In what year did the American Civil War begin?
C.1861
The war began in April 1861 with the bombardment of Fort Sumter, after secession had already started.
Civil War Trivia
Battles, leaders, emancipation and the road to Appomattox.
25 questions
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Round 1People and chronology
Who was U.S. president when the Civil War began in April 1861?
B.Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln was president at the outbreak; Andrew Johnson became president after Lincoln’s assassination in 1865.
Who was the President of the Confederate States of America?
C.Jefferson Davis
Davis led the Confederate government; Alexander Stephens served as its vice president.
Which fort was attacked in April 1861, starting the Civil War?
D.Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter guarded Charleston Harbor, where Confederate forces opened fire in April 1861.
Which Union general later became the 18th U.S. President?
D.Ulysses S. Grant
Grant became president after the war; his military leadership preceded his political career.
Which Confederate general commanded the Army of Northern Virginia?
B.Robert E. Lee
Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia, not every Confederate force throughout the entire war.
In what year did the Civil War end?
A.1865
The principal Confederate armies surrendered in 1865, but not all on the same day.
Which Confederate general received the nickname “Stonewall” at First Bull Run?
A.Thomas Jackson
Thomas Jackson received the nickname; including Stonewall inside the answer choice would disclose it.
Which Confederate state was the first to secede from the Union?
C.South Carolina
South Carolina seceded in December 1860, before Lincoln took office and before Fort Sumter.
Which city served as the Confederate capital from May 1861 until its evacuation in April 1865?
C.Richmond
Montgomery was the earlier Confederate capital, so an undated capital question would be ambiguous.
Which Union general was given command of all Union armies in March 1864?
A.Ulysses S. Grant
Grant became general-in-chief in March 1864, coordinating Union campaigns across several theaters.
How many states had seceded and joined the Confederacy by the end of 1861?
D.11
Seven states initially formed the Confederacy; four more seceded after the conflict began.
Round 2Campaigns and surrender
Where did Lee surrender the Army of Northern Virginia to Grant on April 9, 1865?
B.Appomattox Court House
Lee surrendered one major army at Appomattox; other Confederate forces surrendered afterward.
Which battle stopped Lee’s 1863 invasion of Pennsylvania?
A.Gettysburg
Gettysburg was fought in Pennsylvania; Vicksburg was a separate major Union victory in Mississippi.
Which Union general led the March to the Sea through Georgia?
D.William T. Sherman
Sherman’s campaign crossed Georgia toward Savannah, rather than following Grant’s Virginia campaign.
In which state did the Battle of Gettysburg take place?
A.Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is in Pennsylvania, close to the Maryland border, not in Virginia.
First Bull Run is also known by what Confederate name?
A.First Manassas
Bull Run and Manassas are alternative names for the same battle, not different possible answers.
The Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, took place in which state?
C.Maryland
Antietam was fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland, during Lee’s 1862 invasion of the North.
The Siege of Vicksburg gave the Union control of which river?
D.Mississippi River
Vicksburg’s surrender helped secure Union control of the Mississippi and divided the Confederacy geographically.
Which Union general commanded at Gettysburg?
D.George Meade
Meade took command shortly before Gettysburg; Hooker had commanded the army earlier in 1863.
USS Monitor and CSS Virginia fought at Hampton Roads as what type of warship?
B.Ironclads
CSS Virginia was built using the former USS Merrimack’s hull; the battle demonstrated ironclad warfare.
Round 3Emancipation and remembrance
In what year did the final Emancipation Proclamation take effect on January 1?
D.1863
The preliminary proclamation was issued in September 1862; the final proclamation took effect in January 1863.
Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery?
C.13th Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery nationally, except as punishment for crime after conviction.
Who delivered the Gettysburg Address in November 1863?
A.Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln spoke at the cemetery dedication; Edward Everett delivered a much longer address at the same event.
The Emancipation Proclamation applied principally to enslaved people in which areas?
A.Areas in rebellion against the United States
The proclamation did not abolish slavery everywhere immediately; national abolition required the Thirteenth Amendment.
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