Only 1 In 50 People Can Pass This Civil War Quiz. Can You?

The Civil War changed the course of American history in ways that we can still feel today. How much to you remember about the Civil War? Only 1 in 50 people can pass this Civil War Quiz. Can YOU? Take the quiz and find out!

Civil War Trivia

The war resolved two fundamental questions left unresolved by the revolution: whether the United States was to be a dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign national government; and whether this nation, born of a declaration that all men were created with an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slaveholding country in the world.

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Question 1/62

Who was the president at the start of the Civil War?

Stephen Douglas
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson

Question 2/62

Which state was the first to secede from the Union?

Texas
Virginia
South Carolina

Question 3/62

What was the first battle of the Civil War?

Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Wilson's Creek
Battle of Fort Sumter

Question 4/62

How much were Union privates paid for their service during the Civil War?

$7.00 per month
$13.00 per month
$21.00 per month

Question 5/62

Which Civil War battle was the bloodiest?

The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Vicksburg

Question 6/62

The first paper currency was issued in 1862 by the U.S. Congress. What was it called?

Sawbucks
Greenbacks
Freedom bills

Question 7/62

When was the last man killed during the Civil War?

July 4, 1876
September 11, 1867
May 13, 1865

Question 8/62

What play was Abraham Lincoln attending when he was assassinated at Ford's Theater?

Our American Cousin
Yankee Doodle Dandy
The Marble Heart

Question 9/62

What did bounty jumpers do in the Civil War?

Capture AWOL soldiers and return them to their regiments for a bounty
Enlist and desert the military repeatedly to take advantage of the signup bounty
Track down runaway slaves and return them to their masters for a bounty

Question 10/62

The Confederate States of America had several capitals during the Civil War. Which of these cities served as the capital?

Montgomery, Alabama, Richmond, Virginia, and Danville, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia, Jackson, Mississippi, and Montgomery, Alabama
Arlington, Virginia, Macon, Georgia, and Houston, Texas

Question 11/62

Who was the president of the Confederacy?

Andrew Jackson
Jefferson Davis
Nathan Bedford Forrest

Question 12/62

How many people were killed during the Civil War?

1,200,000
430,000
620,000

Question 13/62

Where did general Robert E. Lee surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant?

Appomattox Courthouse
Ford's Theater
Gettysburg Cemetery

Question 14/62

What city did General William Tecumseh Sherman famously burn down during his march through his March to the Sea?

Atlanta
Montgomery
Charleston

Question 15/62

Which abolitionist launched the raid on Harper's Ferry to encourage slaves to rise up against their masters?

John Brown
Harriet Tubman
Sojourner Truth

Question 16/62

How many states originally seceded from the North?

Question 17/62

What was the official name of the Confederacy as a country?

Confederate States of America
Southern Confederated Union
Free Confederated States

Question 18/62

Which one of the following people was NOT an abolitionist?

Frederick Douglas
Stephen Douglas
Harriet Beecher Stowe

Question 19/62

The Battle of the Ironclads was a battle between which of the following?

The CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor
General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant
The USS Constitution and the CSS Huntsville

Question 20/62

A group of Southern operatives attempted to burn down New York City at the end of the Civil War. What name did the arsonists use to refer to their group?

The Confederate Army of Manhattan
Confederates for a Free New York
Liberty Lads

Question 21/62

What caused the Secret Service to be formed in the United States?

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Widespread counterfeiting of U.S. currency
Uncovering Confederate spies in the North

Question 22/62

Which state saw the most fighting during the war?

Tennessee
Virginia
Missouri

Question 23/62

Why were northerners who headed south during Reconstruction called "carpet baggers?"

They were known to steal carpets and bags filled with Southerners' possessions.
They carried bags made out of used carpet to carry their belongings.
They "bagged" the money they made stealing and re-selling items they found in abandoned southern homes, including carpets.

Question 24/62

Which future president did NOT serve in the military during the Civil War?

Benjamin Harrison
Ulysses S. Grant
Teddy Roosevelt

Question 25/62

The Civil War was the first war to have the press issuing immediate reports for publication. Many photographers were embedded during the war. Which was the first Civil War battle captured by photojournalists?

Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Poison Spring

Question 26/62

What did the Union army do to combat venereal disease among troops during the Civil War?

Only enlist married soldiers
Allow government-sanctioned prostitution
Require all soldiers to take an oath of abstinence

Question 27/62

What years was the Civil War fought?

1902-1907
1861-1865
1776-1782

Question 28/62

What was one of General Ulysses S. Grant's nicknames during the war?

The Butcher
The Equalizer
The Negotiator

Question 29/62

Which person declined an invitation from Abraham Lincoln to attend a play at Ford's Theater on the night the president would be assassinated?

General William Tecumseh Sherman
Major General Joseph Hooker
General Ulysses S. Grant

Question 30/62

Which famous poet was a nurse during the Civil War?

Walt Whitman
Herman Melville
Emily Dickinson

Question 31/62

Which of the following states remained in the Union despite the fact that it allowed people to own slaves?

