate Southern California from the rest of the state and declare if part of the Confederacy?

Q#12 – Which side won the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater, which was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri?

Q#13 – The 1st California Cavalry stationed at Fort McLane in far western New Mexico Territory brutally tortured and murdered a famous Apache chief. What was the chief’s name?

Q#14 – What is the name of the battle that took place in Texas on September 8, 1863, that has often been credited as the most one-sided Confederate victory during the war?

Q#15 – At the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 6–8, 1862, what was a major factor that influenced Confederate General Earl Van Dorn to abandon the battle and retreat from the field?

Quiz for February 23, 2016

Civil War Quiz: Civil War Generals and Their Horses

Provide the name of the “Favorite” horse ridden by each of these Civil War Personalities

Q#1 – US Grant

Q#2 – Robert E Lee

Q#3 – George McClellan

Q#4 – William T Sherman

Q#5 – Philip Sheridan

Q#6 – Stonewall Jackson

Q#7 – Jeb Stuart

Q#8 – George Meade

Q#9 – George Thomas

Q#10 – Joe Hooker

Q#11 – Philip Kearny

Q#12 – Albert Sidney Johnston

Q#13 – George Armstrong Custer

Q#14 – Jefferson Davis

Q#15 – Nathan Bedford Forrest

Quiz for January 26, 2016

Civil War Quiz: Spies, Scouts, and Raiders

Q#1 – Before he performed his most famous role as artillery commander for Pickett’s Charge, what Confederate officer’s first role was that of spying on Union troops movements?

Q#2 – In the spring of 1862, US Grant appointed a man to create Grant’s espionage apparatus. What was this man’s name?

Q#3 – What is the name of the Southern woman whose spying activities earned her the name “The Siren of the Shenandoah”?

Q#4 – In 1863, a Union officer was appointed head of the Army of the Potomac’s Bureau of Information. What was his name?

Q#5 – What was the name of the Confederate Officer who set up the Confederate Secret Service Bureau?

Q#6 – Name the woman who was a Union sympathizer who lived in Richmond and among her spying activities also took food to the Union prisoners kept in Libby Prison?

Q#7 – What was the name of the Confederate spy who lived in Washington DC and stole George McClellan’s Peninsula order of battle and plans in April 1862?

Q#8 – A man who spied for the Union was actually the Superintendent of the key southern RF&P Railroad that supplied General Lee’s troops in 1862-63. What was his name?

Q#9 – What is the name of the Confederate spy who planted a bomb containing 12 pounds of power and exploded it on August 9, 1864 with the subsequent blast almost killing US Grant at the Union’s City Point Supply Depot?

Q#10 – What Confederate commander spoke these words: “In general my purpose was to threaten and harass the enemy on the border and in this way compel him to withdraw troops from his front to guard the line of the Potomac and Washington. This would greatly diminish his offensive power”

Q#11 – What was the name of the Union raider who in 1862 stole the Confederate locomotive named “The General”?

Q#12 – On April 21, 1862, the Confederate Congress passed legislation that was intended as a stimulus for recruitment of irregulars for service into the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. What was the name of this law?

Q#13 – Confederate William Quantrill named a Kansas Senator “…the chief of all the Jayhawkers and the worst man that was ever born into this world.” What was this Senator’s name?

Q#14 – In 1864, the Louisville Kentucky Courier Newspaper wrote that a band of Confederate guerrillas in Kentucky was led by a woman named Sue Mundy. This person was in fact a man. What was his name?

Q#15 – On August 25, 1863, General Thomas Ewing Jr., who was William Tecumseh Sherman’s brother-in-law, issued his General Order No. 11, which isn considered one of the most repressive measures ever inflicted upon an American civilian population. What was that order?

Quiz for November 24, 2015

Civil War Quiz: Facts Regarding the Army of the Potomac

Q#1 – What was the initial name of the Army of the Potomac when it was formed in 1861?

Q#2 – Who was the very first commander of the Army of the Potomac before it was assigned that name?

Q#3 – It is a popular, but mistaken, belief that John Pope commanded the Army of the Potomac after McClellan’s unsuccessful Peninsula Campaign. What Union Army did Pope command at that time?

Q#4 – The Army of the Potomac underwent many structural changes during its existence. In November 1862, how did Ambrose Burnside structure the Army?

Q#5 – True or False: The Confederates also had an army named the Army of the Potomac.

Q#6 – Who was responsible for establishing the corps structure in the Army of the Potomac?

Q#7 – Once corps were established, what was the criteria for appointing corps commanders?

