Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About the Use of Railroads During the Civil War?
Q#1 – After fighting broke out in 1861, the country had a rail network totaling more than 30,000 miles. Approximately how many miles were in the North and how many in the South?
Q#2 – From the beginning of the war, what was the Confederate government’s policy regarding which type of traffic received priority on its railroads?
Q#3 –What was the name of an American civil engineer and railroad construction engineer and executive who, as a Union Army General, played a key role in the Civil War where he revolutionized U.S. military transportation, particularly the use of railroads?
Q#4 – From an overarching policy perspective, how did the South view the use of its railroad and train system?
Q#5 – What basic engineering and design flaw plagued the South in being able to more effectively utilize its railroads that did not exist in the North?
Q#6 – In 1862, why did the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad rescind its Southern support severely impacting Confederate military operations in Virginia and Tennessee?
Q#7 – What event occurred a month prior to the war’s first major engagement at the First Battle of Bull Run regarding the use of the railroad that initially caught Southern forces off-guard?
Q#8 – What use of the railroad by Confederate forces was critical to the southern victory at the Battle of Chickamauga in early September of 1863?
Q#9 – There were six railroads serving Richmond, VA. What were these six railroads unable to do that limited their effectiveness?
Q#10 – What was the number of new locomotives produced in the South after the war began?
Q#11 – During the Civil War, the amount of new railroad mileage laid in the North was 4,000 miles. What was the amount for the South?
Q#12 – On January 31, 1862, the U.S. Congress passed legislation authorizing President Lincoln as Commander in Chief to do what regarding the railroads?
Q#13 – What risky venture regarding locomotives did Union commanders sometimes employ to gather information on Confederate forces?
Q#14 – What did the term “railroad monitors” refer to?
Q#15 – What were “Rifle Cars”?