Wisconsin
Kentucky
Oklahoma

Question 32/62

In 1860, two states had more slaves in their populations than free people. Which states were they?

South Carolina and Mississippi
Alabama and Louisiana
Tennessee and Georgia

Question 33/62

How many months did the civil war last?

Question 34/62

To this day, the Confederate flag is given the same protection (from burning and desecration) as the U.S. flag in which five U.S. States?

Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia
Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Missouri
Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama

Question 35/62

Who became president after Lincoln was assassinated?

James K. Polk
William Henry Harrison
Andrew Johnson

Question 36/62

What was the main cause of the Civil War?

Individual rights
Manifest Destiny
Slavery

Question 37/62

General Robert E. Lee's house is now a part of what national landmark?

Yellowstone National Park
The Washington Mall
Arlington Cemetery

Question 38/62

The Civil War essentially started and ended in which of the following locations?

Wilmer McLean's farm
Abraham Lincoln's summer home
Stonewall Jackson's family mill

Question 39/62

How did Stonewall Jackson get his nickname?

He stood like a stone wall in the face of Union troops at the First Battle of Bull Run.
He was known to "stonewall" anyone looking to borrow supplies from his men.
He never changed his facial expressions, leaving him looking still as a stone wall.

Question 40/62

President Lincoln was elected November6, 1860. How soon after did South Carolina secede from the Union?

November 7, 1860
December 20, 1860
January 20, 1861

Question 41/62

In August 1864, President Lincoln narrowly missed being assassinated. What did the sniper hit instead of the president?

The president's stovepipe hat
The president's tent
The president's horse

Question 42/62

Which constitutional amendment freed the slaves?

13th amendment
7th amendment
18th amendment

Question 43/62

In 1863, Congress passed the conscription act, which allowed for the first wartime draft of citizens in United States history. The act allowed for several exemptions from service. Which of the following was NOT an exemption from serving for the Union in the Civil War?

Men could purchase an exemption for $300
Men could find someone to serve in their place
Men could give the government 20 bushels of apples for an exemption

Question 44/62

Which Northern city rioted as a result of the Civil War draft?

New York, New York
Boston, Massachusetts
Hartford, Connecticut

Question 45/62

Which disease caused the highest number of deaths in soldiers during the Civil War?

Influenza
Typhoid Fever
Dysentery

Question 46/62

Which famous outlaw from the Wild West was originally a guerilla soldier for the Confederacy?

Wild Bill Hickok
Calamity Jane
Jesse James

Question 47/62

How old was the average soldier in the Union Army?

Question 48/62

Which of the following was NOT a battle fought during the Civil War?

Battle of Roanoke Island
Siege of Vicksburg
Battle of the Bulge

Question 49/62

What did the U.S. Confiscation Act of 1862 allow people to do?

It allowed slaves whose owners were rebelling against the United States to be freed and fight for the North
It allowed Union troops to confiscate any livestock found during a raid on Southern plantations
It allowed Union generals to confiscate the weapons of any soldier attempting to run away during battle

Question 50/62

What was the Union Blockade?

A wall of soldiers preventing anyone from the North to cross the Mason-Dixon line.
A strategy to prevent the Confederacy from trading with foreign governments for supplies.
The destruction of railroad tracks to cut off supply lines to the South.

Question 51/62

What was the name of the Confederat e submarine used to sink the USS Housatonic?

H.L. Hunley
CSS Monitor
CSS Uncle Ben

Question 52/62

Despite being most closely associated with the Confederacy, the Confederate Flag was not the national flag of the new country. How many different national flags did it have?

Question 53/62

Approximately how many African-American soldiers fought for the Union?

180,000
20,000
2,800

Question 54/62

Soldiers from which state were referred to as "Tar Heels?"

South Carolina
North Carolina
Louisiana

Question 55/62

Stonewall Jackson was shot after the Battle of Chancellorsville. Who was the person who shot him?

General Ulysses S. Grant
A civilian walking upon Jackson's campsite
One of his own men

Question 56/62

George Armstrong Custer served the Union during the Civil War, long before his infamous last stand. He was known for his eccentric personal style. Which of the following fashion choices did he prefer?

Wearing his hair in cinnamon-scented ringlets
Donning a hoop skirt after each successful battle
Wearing cowboy boots and a silver lasso

Question 57/62

In what year was Ulysses S. Grant elected president?

1864
1868
1872

Question 58/62

What did Sherman call his war strategy against the Confederacy?

Hard war
Firewalls
Breaking the line

Question 59/62

Which democrat did Abraham Lincoln win against in his bid for reelection?

George McClellan
Franklin Pierce
Jefferson Davis

Question 60/62

What party was Abraham Lincoln associated with in the 1864 election?

Democratic Party
Republican Party
National Union Party

Question 61/62

Which of the following did Union soldiers typically eat while in the field?

Spam and hard bread
Salted meat and hard tack
Oatmeal and tea

Question 62/62

When Georgia's state militia needed weapons and guns were in short supply, what did he recommend arming the militia with?

Pikes
Throwing swords
Maces

Calculating Result...

Only 1 In 50 People Can Pass This Civil War Quiz. Can You?