Category Archives: Quiz

Quiz for August 31, 2021

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker?

Q#1 – Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker was born on November 13, 1814. In what town and state was he born?

Q#2 – What American Revolutionary War captain was Joe Hooker the grandson of and named for?

Q#3 – Hooker graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1837, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Artillery. Out of a class of 50, where did Hooker rank?

Q#4 – During his time in Mexico during the War, his reputation as a ladies’ man earned him what name with the local Mexican girls?

Q#5 – Why did Hooker resign his military commission in 1853?

Q#6 – After leaving the military, Hooker became a farmer and land developer, and ran unsuccessfully for election to represent his region in the state legislature. And from 1859 to 1861, he held a commission as a colonel of a militia unit. What county and state did this occur in?

Q#7 – As still part of a state militia unit, after Hooker witnessed the Union Army defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, he wrote a letter that complained of military mismanagement, promoted his own qualifications, and requested a commission in the regular Union Army. Who did Hooker send his letter to?

Q#8 – At Antietam, Hooker left the battle early in the morning with what type of wound?

Q#9 – After Fredericksburg and the humiliating Mud March, what was General Ambrose Burnside’s reaction to severe criticism leveled at him by Hooker?

Q#10 – At the Battle of Chancellorsville, what personal event contributed to Hooker’s defeat and subsequent retreat?

Q#11 – During the 1864 Atlanta Campaign under Sherman, Hooker led his XX Corps competently, but asked to be relieved of command before the capture of the Atlanta. Why?

Q#12 – What was Hooker’s role in Lincoln’s funeral procession in Springfield, IL, on May 4th, 1865?

Q#13 – After Leaving the military in 1866, Hooker’s life was marred by poor health. What severe medical event happened to him?

Q#14 – What is the story regarding how Hooker was given the name “Fighting Joe?”

Q#15 – True or False: The term “Hooker” began to be associated with prostitutes because a band of prostitutes that followed Hooker’s division was derisively referred to as “General Hooker’s Army” or “Hooker’s Brigade.”

Quiz for July 27, 2021

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Southerners fighting for the North and Northerners fighting for the South?

Q#1 — Frank Crawford Armstrong was a United States Army cavalry officer prior to the Civil War. What made him unique?

Q#2 — This Union general was born in Virginia. In 1860 he was on officer with the US 2nd Cavalry. Unlike many southerner officers he opted to remain with the US Army. In response, his family turned his picture against the wall, destroyed his letters, and never spoke to him again. Name him.

Q#3 — This Confederate general was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the start of the Civil War his choice to resign his commission in the Union and join the Confederate was due to the influence of his Virginia-born wife and many years of service in the southern states before the war. Name him.

Q#4 — This Virginia native remained loyal to the Union. He reached the rank of lieutenant general. Name him.

Q#5 — Prior to the war, this Confederate general lived in New York city where he served as deputy street commissioner. As military commander of New Orleans, he was heavily criticized for failing to adequately defend the city. Name him.

Q#6 — This Confederate admiral resigned his commission on April 22, 1861, expecting his home state of Maryland to eventually secede. When that didn’t happen, he tried to recall his resignation, but U.S. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles said he did not want traitors or half-hearted patriots in his navy and refused to reinstate him. He then joined the Confederate navy. Name him.

Q#7 — This senator was the only sitting senator from a Confederate state who did not resign his seat upon learning of his state’s secession. He later joined the Lincoln administration. Name him.

Q#8 — This Confederate state furnished the most units of soldiers for the Union Army than any other state within the Confederacy, totaling approximately 31,092 white troops and 20,133 black troops. Name the state.

Q#9 — This western state raised 17 regiments for the Union. However, about 1,000 of its residents fought for the south. Name the state.

Q#10 — This woman, prominent during the war in her support for the Union, was born in Kentucky and had several of her half-brothers serving in the Confederate Army and were killed in action, and one brother serving the Confederacy as a surgeon. Name her.

Q#11 — Although born in Augusta, Georgia, he strongly opposed secession and supported the Union. He served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Name him.

Q#12 — Sam Houston was governor of Texas when a Texas political convention voted to secede from the United States on February 1, 1861. What did he do next?

Q#13 — In the 1860 presidential election, this Tennessee politician ran as the candidate of the Constitutional Union Party and won 39 electoral votes. In the months following Lincoln’s election, he remained steadfast in his support for the Union but switched to supporting the Confederacy after federal forces invaded Tennessee. Name him.

Q#14 — This officer, who was born in Kentucky, surrendered Fort Sumter to start the Civil War. Name him

Q#15 — This Union admiral was born near Knoxville, Tennessee. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. Who was he?

Quiz for June 29, 2021

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About the Gettysburg Address?

Q#1 – Who invited President Lincoln to speak at Gettysburg?

