Civil War Quiz

These are all considered to be causes of the Civil War. The Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision denied citizenship for African-Americans. The Raid on Harpers Ferry was an attempt by John Brown to initiate an armed slave revolt by taking over a United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The issue of slavery was at the root of all these causes. The agrarian South utilized slaves to tend its large plantations while the industrial North favored the abolition of slavery and did not rely upon slave labor at all.

Additional causes of the Civil War include the underground railroad, states' rights, the abolitionist movement, and Southern secession.

Davis had been a US Congressman, Senator, and Secretary of War. He argued against secession in 1858, but was later elected president of the Confederacy. Davis was inaugurated on February 18, 1861. He was captured after the war and was imprisoned for two years, but was never tried for treason.

Winfield Scott commanded troops in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, the Mexican-American War, and the Second Seminole War. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and is widely regarded as the best American Commander of his time. By the time of the Civil War, Scott was in poor health, and he resigned on November 1, 1861. He was succeeded by George B. McClellan.

General Scott proposed the Anaconda Plan, which emphasized a blockade of Southern ports and called for an advance down the Mississippi River to cut the South in two. Critics, including President Lincoln, thought the plan was too passive, and argued for a more vigorous approach to the war.

The Civil War began in 1861 when Confederate forces attacked Ft. Sumter, which guarded the harbor in Charleston, South Carolina. The battle only lasted a day and neither side suffered many casualties, but it would be the first military engagement between the United States and the newly-formed Confederate States of America.

The Mexican-American War provided many of the Civil War generals with strategic and tactical experience in active combat.

Union military leaders who served as junior officers in the Mexican-American War include: Ulysses S. Grant, George B. McClellan, William T. Sherman, and Ambrose Burnside.

Confederate military leaders who served as junior officers in the Mexican-American War include: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, Joseph E. Johnston, Braxton Bragg, and Jefferson Davis.

Military service was a very honorable profession in the South, and many career officers hailed from the Confederacy. At the start of the Civil War many of these officers resigned and joined the Confederacy, which gave the South an advantage over the North. However, the Union army eventually developed a large number of talented officers.

Neither the North or South had a strong navy at the start of the Civil War. However, because of its wealth and industrial capacity, the Union quickly built a large and powerful navy. This allowed the Union to blockade the Confederacy and strangle the Southern economy.

The North had about 70 percent of the nation’s railroad capacity while the South only had 30 percent. The Union could thus maneuver troops more quickly and resupply them faster than the South could.

The population of the Northern states outnumbered that of the Southern states by a margin of 21 million to 9 million. The 9 million people in the South included 3.5 million slaves. The large Northern population made it much easier for the Union to replace casualties, while the South was hard pressed to do so.

The North had about 90 percent of the nation’s industrial capacity, and thus produced weapons, tents, uniforms, and other equipment in large amounts. On the other hand, the South struggled to arm and equip its armies.

Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War were called Copperheads because Republicans saw them as a poisonous internal threat. Northern Democrats who supported the war were called War Democrats.

Equal numbers of inexperienced Union and Confederate troops met for the first time at Bull Run in 1861. It was a Confederate victory, followed by a disorganized retreat of the Union forces.

For the most part, neither side fully appreciated the prolonged bloodshed and carnage that the Civil War would bring. While there were some strategists and military experts who predicted long war, most people were enthusiastic to participate in and, in some cases, spectate the battles.

Another Confederate officer said Jackson stood like a “stone wall” while facing a Union attack. It’s unclear if the phrase was meant as a compliment or an insult.

Grant was taken by surprise at Shiloh but forced the Confederates to retreat on the second day of fighting. Critics wanted Grant to be demoted but Lincoln intervened.

Johnston was wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines in 1862, and Lee replaced him.

New Orleans fell in May of 1862 and the Union occupied it for the rest of the war. This capture would hurt both the Confederate economy as well as their military supply lines. Mobile and Savannah would eventually fall to the Union in 1864 and Charleston would be occupied in 1865.

Butler became known as “Beast Butler” because of he authorized his soldiers to retaliate against any Southern women who insulted or attacked them.

McClellan led an attack on Richmond 1862 but moved cautiously because he thought the Confederates outnumbered him. Lincoln fired McClellan in 1862 after he failed to pursue Lee after the Battle of Antietam.

Perryville was the largest Civil War battle fought in Kentucky. 22,000 Union troops defeated 16,000 Confederates. Some historians consider it to be the turning point in the Western theater because Confederate forces would never again threaten Kentucky.

The Union recaptured the Mississippi River in 1863 with victories at Vicksburg and Port Hudson. This effectively cut the Confederacy in two, making it much more difficult for the South to communicate and move troops to different theaters.

