Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Civil War General Benjamin Butler?

Q#1 – Where was Benjamin Butler born and on what date?

Q#2 – What military event did Butler’s father, John Butler serve in?

Q#3 – Who was Butler named after?

Q#4 – Butler was awarded a scholarship to Phillips Exeter Academy, where he spent one term. How was described by his schoolmates?

Q#5 – In 1844, Butler was elected to what organization?

Q#6 – What reputation did Butler earn as a criminal defense lawyer?

Q#7 – Although Butler represented workers in legal actions, he also sometimes represented mill owners. This adoption of both sides of an issue manifested itself when he became more politically active. What landmark labor working condition for laborers did Butler advocate for?

Q#8 – Butler, as a Democrat, supported the Compromise of 1850 and regularly spoke out against the abolition of slavery. At the 1860 Democratic National Convention at Charleston, South Carolina, who did Butler support as the Democratic Party’s candidate for President of the United States?

Q#9 – In 1857 what position did then Secretary of War Jefferson Davis appointed Butler to at West Point?

Q#10 – Although he sympathized with the South, what statement did Butler make as he sought to serve in the Union Army??

Q#11 – After Abraham Lincoln was elected president in November 1860, Butler traveled to Washington, D.C. When a secessionist South Carolina delegation arrived in Washington, what did Butler do?

Q#12 – At the start of the Civil War, Butler managed to be named Brigadier General of the 8th Massachusetts Regiment. What was the first action Butler participated in April 1861?

Q#13 – In May 1862, Butler commanded the force that conducted the capture of New Orleans after its occupation by the Navy following the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. In the administration of that city, what did Butler initially implement?

Q#14 – In November 1863, Butler was given command of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina based in Norfolk, Virginia. In January 1864, what activity did Butler play a pivotal role in regarding the creation of ??

Q#15 – What do many Civil War historians’ cite as a major contributing factor for Andrew Johnson being acquitted at his impeachment trial?