QUESTIONS

ANSWERS

What personal tragedy struck President Jefferson Davis and his wife Varina on April 30, 1864?

Their 5 year old son Joe Davis was killed in a fall from the high veranda at the Confederate White House in Richmond, VA.

How old would Abraham Lincoln have been this Feb 12th?

Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 and would have been 191 years old.

Which General had the longest last name?

U.S. Brig. Gen. Alexander Schimmelfennig had the longest name (14 letters)

We all know Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson's nickname was "Stonewall", but his cousin, Maj. Gen. William L. Jackson also had a nickname… what was it?

 Brig. Gen. Alfred Eugene Jackson's nickname was "Mudwall"

Companies within Regiments were given letters. Ten letters were used beginning with "A".  Which letter did they skip?

They skipped the letter "J" because when ‘pronounced’ it may be mistaken for “A “

How many men died as a result of the Civil War?

620,000 men died....  more died from sickness than from the battle.

What occurred on Feb 9th 1861?

Jefferson Davis was elected President of the Confederate States on Feb 9th, 1861.

What Civil War soldier held commissions in both the USA and CSA armies simultaneously?

Alfred Thomas Archmedes Torbert held commissions in both USA and CSA armies simultaneously.

What was the Union Army called at the First Battle of Bull Run?  and the Confederate Army?

At the First Battle of Bull Run the Union army was known as The Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate army was known as The Army of the Potomac.

What Union Regiment had the highest number of officers killed in the Civil War?

The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery had 32 officers killed.

What military command was given U. S. Grant at the start of the Civil War?

Colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry

Which Amendment to the Constitution provided for the abolition of slavery?

The 13th Amendment

Who was the first person to direct artillery fire for an army via aerial reconnaissance?

Balloonist Thaddeus Lowe, U.S.A. on September 24, 1861.

What was Lt. Gen Richard S. Ewell's nickname?

"Baldy Dick"

Where did the largest cavalry battle of the war take place?

The largest cavalry battle took place at Brandy Station Virginia, June 9, 1863.

What primary Confederate General was killed at the Battle of Shiloh?

Albert Sidney Johnston.

Approximately how far did the three-inch iron rifled ordnance gun throw its shell when elevated five degrees?

When elevated five degrees, the three-inch rifled ordnance gun can throw its shell accurately up to 2,000 yards.

What was the average height and weight of Union Soldiers?

The average height was 5 ft. 8-1/4 inches and the average weight was 143-1/2 pounds.

What Northern general was accused by northern press as being insane?

William T. Sherman

Wha

How many cannon in a Union Battery?  A Confederate Battery?

6 cannon in Union Battery and 4 cannon in Confederate Battery.

The melody of the popular Civil War ballad "Aura Lee" by George R. Poulton and W.W. Fosdick was later used for what twentieth century hit song?

The melody of the popular Civil War ballad "Aura Lee" was later used for Elvis Presley's "Love me Tender".

What Southern General was mortally wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia?

Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson

Who took over "Stonewall" Jackson's division after Jackson's death at Chancellorsville?

Maj. Gen. Edward Johnson

Which Union Infantry Regiment had the most Battle Deaths?

The 5th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment had 195 Battle Deaths.

What physician-inventor devised a weapon for the Union army, which used only twelve of them, that was the prototype of the machine gun?

Dr. Richard J. Gatling (The Gatling gun)

What two Federal generals were in command of troops at the battle of Iuka, Mississippi?

U. S. Grant and W. S. Rosecrans.

What South Carolina aristocrat kept a journal that was later published as "A Diary from Dixie"?

Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

Who was the only Jewish member of the group that functioned as a cabinet for Confederate president Jefferson Davis?

Judah P. Benjamin, Secretary of War.

Who was the only civilian killed at Gettysburg?

Jennie Wade

What raiders, captured by Confederates, were treated as civilian spies because they were out of uniform?

The 24 army volunteers who followed civilian James J. Andrews. (Andrews Raid became known as the Great Locomotive Chase.)

Where did T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson die?

