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?

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?

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?

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?

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?