Q#2 – On the train trip from Washington, D.C., to Gettysburg, Lincoln was accompanied by three members of his Cabinet: William Seward, John Usher, and Montgomery Blair, along with several foreign officials and a man servant. What two other individuals who worked closely with Lincoln also made the trip?

Q#3 – The first page of the speech was written by Lincoln in ink on Executive Mansion stationery. What was the second page written with and on what?

Q#4 – How many words are contained in the Gettysburg Address?

Q#5 – What are the last 18 words of the Gettysburg Address?

Q#6 – Lincoln’s last words in the address were inspired by whom?

Q#7 – On what date and day of the week was the Gettysburg Address given?

Q#8 – Who took the only known and confirmed photograph of Lincoln at Gettysburg?

Q#9 – What was the title of the 13,607-word oration given by Edward Everett that preceded Lincoln’s address?

Q#10 – Regarding the crowd in attendance at the ceremony, what is generally known about their reaction to Lincoln’s address?

Q#11 – In a letter to Lincoln written the following day, Edward Everett praised the President for his eloquent and concise speech, saying, “I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.” What did Lincoln write back to Everett?

Q#12 – National reaction to the Gettysburg Address was mixed. What was the reaction of the Chicago Times Newspaper?

Q#13 – How many known manuscripts of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln’s hand are in existence?

Q#14 – Three copies of the address were written by Lincoln for charitable purposes well after the event at Gettysburg. These were given to Edward Everett, George Bancroft, and Alexander Bliss. Who received the other two copies?

Q#15 – What happened to Lincoln on his trip back to Washington, D.C., after the event at Gettysburg?

Quiz for May 25, 2021

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About the Connection of the American Civil War to Other Wars?

Revolutionary War

Q#1 — Robert E. Lee’s father, Henry Lee III, commanded Lee’s Legion during the revolutionary war. What was his nickname?

Multiple

Q#2 — He was a general in the War of 1812, The Mexican-American War and the Civil War. Who was he?

Q#3 — This confederate general’s grandfather was lieutenant colonel of cavalry in the American War of Independence and brigadier general in the War of 1812, and his father was an officer of dragoons in the War of 1812, and an aide to General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. Name him.

Mexican-American War

Q#4 — What key role did Robert E. Lee play in the US victory at the Battle of Cerro Gordo?

Q#5 — In the Battle of Chapultepec, brevet major James Longstreet was wounded in the thigh while charging with his regimental colors. Who did he hand the colors to?

Q#6 — Jefferson Davis commanded the Mississippi Rifles at two Mexican American war battles. Name them.

Q#7 — During the Battle of Buena Vista, General Taylor was alleged to make a statement regarding then Captain Braxton Bragg. What was the statement?

Spanish-American War

Q#8 — This Confederate cavalry commander served as major general of volunteers in the Spanish-American war. Name him.

Q#9 — As Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders charged Kettle and San Juan Hills, on their left, the 10th Cavalry, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, charged beside them. The commander of D Troop was the son of a Union general. Who was he?

Q#10 — This Civil War general, also famous as an Indian fighter, was Commanding General of the United States Army in 1895 during the Spanish–American War. Name him.

Spanish Civil War

Q#11 — US volunteers formed a battalion of the XV International Brigade to fight for the republic during the Spanish Civil War. It was named after an American Civil war figure. What was the name of the battalion?

WWI And WWII

Q#12 — This Civil War general was defeated by Nathan Bedford Forest at Brice’s Crossroads. His son was a WWI general and his grandson a WWII general. Who was he?

WWII

Q#13 — In 1943, the commander of the 84th Infantry Division was killed in action. His name has a connection to the Civil War. What was his name?

Q#14 — Confederate General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr., had surrendered to Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Fort Donelson during the Civil War. What was his connection to WWII?

Q#15 — This man was the first US general to be killed in the war in Europe. He was the great-grandson of a Civil War general. Who was he?

Vietnam

Q#16 — The Battle of the Ia Drang documented in the book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young involved a regiment created during the Civil War. What was the regiment?

Quiz for April 27, 2021

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Money During the Civil War?

Q#1 – What was the nickname given to US Government paper money?

Q#2 – The Confederate States dollar was backed with what?

Q#3 – There were two forms of US paper money – what were they?

Q#4 – What was the nickname given to Confederate Government paper money?

Q#5 – Before the Civil War, what was the only form of money issued by the United States?

Q#6 – What was the redemption phrase that was printed on Confederate money?

Q#7 – What was the name of President Lincoln’s first Secretary of the Treasury?

Q#8 – What was the name of President Davis’s first Secretary of the Treasury?

Q#9 – What were the interest rates offered by Northern banks when the Lincoln Administration initially sought loans at the beginning of the Civil War?

Q#10 – Which two Confederate states came up with their own form of redemption for Confederate paper money?