Guiney Station, Virginia

How many men were in a Company? How many Companies in a Regiment?

100 men in a Company and 10 Companies in a Regiment.

Who were the two commanding generals at the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi?

U. S. Grant and John C. Pemberton

Who were the two commanding officers at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania?

George G. Meade and Robert E. Lee

Who taught at VMI before the war?

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

Many battles had more than one name, ie.: Antietam/Sharpsburg, or First Bull Run/First Manassas...  there was a battle on the 30th of Jun 1862 in VA with seven names, what was it?

It was White Oak Swamp/Frayser's Farm/Glendale/Charles City Cross Roads/Nelson's Farm/Turkey Bend/New Market Cross Roads.

What general frequently strolled about camp handing out Sunday school leaflets?

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson

Who spent his first 13 months in Confederate uniform without coming under fire or taking part in a general engagement?

Robert E. Lee

What was the name of the play President Lincoln attended at Ford's Theater on April 14, 1865?

Our American Cousin.

What young South Carolina sergeant took water to wounded enemies and became known as the "Angel of Marye's Heights"?

Richard Rowland Kirkland

Who was the Union General killed leading his men into the Battle of Gettysburg?

General John F. Reynolds

Who commanded the two armies at the Battle of Nashville, Tennessee?

George Thomas and John B. Hood.

What was the name of General Meade's horse?

Old Baldy.

How long was Andersonville in use as a prison site?

14 months.

Who was the Hero of Little Round Top?

General Grover K. Warren

What two events happened July 4th, 1863, that, to many, doomed the Confederacy?

The last day of the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

What was the nickname of Maj. Gen. John Magruder?

"Prince John".

What was the name of the man that was hanged after the war for his activity at Andersonville Prison?

Henry Wirz

Artillery used different rounds against attacking troops.  One was the Canister and the other was Case shot....  What is the difference?

The Canister was a shell made with about 96 iron balls held together by a tin cover, the Case shot was a shell with a timed fuse that would burst over the attacking troops' heads.  Sending pieces of it in to them

Confederate General Robert E. Lee's father fought in what war?

Revolutionary War.

Which general was known as the “drunk general”?

Ulysses S. Grant

What is an "abatis"?

An "abatis" is an obstacle formed of trees felled toward the enemy.

What was the name of General Longstreet's horse?

Hero

What Kentucky battle also has, as part of its landscape, a Bull Run?

Perryville

What was Brig. Gen. William E. Jones nickname?

Grumble

Where did the battle between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia take place?

Hampton Roads VA.

What was the CSS Virginia before it became a Confederate Iron Clad?

Merrimack

Which Southern state provided the most troops to the Confederate Army?

North Carolina

What was Gen. George Gordon Meade’s nickname?

“The Old Snapping Turtle”

What Commander of the Army of the Potomac lost 2 nephews to the Confederate Cause?

General George Gordon Meade

What Union Regiment was recruited by Herman Berdan?  What Color Uniform did they wear?

The Berdan Sharpshooters, their uniforms were green.

What was the popular name for the US Rifle, Model 1855; a shorter version of the Rifle Musket of the same year.

The Harpers Ferry Rifle

At First Bull Run, what fellow brigadier general coined the nickname "Stonewall" for Thomas J. Jackson?

Barnard Bee (Look men, there stands Jackson and his Virginian's like a Stonewall)

When Robert E. Lee's youngest son entered the army, what was his rank and duty?

Private, cannoneer  (Robert E. Lee Jr. age 18)

Who refused to use pepper on his food saying it gave him pains in his left leg?

Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson

How many companies made up a regiment?

10  (100 Men to a company, 10 companies in a regiment)

What Confederate Major General, a nephew of Robert E. Lee, later served as a Major General in the U. S. Army during the Spanish American War?

Fitzhugh Lee

What was the  "official" name for Andersonville Prison?

Camp Sumter

Why was Camp Sumter named "Camp Sumter"?

Because it was in Sumter County, Georgia

What Virginia born artillerist named four of his cannons Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?

