American Civil War Trivia Quiz

Joe Messerli Quizzes,
civil war

United States Civil War

Answer 20 trivia questions of the American Civil War.

1 / 20

What Civil War general trained at West Point and also saw action in the Mexican-American War?

2 / 20

What novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe depicted the horrors of slavery, fueling abolitionist sentiment in the North before the Civil War?

3 / 20

Who was serving his last few months as President of the United States when southern states started seceding from the Union?

4 / 20

What abolitionist was hanged in 1859 after an unsuccessful attempt to raid a federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, creating a martyr for the anti-slavery cause and reinforcing the inevitability of a Civil War?

5 / 20

What was the first state to secede from the Union, inspired by the nullification ideas of fire-eater and ex-vice president of the United States, John Calhoun?

6 / 20

Britain and France were on the verge of recognizing and possibly aiding the Confederacy, largely due to their reliance on Southern cotton. What 1863 event ended any chance of that happening?

7 / 20

What Union fort in South Carolina was surrounded and fired on by Confederate forces in 1861, launching the U.S. Civil War?

8 / 20

What was the first major land battle of the Civil War, in which Confederate General Beauregard defeated General McDowell, while many DC civilians famously watched with picnic baskets, expecting an easy Union win?

9 / 20

What was NOT considered one of the advantages the Union held over the Confederacy in the Civil War?

10 / 20

What Confederate cavalry commander became a grand wizard and founding member of the Ku Klux Klan?

11 / 20

What Union general, whose name became synonymous for a hair style, successfully conducted a amphibious landing along the Carolina coast?

12 / 20

What infamous Confederate prison in Georgia held over 45,000 Union soldiers, nearly 13000 of whom died, mostly from scurvy, diarrhea, and dysentery?

13 / 20

What Confederate general, nicknamed "Stonewall," died from wounds at the Battle of Chancellorsville?

14 / 20

Who was president of the Confederacy during the Civil War?

15 / 20

What Union general, popular with his troops, was fired by Lincoln for hesitancy and repeated disobedience of attack commands? [Hint: he later ran for President against Lincoln in the 1864 election]

16 / 20

What 3-day battle of the Civil War, which resulted in 50,000+ casualties, was considered the major turning point in the war, where Union forces turned back a Confederate invasion in Pennsylvania?

17 / 20

What 1862 battle was considered the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, with over 23,000 casualties reported?

18 / 20

What important Union victory in 1863 occurred after a 47-day siege, securing Union control of the Mississippi River and splitting the Conferacy in two?

19 / 20

What "March to the Sea" general helped secure Lincoln's reelection bid in 1864 with a big victory and occupation of Atlanta?

20 / 20

What two generals met at the Appomattox Court House in 1865 to formalize the surrender of the main Confederate army, leading to the end of the Civil War? [Choose 2 answers]

Your score is

The average score is 81%

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9 thoughts on “American Civil War Trivia Quiz”

  2. OK, you have #15 reversed. You are showing the correct answer as Grant, but the correct answer is McClellan. “Little” Mac was actually fired by Lincoln several times and “Little Mac” ran against Lincoln in ’64. Grant was NEVER fired by Lincoln and NEVER ran against him. Point of order on #19…It was Sherman’s victory @ the Battle of Jonesboro in September of ’64 and the capture/evacuation of Atlanta that led to Lincoln’s re-election. The burning of Atlanta and The March did not happen/commence until AFTER the Nov ’64 election.

    If the answers for #15 had not of been reversed I would have scored my usual 100 instead of a 90.

    Love your work, the memes and enjoy the trivia quiz. Stop by everyday. Thank you

    Reply

    • You’re correct. Sorry about that. Simply clicked the wrong answer. It’s fixed and the answer is indeed McClellan. I tweaked Sherman answer. A couple sources say Sherman’s secured Lincoln’s election. Thanks for catching these.

      Reply

      • It’s all good, My Man. Let he that has not fat fingered be the FIRST Trivia answer knotzie. 😀 I have really enjoyed your quiz addition since all of the changes to your previous site. Been lurking for years. Your sources are kinda sorta spot on. Sherman’s cutting of the M&W Rail Line @ Rough & Ready (Jonesboro) did force Hood to blow his trains and evacuate Atlanta, giving Atlanta to ‘Cump, thus giving a tremendous boost to Lincoln’s campaign. Another thing that helped Lincoln was for the first time, the soldiers were allowed to do an “absentee” ballot, many in The Army of The Tennessee voting for Abe. There are some schools of thought that many of the ballots cast by The Army of The Potomac went to McClellan…and were never counted, possibly making a big difference in the final vote tally. As important as Gettysburg was, tactically, strategically the loss of Atlanta was indeed the death knell. One can lay the blame for that at the feet of Davis, relieving Johnston (on the advice of Bragg) and replacing Ol’ Joe with Hood.

        Again, Thanks for what you do. I share your site with many.

        Reply

  4. John Calhoun died in 1850, so was not around to lead South Carolina to be the first state to secede in 1860.

    Reply

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