Q#11 – For Union paper money, what were the three denominations other than $1, $2, $5, $20, and $50 issued?

Q#12 – Confederate paper money was issued in the exact same denominations as Union paper money with one exception – what was that exception?

Q#13 – Which two Union states defied the Legal Tender Act of 1862, which authorized the US Congress to issue $150 million in paper currency that was not backed with gold or silver?

Q#14 – Why did Confederate paper money printers have to lift by offset or lithographic process scenes that had been used on whatever notes they had access to?

Q#15 – For Union paper money that was not backed by any assets, at the end of the Civil War, how many paper dollars did it require to purchase $100 in gold?

Quiz for March 30, 2021

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know about the American Civil War in the Movies and TV?

Movies

Q#1 – The Red Badge of Courage filmed in 1951 starred this real-life military hero. Who was he?

Q#2 – This 1969 film saw ex-Confederate soldiers heading for a new life in Mexico. Name it and name the two leading actors.

Q#3 – Who did Errol Flynn play in They Died with Their Boots On?

Q#4 – David Janssen played a man escaping from a Confederate military prison in this 1970 film. Name it.

Q#5 – This Civil War film was Elvis Presley’s acting debut. Name it.

Q#6 – In the movies The Beguiled, which actors played Union soldier John McBurney?

Q#7 – In the beginning of Dances with Wolves, Lt. John Dunbar is wounded in what battle?

Q#8 – This Civil War film was based on Grierson’s Raid. Name it.

Q#9 – This 2002 movie depicted the New York draft riots. Name it.

Q#10 – Buster Keaton’s The General was inspired by which Civil War event?

TV

Q#11 – Gregory Peck played Lincoln in this TV mini-series. Name it.

Q#12 – Who played John Brown in the TV mini-series The North and the South: Book 1?

Q#13 – This short French film depicting a Civil War hanging appeared as which episode of The Twilight Zone?

Wonderful World of Disney

Q#14 – Fess Parker, known for his portrayal of Davie Crockett and Daniel Boone, starred as real-life James J. Andrews in what Disney film?

Q#15 – In Disney movie High Flying Spy, Stuart Whitman played what real-life character?

Quiz for February 23, 2021

Civil War Quiz: What Do You REALLY Know About Edmund Ruffin?

Q#1 – Edmund Ruffin was born on January 5, 1794. Where was his birthplace?

Q#2 – Who was Edmund Ruffin married to and how many children did they have?

Q#3 – In his twenties, long before he became an advocate for secession, what scientific activity did Ruffin become active in that gained him a degree of notoriety?

Q#4 – In addition to his work with marl, what was Ruffin’s chief agricultural legacy?

Q#5 – Because of his agricultural work, what title has been assigned to Edmund Ruffin?

Q#6 – As the political climate in the United States began to become polarized in the 1840s, Edmund Ruffin became a political activist with an organization named the Fire-Eaters—what were they?

Q#7 – In 1859, Ruffin traveled to attend the execution of John Brown at Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia), following the abolitionist’s abortive slave revolt at Harper’s Ferry earlier that year. Access to the general public was restricted; how did Ruffin gain access to the hanging?

Q#8 – After John Brown’s execution, Edmund Ruffin purchased several of the pikes captured from Brown and his forces, which had been intended to arm slaves in a general uprising. What did Ruffin do with the spikes?

Q#9 – In 1860, Ruffin published his book, “Anticipations of the Future, to Serve as Lessons for the Present Time.” What was the purpose of the book?

Q#10 – Ruffin is credited with firing one of the first shots from Morris Island against the federally held Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Who actually fired the first shot?

Q#11 – There was another first at Ft Sumter that is credited to Edmund Ruffin – what was it?

Q#12 – Two part question: 1) After Ft Sumter, Edmund Ruffin joined what military unit that participated in the First Battle of Manassas Junction? 2) What military action is Ruffin credited with performing at that battle?

Q#13 – Just moments after the Union Army retreated from Manassas Junction and left the battlefield, what did Edmund Ruffin do?

Q#14 – In 1865, Union soldiers overran one of Ruffin’s three plantations in the Tide Water region of Virginia. What graffiti did they write on his main house?

Q#15 – It is a well known fact that Edmund Ruffin committed suicide on June 18, 1865, despondent over the Confederacy’s loss of the Civil War. However, the suicide attempt did not go smoothly. What happened?

Quiz for January 26, 2021

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

Q#1 — This Native American served as adjutant and secretary to General Ulysses S. Grant. He wrote the final draft of the Confederate surrender terms at Appomattox. Who was he?

Q#2 — This Native American tribe suffered its own civil war within the Civil War, with bitter factions supporting either the south or the north. Name the tribe.

Q#3 — On June 25, 1865, this Native American was the last Confederate general in the field to cease hostilities at war’s end. Who was he?