Brig. Gen. William Nelson Pendleton an ordained Episcopal Rector.

Who was known as "Little Napoleon"?

Gen. George B. McClellan

What Ohio native entered the army in the Civil war as a lieutenant colonel and died as commander in chief?

James A. Garfield, assassinated while serving as twentieth president of the United States.

What was Virginian Wilmer McLean's unusual distinction during the Civil War?

The first and last Civil War “land battles” were fought on his farms in Virginia.

What lawyer went to war as a major of the 23rd Ohio, attained the rank of brevet major general and later said that those years were the "best years" of his life

Rutherford B. Hayes, nineteenth president of the United States.

What was the highest rank Robert E. Lee achieved in the U.S. army?

Colonel

Who was the last surviving Civil War “General”?

Albert Ames B. Maine, 1835 D. Florida 1933

What was the "Alligator"?

It was an experimental Union submarine, which was declared useless.

What name was given to the Thirteenth Pennsylvania Reserves when the men began wearing tails of dear on their hats?

The Pennsylvania Bucktails.

There are 13 stars in the Confederate battle flag.  How many states were in the Confederacy?

11...   the other 2 stars were for the secession governments of KY an MO.

Who commanded the famous Irish Brigade, comprised of immigrants and first generation Americans?

Thomas Francis Meagher

Where is the "Bloody Angle"?  The "Bloody Lane"?

There are two landmarks called the Bloody Angle, one at Gettysburg, and one at Spotsylvania.  Bloody Lane is a landmark at Antietam

Who was Vice-president of the Confederate States of America?

Alexander Stevens

What is Panada?

Panada is a hot gruel made of corn meal, army crackers mashed in boiling water, ginger or bully soup.

On what date did South Carolina vote to dissolve the Union?

12/20/1860

Who was known as "Crazy Bet" or "Miss Lizzie"?

Elizabeth Van Lew: she was  from a prominent family in Richmond but very loyal to the Union.  She became one of it's most dependable spies.

On what date were the first shots fired on the Federal vessel STAR OF THE WEST in Charleston Harbor?

01/09/1861

Who or what was Daniel Webster?

One of Gen. George McClellan's favorite horses.

On 2/11/1861 what did both Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln do?

Left their homes to become president.

On what date was Jefferson Davis inaugurated President of the Confederate States of America?

02/18/1861

Who or what was Fire-Eater?

Gen. A. S. Johnson's horse.

What was the first capitol of the Confederate States of America?

Montgomery, Alabama

What disease did President Lincoln contract right after the Gettysburg Address?

Small pox.

Who was the General of the Army at the outbreak of the Civil War?

General Winfield Scott (“Old Fuss and Feathers”)

What two battlefields contain an Irish Brigade Monument?

Antietam and Gettysburg

What was the Motto of the Irish Brigade? What was the translation of that Motto?

Faugh A Ballaugh. Clear the way.

From which 3 states did Irish Volunteers serve in the Irish Brigade?

New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts

Who was the first President of Notre Dame University?

Father William Corby Chaplain of the 88th NY.

In what state was the song "I Wish I Was In Dixie's Land," composed?

New York City, NY.

What term refers to CSA soldiers that deserted the Confederate cause, and joined Union Army to fight Indians?

Galvanized Yankees

What was the name of the CSA Submarine to sink the first enemy vessel in combat?

H. L. Hunley

What is the “meaning” of General "Jeb" Stuart's nickname "Jeb”?

His first 3 initials. J. E. B. (James Ewell Brown)

President Abraham Lincoln was narrowly elected in 1860 and he didn't even carry his home county. True or False?

True

How many days did Confederate President Jefferson Davis spend at Fort Monroe prison?

720 Days... and no visitors for 6 months; his wife was barred for one year.

Rear Adm. David D. Porter, commanding the Mississippi Naval Squadron, had an oddity concerning horses. What was it?

He loved to gallop from shore and leap onto his vessel via the gang plank

Stand Watie was the highest ranking American Indian to serve in the Civil War and was among the last to surrender his men and arms after the peace accord was signed by Gen. Robert E. Lee.  In fact, coupled with is Indian name and its meaning is an oddity of the war.  What does Stand Watie mean in Indian?

