I Wish I Were in Dixie Trivia Game | Confederate Army

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. I Wish I Was in Western Virginia, General Lee's first campaign in Confederate uniform. Well, this one was certainly not his best. Lee had to cope with mountain, rain, numerous Union troops, disaffected volunteers and incompetent subordinates. The principal engagement was Cheat Mountain, where Lee was, under the orders of CSA President Jefferson Davis, supervising the Army of the Northwest. This frustrated the original commander of the force. Who was he?

Answer: William W. Loring

Lee's aim was to oust the Union troops from their stronghold at Cheat Mountain. He devised a complex, yet practicable plan. But Loring and his brigadiers moved independently and their efforts were not coordinated. Moreover, the mountainous terrain and the aggressiveness of the Union troops were other problems for the Confederates to cope with. Lee was forced to cancel the attack and return to the Kanawha Valley, where he faced the same problem of incompetent commanders, this time John B. Floyd and Henry A. Wise. Unable to conduct an offensive campaign, Lee returned to Richmond in late November, 1861 with his beard having a gray color, not the dark brown of his hair.

2. I Wish I Was in the Seven Days, the climax of the Peninsula Campaign and where General Lee first commanded the Army of Northern Virginia. Since Lee's aim was to drive the Union Army of the Potomac away from the Confederate capital of Richmond, he needed conduct an offensive campaign. Given that, and Lee's aggressive style in command, it's easy to assume that the Seven Days were, from start to finish, a Confederate offensive. While this applies to the bulk of the battles of that campaign, in one of them Lee's soldiers were on the defensive. What is the battle's name?

Answer: Oak Grove

The Battle of Oak Grove was fought on June 25, 1862. Union general George McClellan was pressured by Washington to make an offensive demonstration at Richmond's defenses. McClellan sent two divisions from his Third Corps. They met stiff Confederate resistance and a small scale Confederate counterattack threw them into confusion.

The battle lasted until dusk, with the Union troops having gained nothing significant and having suffered more than 600 casualties. McClellan's attack achieved nothing apart from a stalemate and Lee was ready to launch his assault.

3. I Wish I Was at Second Manassas (Bull Run), the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign. There, General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia utterly defeated John Pope and his newly given command. Pope, apart from being an inept and careless commander was the adversary Lee disliked most. How did Lee style Pope?

Answer: The miscreant

Lee styled Pope a miscreant and stated he ought to be suppressed because of the way he treated Virginian civilians, such as driving them away from their homes and treating them as prisoners of war. Therefore, as Lee said, he ought to be suppressed. Lee accomplished the suppression of Pope at the Northern Virginia Campaign. Because of Pope's withdrawal from his initial position at the Rapidan River to the Rappahannock River, Lee decided to send Stonewall Jackson on a raid in Pope's rear. Jackson, fighting and winning battles against segments of Pope's army and capturing depots and trains attracted Pope, who concentrated his efforts on finding and capturing him and his men. Meanwhile, Lee and his other wing commander, James Longstreet, occupied Thoroughfare Gap, a key passage that would allow the two halves of the Army of Northern Virginia unite at the plains of Manassas and achieve Pope's suppression. On August 29, 1862 Pope spotted Stonewall Jackson and his men fortified at Stony Ridge.

His attacks failed to dislodge them from their position. Meanwhile, Lee and Longstreet took up position at Jackson's right, but Longstreet carried out only a reconnaissance in force and not a full-scale assault. The next day, Pope renewed his attacks against Jackson, but on no avail. After noon, Lee and Longstreet launched the counterattack, crushing the Union flank and forced Pope into retreat.

4. I Wish I Was at Sharpsburg (Antietam), where General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia fiercely resisted repeated attacks by the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by George McClellan. It was there that the phrase "And then A.P. Hill came up" was first used, because Hill arrived in the nick of time to prevent the collapse of the Confederate lines, in fact saving them from the Union onslaught. Where was Hill before setting out to reach Lee at Sharpsburg?

Answer: Harpers Ferry

The Maryland Campaign was designed by Lee as an excursion in Northern soil, which endeavored to harass the Union army, if not destroy it. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River on September 3, 1862. It was thought that a victory in Northern soil would gain the Confederacy recognition from the United Kingdom and France. Unfortunately for Lee, two Union soldiers discovered a copy of his battle plan, known as Special Order 191 between three cigars. McClellan promptly moved to exploit the fact that Lee had sent Stonewall Jackson to deal with the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, fighting a battle with Lee at South Mountain. Lee delayed McClellan enough for Jackson to force the Union garrison to surrender. On the night of September 14-15, 1862, Lee relocated his troops at Sharpsburg and Jackson joined him shortly afterwards, leaving A.P. Hill at Harpers Ferry to parole the prisoners.

The Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam) began on September 17. McClellan's first attack, the one against Jackson, was led by two Corps, Hooker's and Mansfield's.

The Union advances were finally thrown back, with more than 13,000 casualties for both sides. McClellan's offensive in the center, where the Bloody Lane is today located, achieved nothing more than a stalemate. Finally, at the southern end of Lee's line, Union General Ambrose Burnside conducted several offensives against the Confederate defenders, which came close to breaking the line, but Hill's arrival and counteroffensive made the Union lines crumble, forcing Burnside to retreat. Lee continued to hold Sharpsburg for the next day and subsequently retired into Virginia. McClellan made no serious effort to mount an offensive, resulting in his being relieved of his command almost two months after the Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam).

5. I Wish I Was in Fredericksburg, where General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia inflicted another severe defeat on the Army of the Potomac, this time commanded by Ambrose Burnside. The Fredericksburg Campaign was one of the most lopsided in the whole course of the war. Which of the following facts about the battle is NOT true?

Answer: The sharpshooters that contested Burnside's crossing of the Rappahannock on Dec. 11 were mainly from Tennessee

Burnside's plan was to cross the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg and march quickly against Richmond, before General Lee could effectively resist him. Yet, Lee guessed his opponent's purpose and occupied Fredericksburg, fortifying his soldiers in nearby positions. On December 11, 1862 Burnside received the pontoon bridges he wanted but had delayed due to bureaucratic issues. Sharpshooters from General Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade frustrated every attempt of Burnside's engineers to lay the bridges. Union artillery was brought and destroyed approximately one third of the city, but didn't dislodge the sharpshooters. Finally, two Union regiments managed to cross the river and combat occurred in the streets of the city. Only when night fell did Barksbale's troops retreat from Fredericksburg. On December 12, Burnside's soldiers crossed the river and looted the city. Burnside's plan was to attack the Confederates in their positions and drive them back. On December 13, 1862 the main battle commenced. Union attacks were carried out on both parts of the Confederate line, the hills south of the city and the ridge which comprises Marye's Heights. All of them failed with a heavy cost to the attackers. On the next day, Burnside was still considering a renewal of the attack, but Hooker's and other subordinates' protests convinced him not to attempt it. On December 15, the Army of the Potomac retreated across the Rappahannock, marking another victory for the Army of Northern Virginia.

6. I Wish I Was at Chancellorsville, the battle widely known as General Lee's "perfect battle". There, the Army of the Potomac under Joseph Hooker suffered a stunning defeat. Yet the biggest part of the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, including its commander, James Longstreet, was not present, since it was detached in another part of Virginia. Only two divisions were present at Chancellorsville. Who were the commanders of those divisions?

Answer: Lafayette McLaws and Richard H. Anderson

Hooker's plan was to execute a double envelopment of the Army of Northern Virginia, using both cavalry and infantry. He thought that after he had enveloped Lee's army the Confederate commander would either retreat to Richmond or attack Hooker. Initially, Hooker's plan seemed to pay off, since he managed to land a considerable part of his force in Lee's flank without opposition. But, Confederate cavalry under General J.E.B. Stuart executed a reconnaissance which allowed Lee to guess his opponent's purpose. Leaving a small portion of his army at Fredericksburg, he relocated his base to Chancellorsville. On May 1, 1863 Lee's Stonewall Jackson and Richard Anderson clashed with Hooker's column with inconclusive results.

The Federal commander decided to pull back and abandon his brief offensive, ceding the initiative to Lee.

A cavalry reconnaissance showed the Confederate commander that the Union right flank was vulnerable to attack. General Lee ordered Stonewall Jackson to execute a flank attack, allowing him to use his whole command. Meanwhile, Lee and Stuart would keep Hooker from spotting the march. Jackson's men didn't meet serious obstacles on their way. Around 5:30 p.m. Jackson's soldiers emerged from the woods known as "The Wilderness of Spotsylvania" shouting the Rebel Yell.