Q#8 – Why were the I and III Corps disbanded in 1863?

Q#9 – Who took over command of the Army of the Potomac after George Gordon Meade?

Q#10 – After taking command, what structural action did General Joseph Hooker implement regarding the cavalry?

Q#11 – In late 1863, two corps was sent west. Name them.

Q#12 – After Major General George G. Meade became Commander of the Army of the Potomac, who took brief temporary command during Meade’s absences on four occasions?

Q#13 – The “Fighting 69th” New York Infantry was part of which brigade?

Q#14 – Due to attrition and transfers, the army was reorganized in March 1864 with only four corps. Name these corps.

Q#15 – After the end of the war, what was the disposition of the Army of the Potomac?

Quiz for October 27, 2015

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About William Tecumseh Sherman That’s Not Associated With the Civil War?

Q#1 – What was William Tecumseh Sherman’s birth date?

Q#2 – What town and state was Sherman born in?

Q#3 – What explanation did Sherman provide for how he was given his middle name of Tecumseh?

Q#4 – What famous American Founding Father was Sherman distantly related to?

Q#5 – Sherman’s father, Charles Robert Sherman, died unexpectedly in 1829. At the time, what legal position did Sherman’s father hold?

Q#6 – When Sherman entered West Point in 1836, what future famous Union Civil War general was his roommate?

Q#7 – After graduating from West Point in 1840, in what conflict did Sherman experience his first military action?

Q#8 – Did Sherman see any combat action in the Mexican–American War of 1846-48?

Q#9 – In 1850, Sherman married Eleanor Boyle (“Ellen”) Ewing. How many children did they have?

Q#10 – In 1853, Sherman resigned his captaincy in the United States Army. What position did he assume in the private sector?

Q#11 – In 1859, what important administrative position in the academic sector was Sherman appointed to?

Q#12 – In June 1865, Sherman received his first post Civil War command. What was that command?

Q#13 – In 1875, Sherman published a two-volume book of his memoirs. What was the title of the memoirs?

Q#14 – In retirement, Sherman was much in demand as a colorful speaker at dinners and banquets. What famous playwright was Sherman fond of quoting?

Q#15 – In 1891, what famous Confederate General served as a pallbearer at Sherman’s funeral and died one month later of pneumonia?

Quiz for September 29, 2015

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

Q#1 – In September 1861, President Lincoln revoked 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 on September 12 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 18-20, 1861, in Missouri that was won by the Confederates and threatened keeping Missouri in the Union?

Q#9 – On September 4, 1861, a large Confederate Army moved into Kentucky, occupied Columbus, and began occupying high ground overlooking the Mississippi 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 22, 2015

Civil War Quiz: Naval Battles of the American Civil War

Q#1 – On what date were the first shots of naval warfare in the Civil War fired and where were they fired?

Q#2 – On what date were the final shots of the naval warfare in the Civil War fired and where were they fired?

Q#3 – Other than performing blockade duty or trying to sink each other’s naval ships, what were the two primary objectives of each side’s naval forces?

Q#4 – What was a secondary use of each side’s naval forces during the Civil War?

Q#5 – What significant event occurred during the naval Battle of Aquia Creek, which took place from May 29, 1861 to June 1, 1861?

Q#6 – What was the first battle involving Union ironclads in the Civil War (Hint: It was not the naval Battle of Hampton Roads between the Monitor and Merrimac)?

Q#7 – What significant event occurred during the naval battle at Fort Pillow, Tennessee (aka Plum Point Bend) between ships of the Confederate River Defense Fleet and the Union Mississippi River Squadron?

Q#8 – The naval Battle of Arkansas Post (aka, Battle of Fort Hindman) fought January 9–11, 1863, near the mouth of the Arkansas River at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, resulted in what significant adverse consequence for the Confederacy?

Q#9 – What was the outcome of the Second Naval Battle of Sabine Pass which took place on September 8, 1863?

Q#10 – What significant naval event occurred on February 17, 1864, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina?

Q#11 – What was the name of the naval battle where the Confederate CSS Alabama ship was sunk and what was the date of the battle?

Q#12 – What is the significance of the Second Battle of Fort Fisher fought on January 13–15, 1865, involving an assault by the Union Army, Navy, and Marine Corps against Fort Fisher, outside Wilmington, North Carolina?

Q#13 – Which naval battle is considered the greatest Union naval victory of the war?

Q#14 – What international diplomatic flap on October 7, 1864, was labeled the “Bahia Incident”?

Q#15 – The Union naval blockade of Southern ports and harbors were part of what overall Northern plan for defeating the Confederacy?

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?