Stand Firm... His first name is from a tribal title from the Cherokee Nation

You would say I was a famous spy if you know anything about Gettysburg. I was an actor before the war, touring with the infamous Edwin Booth at times.  I even committed espionage while performing as an actor.  They say I disappeared after the war but it is not true.  I spent my last remaining days in Louisville, living off the actors’ fund.  Who am I?

James Harrison...  Some believe he just vanished but this is not true. He aided Lee by telling him Hooker had crossed the Potomac and Meade was made commander.

My name is widely associated with “prostitution”. What is my name?

Union General Joseph Hooker. His headquarters was often a “den of ill repute.”

Where was General Lee born?

Stratford, Westmoreland County, VA. The property of "Light Horse Harry" Lee, a hero in the Revolutionary war.

What famous battle, April 6 & 7, 1862, in Tennessee was named after a Methodist Church?

Shiloh

What were the 3 New York Regiments of the Irish Brigade?

63rd NY, 69th NY and 88th NY

What were the 2 other Regiments of the Irish Brigade?

28th Mass and 116th Penn.

Where did the University of Notre Dame football team get its Name "The Fighting Irish"?

From the Irish Brigade

What was a "fireball" in the South during the war?

With the shortage of coal to heat their homes, Southerners mixed coal dust, sawdust, sand and wet clay into hardened lumps for burning and heat.

What Northern state first called for the enlistment of Black troops in the Civil War?

Rhode Island

Who was in command of the Irish Brigade at Gettysburg?

Colonel Patrick Kelly

Why did the Irish Brigade carry their Green Flag instead of their state Colors?

In 1860 the Prince of Wales came to NY, and the governor ordered the 69th NY to march in a parade in his honor; they refused so he took away their state colors.  The men - and the Irish residents - raised funds to buy the green Flag which they not only carried into battle, but it is used to this very day.  It's still referred to as “The Prince William Flag.”

What was the nickname of the Irish Brigade?

The Sons of Erin.

Pittsburg Landing, TN, is also known by what other name?

Shiloh

Name the only woman to have completed a fully documented Union Army enlistment.

Jennie Hodges aka Albert D. J. Cashier, 95th Infantry Ill. Vols.

What Union General's Headquarters was described as "Bar room and Brothel"?

Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker.

What or who is a Dragoon?

A mounted infantryman. He is a soldier who uses the horse for transportation to the battlefield, or for mobility on the battlefield, but dismounts to fight.

Who was the other orator at the Gettysburg Cemetery on the day Lincoln delivered his famous address?

Edward Everett.  He spoke two hours, Lincoln spoke 2 minutes

Who was the famous "Unknown father" who was killed at Gettysburg and died while staring at a photograph of his three children?

Amos Humiston of the 154th New York

Who were Moscow, Decatur and Bayard?

They were Gen. Philip Kearny's horses.  Moscow, a high-spirited white horse.  Decatur, a light bay, was killed at Seven Pines.  When Kearny was killed at Chantilly he was riding Bayard, a light brown horse

He was relieved of command after the deadly “Crater” explosion at Petersburg.  After the war, he served as governor of Rhode Island from 1866-1869 and then U.S. Senator from 1875-1881.  What is his name?

Ambrose Everett Burnside

In what Civil War battle did the first African American receive the Medal of Honor?

Sergeant William H. Carney received the medal for his courage during the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers’ charge on Fort Wagner in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, in July 1863.  The black regiment was led by a white officer named Robert Gould Shaw. Shaw and many African Americans also died in that charge.

What was the "Swamp Angel" in the Civil War?

A 200-pounder (8-inch) PARROTT Gun which blew up firing the 36th round.

He was a North Carolina state senator, lawyer, Cherokee chief, Confederate colonel, and cousin to President Zachary Taylor - what is his name?

William Holland Thomas. He commanded Thomas’ Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders during the Civil War. As a boy, he was adopted by the Cherokee.