The Union Eleventh Corps, led by O.O. Howard was simply annihilated, losing a quarter of its strength, including 12 of the 23 regimental commanders. Unfortunately for the Confederacy, Stonewall Jackson was wounded that night in perhaps the most famous friendly fire incident in American history. He had his left arm amputated and eight days later he succumbed to pneumonia. On the next day, Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia completed the victory against Hooker, dispossessing him of Chancellorsville. While Lee and his men were celebrating their victory, a message arrived informing him that the force Hooker had left at Fredericksburg, led by Union General John Sedgwick, had penetrated the Confederate line. He moved there promptly and drove the Union troops back across the Rappahannock. After Sedgwick's retreat became known to him, Hooker ordered his army to pull back and the name Chancellorsville was stitched with pride to the banners of the Army of Northern Virginia.

7. I Wish I Was at Gettysburg, perhaps the most famous battle of the entire war. Although Gettysburg cannot be described as a Confederate victory, the Army of Northern Virginia emerged as the winner on the first day and gained ground on the second. Which of the following statements about Gettysburg is NOT true?

Answer: A newspaper in his hat saved Confederate General James Pettigrew from being killed in the first day of the battle

It was Confederate General Henry Heth, not James Pettigrew who was saved by the newspaper in his hat. Heth was Pettigrew's division commander and it was his division that began the Battle of Gettysburg. Heth had sent Pettigrew to venture towards Gettysburg in search of shoes and other supplies, thus creating the myth that the Battle of Gettysburg was fought over some pairs of shoes.

After the battle began heated discussions about the decisiveness of the battle, the exact number of casualties and where the blame shall rest for the outcome of Gettysburg that still continue in the early 21st century.

8. I Wish I Was in the Overland Campaign, where General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia were pitted against a new adversary, Ulysses S. Grant. The obstacles Lee had to face were Union numerical superiority, relentless activity by his opponent and, in one part of the campaign, illness. With what illness was General Lee plagued with during a phase of the Overland Campaign?

Answer: Diarrhea

General Lee was plagued by diarrhea when the Battle of the North Anna commenced, more specifically on May 24, 1864. His illness prevented him from exercising command during that battle, thus not allowing him to effect a major victory against an isolated portion of Grant's army.

In effect, Grant slipped from Lee's trap, feeling his success against the Army of Northern Virginia was assured. This, in turn, produced another effect: Grant, feeling confident of success, ordered an attack against Confederate entrenchments at Cold Harbor without proper reconnaissance and his forces were butchered.

In his memoirs, he admitted suffering heavy casualties with no corresponding gain.

9. I Wish I Was in Petersburg, the last citadel. General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia are defending the cities of Petersburg and Richmond against the Union Army of the Potomac, led by Ulysses S. Grant. While most battles of this campaign occurred in 1864, there were some fought in the first three months of 1865. Which of the following battles in the Petersburg Campaign was fought in 1865?

Answer: Hatcher's Run

The Battle of Hatcher's Run was fought on February 5-7, 1865. Grant's plan was to occupy the Boydton Plank Road, where the earlier Battle of Boydton Plank Road was fought on October 27-28, 1864, and cut General Lee's communications with Richmond. On February 5, Union advances made some initial progress, but didn't reach the road. On February 6, a Confederate division under General John Pegram counterattacked and helped stop the Union advance, but Pegram was killed.

Another attack, by Pegram's division, reinforced by fellow General William Mahone's one broke the Union lines, forcing their enemy in retreat.

The Union troops stopped their advance on the next day, having extended their siegeworks, but without capturing the Boydton Plank Road.

10. I Wish I Was in Dixie to try the Robert E. Lee cake. Apart from being a celebrated and admired military commander, General Lee has not inspired only soldiers and generals, but other groups of people like chefs. What are the two main ingredients of the Robert E. Lee cake?

Answer: Lemons and oranges

The cake probably existed (under another name) before Lee became an acclaimed icon of the South. It is said that in periods where no battles occurred or in lulls, Lee went on to pick lemons from nearby trees. The reason he collected them was the fact that his wife used them to treat her arthritis. On one such occasion, during the Siege of Petersburg, he sent her a note alongside three lemons he had picked in which he apologized for being unable to gather more. Several recipes for the cake have been written, but the basic ingredients are always lemons and oranges.

The Robert E. Lee cake is regarded as a classic product of Southern cuisine.

Source: Author DeepHistory

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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I Wish I Were in Dixie Trivia Quiz

The song "I Wish I Was in Dixie" is said to epitomize and embody the American South. One of the noblest sons of this land was Robert E. Lee. This quiz is about him, dealing almost exclusively with his military service for the CSA. Enjoy!

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