While Stuart and Forrest were also cavalry commanders, Morgan was the only one who launched a raid into Union territory. He temporarily terrorized northern residents but most of his veteran cavalry force was captured.

Jackson was shot by Confederate sentries after the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. He was struck by three bullets and his left arm was amputated. He contracted pneumonia and died eight days later. Jackson is considered to be one of the most gifted tactical commanders in U.S. history and his death was a major setback for the Confederacy.

Radical Republicans wanted to give African Americans equal political and economic rights. Without these rights, Radical Republicans felt that former slaves would not really be free. Lincoln was the leader of the Moderate Republicans, who were less supportive of equal rights.

Although Antietam was a bloody stalemate, the Confederates withdrew. Lincoln was able to portray the battle as a victory which gave him the political capital he needed to announce the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Emancipation Proclamation only proclaimed the freedom of slaves in ten states, excluding areas not in rebellion. It applied to more than 3 million of the 4 million slaves in North America. Slavery was not abolished throughout the entire country until the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865. Slaves would not get the right to vote until the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870.

Lee made this comment to James Longstreet, as he watched a Union charge get repelled during the Battle of Fredericksburg. This was one of the most one-sided battles of the war, with the Union suffering three times as many casualties as the Confederates.

Union forces dug tunnels under the Confederate lines at Petersburg and detonated more than 8,000 pounds of explosives. The explosion created a huge crater and Union troops rushed into it when they attacked. Confederate troops fired down into the crater causing horrific losses amongst the Union troops who were unable to escape.

Grant launched a number of attacks against heavily entrenched Confederate forces during the Battle of Cold Harbor. The Union suffered more than 12,000 casualties while the Confederates suffered 5,000. (Casualties are soldiers lost to service through death, wounds, sickness, capture, or through being missing in action.)

Sherman’s “march to the sea” was a ruthless and ambitious plan to decimate the Confederacy. While the main goal was to capture Savannah, Georgia, Sherman and his men laid waste to Southern agriculture, infrastructure, and supplies along the way. Rather than settling for a more traditional attack that focused exclusively on military targets, Sherman’s total war strategy aimed to cripple the Confederacy in any and all imaginable ways.

As Sherman’s troops marched through Georgia, they destroyed anything that could be used to support the Confederate war effort, including railroads. Union troops heated the rails and bent them into loops resembling neckties, often around trees.

The Union force at Fort Pillow included 600 men, divided evenly between black and white troops. Confederate forces overran the garrison and shot numerous Union soldiers, including many black soldiers, while they were trying to surrender.

Gettysburg is often cited as the turning point of the Civil War because the Confederate armies never again threatened Northern territory. Although the Civil War continued for two more years, the Confederate army began to fall apart as the southern economy collapsed.

The disastrous infantry assault is known as Pickett's Charge, but it was ordered by General Lee. The commander of the assault was General James Longstreet, and the three Confederate generals who led the charge under his command were Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble. The charging troops were were defeated decisively, suffering heavy casualties.

Fort Wagner was located near Charleston, South Carolina. Although the attack failed, the soldiers in the 54th were widely acclaimed for their courage during the battle, and the event helped encourage the further enlistment and mobilization of African-American troops.

Grant had served in the Army during the Mexican-American War and returned to active duty in 1861. He achieved several important victories in the Western Theater and became the Army’s top general in 1864.

The Gettysburg Address was brief — only two minutes, but became one of the most famous speeches in American history. Lincoln gave the speech at a ceremony to dedicate of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Johnson had served five terms in Congress and was the governor of Tennessee. He was elected to the US Senate and became Lincoln’s vice president in 1865, even though he was a Democrat. He clashed with Radical Republicans over Reconstruction policies and he was impeached by the House of Representatives, and narrowly avoided conviction in the Senate.

Appomattox was the last major campaign of the war, fought in 1865. It concluded with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to the Union Army under the command of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. The war ended in the following weeks as other Confederate armies surrendered, and their government leaders were captured or fled the country.

The industrial and economic capacity of the Union soared during the war, with increased production in nearly every sector of their economy. Farming became more mechanized as farmers left home to enlist in the army. The transportation sector boomed, and by the end of the war the Union had the world's largest railroad system.

The South, with its heavy reliance upon agriculture, was hit hard by the destruction of their farms and infrastructure. The Union also blocked crucial Southern ports which crippled trade and led to supply shortages.

Most of the fighting occurred in the Southern states, although Confederate forces occasionally attacked Northern territory. This meant that Confederate troops were more familiar with the territory and could it use it to their advantage. They also fought harder in order to protect their homes and families.

About 620,000 soldiers died during the Civil war, but two-thirds died from disease as opposed to combat.

Lee surrendered in April 1865, Kirby gave up in May, Watie in June, but the CSS Shenandoah was a commerce raider and the crew did not learn the war was over until August.