What did Abraham Lincoln do on the day of his intended wedding - Jan. 1, 1841?

He failed to show up!  But did marry on Nov. 4, 1842

The first and second battle of Manassas was also named or called

Bull Run

What famous Confederate general, trying to rally his fleeing troops at Shiloh, had some of his own men shooting at him?

William J. Hardee

He was a hero at Gettysburg.  He received the Medal of Honor.  He returned to Maine where he served as Governor of the state, and as president of Bowdoin College.  Who is he?

Joshua L. Chamberlain

Baker's Creek was another name for a battle.  What was it?

The battle of Champion's Hill during the Vicksburg Campaign

What was the first major Confederate city to be permanently occupied by Union Troops?

Nashville, TN

What famous general once had a newspaper man run out of camp, sitting backwards on a mule and wearing a sign?

George G. Meade, commanding general of Union at Gettysburg.

What are "Rifle Pits"?

The Civil War equivalent of "foxholes"

“To realize what war is, one should follow our tracks.”  Who said that and on what occasion?

General Sherman as he neared Atlanta on his march through Georgia in 1864.

Frederick Douglass, aka Frederick Bailey, an escaped slave, is considered the "Father of the Civil Rights movement," and also held high posts in the U.S. government. Douglass had an oddity. What was it?

His mistress taught him to read and write.  Additionally, he traded lessons from street people for scraps of food for lessons.

What basic right did Abraham Lincoln suspend without congressional approval?

Writ of Habeas Corpus

At what battle did the Cadets of V.M.I. fight?

New Market, Virginia

What famous general owned a slave, and while needing cash, chose “not” to sell him? He, however, gave the slave his freedom?

General U.S. Grant

Who killed General "Bull" Nelson USA?

General Jefferson Davis  USA

True or False. Due to fears of retaliation, the Confederate government was last forced to operate out of railroad cars.

True. It occurred at Greensboro, N.C.

What was President Lincoln's Christmas Gift from the field in 1864?

The "city of Savannah - with 150 heavy guns and 25,000 bales of cotton" from General Sherman and his Georgia campaigners.

The South had many disadvantages in its fight with the North. What was the one distinct advantage it did have?

Its officer corps...  young, aggressive, not old and dispirited as in the North.

What was another name for Drewry's Bluff near Richmond, Virginia?

Fort Darling

What role did past President John Quincy Adams play in the American Civil War?

None directly, but his son, Charles Francis Adams, U.S. minister to Great Britain, helped to prevent Britain from entering the war on the side of the Confederacy.

What burned on 2/17/1865?

Columbia, South Carolina

Who was the first general to be killed in the war?

CS Gen. Robert Selden Garnett, killed July 13, 1861 at Carrick's Ford

Name Capt. Farragut's Flagship in the battle of New Orleans?

USS Hartford

After the war, Confederate General Forrest faced treason charges for the massacre of black troops at Fort Pillow. What was the outcome of the trial?

The trial never occurred.

Who or what was THE CHILD OF THE STORM ?

West Virginia (It seceded from Virginia in 1863 and forms present-day “West Virginia”.)

What role did Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere have in the Civil War?

None directly - but it is noteworthy, his grandson, Colonel Paul Joseph Revere, 20th Mass., was mortally wounded at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Where was the last land battle of the war?

Palmetto Ranch, Brownsville, Texas

What was the most unpopular duty in the Civil War?

Picket Duty, first to fall upon the enemy’s advance

Who cried those famous words: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" And, at what famous naval battle?

Union Adm. David Farragut in reference to Confederate mines as he entered Mobile Bay to lay siege to Fort Morgan, Ala.

The war saw the replacement of the paper cartridge with a new metallic cartridge used in repeating rifles. Besides rapid fire, what other advantage did this give the North?

Unlike the old paper cartridge, it was unaffected by moisture.

What happened 5/26/1863 that aided the Federal government's finances?

Gold was discovered in Montana Territory.

Who was the press official referring to when he told a general he was "In very great danger of being President of the United States?"