Q#4 — This battle in Arkansas saw a combined force of Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole cavalry fighting for the Confederacy. Name it.

Q#5 — This Confederate general was appointed as Confederate envoy to Native American nations and was commissioned based on his ability to recruit Native Americans to the southern army. Who was he?

Q#6 — This battle was unique in the Civil War in that the white soldiers were the minority in both fighting forces with Native Americans making up a significant portion of each of the opposing armies and the Union force contained African-American units. Name the battle.

Q#7 — Two battles were fought near the present-day town of Big Cabin, Oklahoma, then in the Cherokee Nation within Indian Territory. What was the name of these two battles?

Q#8 — What happened to the Native American Tonkawa tribe on October 23–24, 1862?

Q#9 — The three pitched battles Battle of Round Mountain, the Battle of Chusto-Talasah, and the Battle of Chustenahlah fought between pro-Union Creek Indians and against Confederate troops and other Native Americans that joined the Confederates are collectively known as what?

Q#10 — The Third Colorado Cavalry was responsible for what action on November 29, 1864?

Q#11 — In July 1862, settlers fought against Santee Sioux in Minnesota. Who led the Sioux?

Q#12 — This famous American frontiersman was a colonel during the Civil War. He was responsible for forcing the Mescalero Apache and the Navajo onto a bleak reservation called Bosque Redondo. Name him.

Q#13 — How many Native Americans from the Indian Territory are estimated to have participated in the Confederate Army?

Q#14 — In 1862 the Union attempted an “Indian Expedition” into Indian Territory. Who commanded this expedition called and what was the outcome?

Q#15 — What was the impact on the Cherokee Nation as a result of the Union victory in the Civil War?

Quiz for December 29, 2020

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About 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 thru 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 & 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, 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 November 24, 2020

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Generals to Politicians and Politicians to Generals?

Q#1 – This Civil War general was very significant in the history of the Whig party. Who was he and why was he significant?

Q#2 – This general finished second in the 1880 presidential election. Name him.

Q#3 – This former congressman was appointed as a brigadier general in the Provisional Army of Tennessee and then was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. He was killed commanding troops at the Battle of Mill Springs. Name him.

Q#4 – John C. Breckinridge was the 14th vice-president of the United States and became a Confederate general. He was commander at what Confederate victory and what position in the Confederate government did he hold at the end of the war?

Q#5 – Of officers without previous military experience, he was one of three to achieve the rank of lieutenant general in the Confederate army. He was elected to the South Carolina General Assembly in 1852 and served as a state Senator from 1858 to 1861. After the Civil War he narrowly won the bloody 1876 election to became governor of South Carolina. Name him.

Q#6 – This professor and Civil War general was elected governor of Maine four times (1866, 1867, 1868, 1869). Name him.

Q#7 – This Civil War general and author made two unsuccessful bids for a seat in Congress (in 1868 and 1870) and was appointed territorial governor of the New Mexico Territory, where he served from August 1878 to March 1881. Name him and his most successful novel.

Q#8 – This Confederate cavalry commander in 1880 was elected from Alabama as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives. He later served as major general of volunteers in the Spanish-American war. Name him.

Q#9 – Future president Rutherford B. Hayes ended the war as a brevetted major general. In which campaigns of the war did he mainly serve?

Q#10 – Future brigadier general and president James A. Garfield only personally commanded at one battle. Name it.

Q#11– General George B. McClellan, as the democratic candidate, lost the 1864 Presidential election to Lincoln. Did ever he compete for any other political office?

Q#12 – This Civil War general was a member of the House of Representatives and an important ally to Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas. His commission as a general was based on Lincoln’s desire to retain political connections with the Democrats of Southern Illinois and he eventually became second in command under Ulysses S. Grant. Who was he?

Q#13 – How was General John C. Frémont, Union commander at the battle of Cross Keys, very significant in the history of the Republican party?

Q#14 – This Civil War general was a Republican member of the House of Representatives for Missouri prior to the war. He was appointed a colonel of Missouri volunteers in July 1862. He was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers in August 1862 and then to major general in November. He commanded a division in the Vicksburg campaign and in the fighting about Chattanooga, and was one of William T. Sherman’s corps commanders in the final campaigns in Georgia and the Carolinas. After the war he opposed the Congressional Reconstruction policy, and on that issue left the Republican Party. In 1868, he was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for vice president, running with Horatio Seymour. Who was he?

Q#15 – He was an attorney, the first Chief Justice of Kansas, and leading free state advocate and Union Army general during the American Civil War, commanding the defense of Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob, Missouri, during Sterling Price’s raid. After the war he became a two-term United States Congressman from Ohio, 1877–1881, and narrowly lost the 1880 campaign for Ohio Governor. Who was he?