The Civil War: Trivia and Key Figures

1. The Civil War By Folwell Dunbar To play the game, click here!

2. Places Leaders Battles Politics Trivia 5 pt 5 pt 5 pt 5 pt 5 pt 10 pt 10 pt 10 pt 10 pt 10 pt 15 pt 15 pt 15 pt 15 pt 15 pt 20 pt 20 pt 20 pt 20 pt 20 pt 25 pt 25 pt 25 pt 25 pt 25 pt

3. This Southern state was the first to secede? Answer

4. For a time, “First to Secede” appeared on South Carolina license plates. The state was also one of three to incorporate the confederate battle flag into its state flag. What is South Carolina?

5. One of the North’s strategies was to divide the South by taking this strategic river? Answer

6. The Mississippi from the bluffs near Vicksburg Port Hudson, Louisiana was the last Confederate stronghold on the river. What is the Mississippi River

7. This 18th century boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland became the colloquial division between North and South? Answer

8. The term “Dixie” is often used to refer to the South. It may have come from the Mason-Dixon Line, but most historian trace it back to a French coin that was popular in Louisiana. What is the Mason-Dixon Line

9. An act of congress in 1854 allowed these two western states to decide for themselves whether or not they would become free or slave states? Answer

10. “Bloody Kansas” or “Bleeding Kansas” are in reference to the violence that took place there following the 1854 bill. What are Kansas & Nebraska?

11. These 5 slave states bordering the North remained part of the Union? Answer

12. West Virginia actually seceded from Virginia in 1861. What are Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, Missouri, and West Virginia?

13. The meeting of these two great commanders at Appomattox Court House in 1865 marked the beginning of reconciliation? Answer

14. Both men became presidents after the war. Grant, of the United States and Lee, of Washington University. Who were Ulysses S. Grant & Robert E. Lee?

15. This religious zealot led an unsuccessful slave rebellion in 1859? Answer

16. The Tragic Prelude by John Stewart Curry John Brown was captured at Harpers Ferry by Robert E. Lee. Who was John Brown?

17. This former slave became one of the country’s most influential abolitionists and one of its greatest orators? Answer

18. Two of Douglas’s children served in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment that unsuccessfully stormed Fort Wagner near the end of the war. This event was depicted in the film Glory. Who was Frederick Douglas?

19. Mortally wounded by his own men at the battle of Chancellorsville, the loss of this confederate leader may have hastened the defeat of the South? Answer

20. A very religious and superstitious man, Thomas Jackson would stand for hours with one arm raised in the air to restore his “balance.” Who was Stonewall Jackson?

21. His scorched earth policy and infamous “march to the sea,” made this Union general reviled by the South? Answer

22. Sherman, who suffered from depression, was named after a Shawnee chief. After the war he actually fought against Native Americans in the West. Who was Tecumseh Sherman?

23. This Confederate loss in Pennsylvania is considered the most significant turning point in the war? Answer

24. A higher percentage of Confederate soldiers died during the final assault than during the notorious “Charge of the Light Brigade.” What is Gettysburg?

25. The first shots of the war were fired on this South Carolina fort? Answer

26. General P.T. Beauregard, who led the assault on the fort, was affectionately known as the “Little Napoleon.” Sumter remained in Confederate control until April of 1865. What is Fort Sumter?

27. The first major engagement of the Civil War took place here in Virginia? Answer

28. Bull Run, March, 1862 The South referred to the battle as First Manassas (There was a 1st and a 2nd Bull Run.). This is where Jackson earned his nickname, “Stonewall.” What is Bull Run?

29. This city, the largest in the South, was lost without a fight in 1862? Answer

30. At the time, New Orleans had the largest population of free men of color and was second only to Natchez, MS. in millionaires per capita. Farragut Passing the Forts Below New Orleans, 1872, oil on canvas, Atwater Kent Museum What is New Orleans?

31. The Daily Double! After the fall of this port city on July 4, 1863, the Mississippi belonged to the North? Answer

32. For almost a century after the war, the bitter citizens of Vicksburg refused to celebrate the 4th of July. What is Vicksburg?

33. The predominately agricultural South claimed that this crop was “King”? Answer

34. The South hoped to use cotton as leverage to win over European support for the war. As it turned out, cotton was not king and France, England and others refused to recognize the rebels. What is Cotton?

35. This loose network of aid and support helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom? Answer

36. Harriet Tubman leading runaway slaves Learn more at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: http://www.freedomcenter.org/ What is the Underground Railroad?

37. This 1863 decree from Abraham Lincoln did not actually free all the slaves, but it did officially make slavery a “cause worth fighting for”? Answer

38. President Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation The proclamation was a very calculated and diplomatic decree. It helped the Union secure European support, it threatened the South’s labor source, and it shifted the focus of the war. Along with the Gettysburg Address, it is considered one of the most significant documents in American history. What is the Emancipation Proclamation?

39. This bill in 1820 set the dividing line between free and slave states in the West and, as a result, put the country on a collision course with war? Answer

40. Henry Clay, "the great pacificator,“ drafted the bill. As a result, Maine entered the Union as a free state and Missouri joined as a slave state. Balance in congress was maintained and conflict was temporarily postponed… What is the Missouri Compromise?

41. Opposition to a strong, centralized federal government, this became the rallying cry for secession? Answer

42. A banner from one of the many websites in support of the “lost cause” Some Southerners, Louisiana sugar farmers for example, were opposed to secession. They favored federal protection against cheap Caribbean imports. What are state’s rights?

43. This Northern general may have been a lousy leader, but at least he lent his name to a type of facial hair? Answer

44. Some of the other terms that appeared during the war include goobers, greenbacks, bushwhackers, Tar Heels, shoddy, and bummers. Who was General Ambrose Burnside?

45. This type of defensive warfare became famous during World War One, but it really got its start during the American Civil War? Answer

46. For Civil War photographs, go to http://www.civilwarphotos.net/ Historians consider the American Civil War the first truly modern war. Technological innovations like ironclads, repeating rifles, and the parrot gun made many of the strategies employed by commanders obsolete. As a result, almost 700 thousand men were killed. What is trench warfare?

47. This epic 1939 film based on the book by Margaret Mitchell romanticized the “lost cause”? Answer

48. Gone with the Wind is one of the top grossing movies of all time. Birth of a Nation, another Civil War film, is considered the first motion picture. What is Gone with the Wind?

49. After the war, this brilliant Confederate cavalry general founded the infamous KKK? Answer

50. Forrest, an illiterate millionaire, never lost a battle. During the war he had 29 horses shot from under him and he single-handedly killed 30 men. He was the only man to enlist as a private and rise to the rank of Lieutenant General. Who was Bedford Forrest?