General George G. Meade - Union commander at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

What happened May 4, 1865?

Lincoln was buried in Springfield, Illinois

What was the ninth article of war in the Civil War?

Violence towards officer punishable by death, but it didn't always prevents such acts!

Who were Virginia and Highfly?

They were J. E. B. Stuart's horses

Where was the BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC written?

Willard's Hotel - Washington D.C.

What Battle was farthest west in the Civil War?

Picacho Pass    North of Tucson AZ

What was the most deadly field artillery piece in the Civil War?

Model 1857 Gun Howitzer firing four types of ammo

Who held 3 C.S.A. cabinet posts?

Judah P. Benjamin; he was Jewish

Who made up, or comprised, the regiment of 1st South Carolina Volunteers?

Freed African Americans, 800 in number to fight for the North

What General wrote the best selling novel Ben Hur?

U.S. General Lewis Wallace

What Southern Government leader Escaped to England?

Secretary of State  Judah Benjamin

Who was William Mumford?

Gambler hanged in New Orleans for lowering the US flag.

Who was Laura Keene?

She was the actress starring in the play "Our American Cousin" at the Ford Theater when Lincoln was assassinated.

Who was Lincoln's 1st vice president?

Hannibal Hamlin

JEB Stuart's famous first ride around McClellan's forces occurred where?

North Anna River to Chickahominy June 12-16, 1862

“Sideburns” was named after me – who am I?

Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside (he had long facial hair which was located on the “sides of his face.”)

What famous Confederate ironclad took on 30 Union warships during a Naval engagement? How was the ironclad finally destroyed?

The Arkansas... the Confederates set it on fire after engine failure.

Where was the battle of Olustee?

Florida

How much was an enlisted man paid for providing his own horse in the war?

Fifty cents per day.

What tradition started 4/22/1864?

“IN GOD WE TRUST” on U.S. coins.

Confederate Captain Shade Wooten of the Twenty-seventh North Carolina Regiment used the most primitive weapon in the Civil War on three occasions. What was it?

He threw dirt in the face of “a would be assailant!”

Harriet Ross Tubman, famous abolitionist and slave, escaped her master's plantation and made her way into Pennsylvania where she is credited for helping many slaves access the Underground Railway. What was the oddity about her?

Plantation overseers had a $40,000 price on her head

Who was the first "Southern Fire-eater" to push for Southern nationalism?

Gen. Louis Trezevant Wigfall, CSA

How old was John Wilkes Booth when he killed Lincoln?

24

Years before the war, Jesse Grant, father of U.S. Grant, worked for Owen Brown. Who was Owen Brown?

The father of John Brown - notorious abolitionist.

The Bermuda Hundred was strategically important to the South. Where was it?

Between the James and Appomattox Rivers, 15 mi. South of Richmond.

What is the story of the "Jinx Horse?"

Three members of the Guillet family were killed riding a horse, then three officers of the Ninety-eighth Ohio Regiment were killed, then a fourth so seriously wounded in the arm, he would suffer for life - all while riding the same horse.

Who was the youngest General?

Galusha Pennypacker. Born Jun 1, 1844, he was 20 years old

Who said, "If I had Stonewall Jackson at Gettysburg, I would have won the fight?"

Gen. Robert E. Lee and he mentioned Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia as well.

Name the war's most striking victory in consideration of lost resources?

The Confederate victory at Sabine Pass, Texas. Capt. Richard W. Dowling, defending with 43 men and six cannon, drove off a Federal force of 15,000 men attempting to land. Capt. Dowling never lost a man!

The trial of the eight people accused of trying to assassinate Lincoln took place in Washington, D.C. at what type of a hearing?

Military Tribunal

What battle had these landmarks? Fraley Field, Bloody Pond, Peach Orchard

Shiloh

What general would change soiled shirts, even during battle?

Union Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock

What was the largest city in the Confederacy as the beginning of the war?

New Orleans, Louisiana

Who once said, "He looks so cold and quiet and grand." Name the speaker and the subject?

Diarist, Mary Boykin Chestnut,