Who's Who: US Presidents Who Were Soldiers Quiz

Answer: George Washington

George Washington is well-known for being the first president of the United States, and is commonly called the "Father of Our Country", but he began serving during the French and Indian War when the U.S. will still a British colony. Inspired by his brother's service, Washington joined the Virginia militia.

When he was just 23 years old, he was made a Colonel and named Commander in Chief of the Virginia militia, charged with guarding 300 miles of Virginia's frontier border with just 300 men. His reputation from the French and Indian War served him well; when the Continental Army was created after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, he was unanimously voted to serve as Commander in Chief.

At the conclusion of the war Washington resigned his post and planned to retire.

After being elected president, he also became the Commander in Chief of the Army of the United States, as did all of the presidents featured in this quiz.

Answer: Andrew Jackson

The seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson's military service began as a courier with the Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War. When he was just 14 years old, he and his brother were captured by British forces and contracted smallpox while imprisoned. Andrew was nursed back to health, but his brother died.

It was during the War of 1812 that Jackson was made a Major General, winning the respect of his men with his tenacity under hardship. Before making it to New Orleans in 1814, his company of men fought in the Creek War; by the end of the conflicts, the word was that Jackson was tough as "Old Hickory" and he was a national hero. Before becoming President, Andrew Jackson was also asked to use his army to put down a rebellion of Creek and Seminoles in Florida.

Answer: Ulysses S. Grant

The 18th president of the United States, U.S. Grant intended to make the military his career and entered West Point when he was 17 years old. There he gained a reputation for his horsemanship; when he graduated, however, he planned to resign his commission after four years and become a teacher.

He was stationed at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri, the largest military base in the west at the time, and was finally able to display his talent with horses during the Mexican War. He left the service in 1854 and entered private life, moving his family back to Missouri, where he unsuccessfully tried his hand at farming.

When the Civil War began, Grant entered the Illinois Militia, but after making a name for himself on the western front of fighting, was appointed General-in-Chief of the Union Army in 1864.

Answer: William Henry Harrison

After the death of his father, William Henry Harrison, the 9th president of the United States, entered the army and was stationed at Fort Washington in the Northwest Territory. He moved through the ranks quickly and learned about leading an army from his commander, Anthony Wayne.

At the conclusion of the war, Harrison resigned from the military, and was appointed Governor of Indiana Territory. U.S. expansion into what was then called the Northwest Territory brought a conflict with the Native Americans called Tecumseh's War. Harrison was given to lead a force that was to make peace; instead, when they were attacked at the Tippecanoe River, his men bravely fought and defeated Native Americans and Harrison was deemed a war hero. Who isn't familiar with his presidential slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too"? It was during the War of 1812 that he was promoted to the rank of general and led the army to victory at the Battle of the Thames, which is considered to be second in importance only to the Battle of New Orleans.

Answer: Dwight Eisenhower

The 34th president of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower didn't plan to pursue a military career. He and his brother both wanted to attend college, but short of funds, made a deal that they would each attend in alternate years, working the other to help with expenses.

He had the opportunity, however, to apply to West Point and took it! He entered the military academy when he was 21 years old, and was stationed in Texas after graduating. During WWI he had a variety of assignments, but, to his disappointment, did not see any combat.

After the war he was appointed to serve many successful generals, including John Pershing, and was appointed to the General Staff in Washington, D.C., when WWII began. After that he rose in the ranks very quickly, becoming Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force of the North African Theater of Operations in 1942 and Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in 1944, in charge of Operation Overlord, or the invasion of Normandy, on June 6.

Answer: John Kennedy

After John Kennedy graduated from Harvard in 1940 he spent some time in Europe with his father, who was the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. He decided that he wanted to join the U.S. Army, however, was rejected because he had a bad back. He worked out to try and strengthen his back and with some assistance from the director of the Office of Naval Intelligence, a man his father knew, joined the Naval Reserve in 1941.

After completing his training, Kennedy was assigned to be the leader of patrol torpedo boats, commonly called PT boats.

It was during the time that he was assigned to PT-109 that Kennedy became a hero, saving the crew of his boat after it was rammed and cut in half by a Japanese destroyer. In 1945 he was honorably discharged from the Navy having received many awards, including a Purple Heart Medal, American Defense Service Medal, and 3 bronze stars.

Answer: Theodore Roosevelt

The United States became involved in Cuba's struggle for independence after the sinking of the battleship Maine, which had been sent to Havana harbor to protect American citizens in Cuba. After war was declared in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt, with the help of Colonel Leonard Wood, formed the First US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. With his group, which was called the Rough Riders in the press, Roosevelt led a charge up Kettle Hill, which was nearby the famous San Juan Hill, and the Americans won the Battle of San Juan Hill. Roosevelt went on to become Governor of New York, Vice-President of the United States, and President.

He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001.

Answer: Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor joined the U.S. Army in 1808, and served for almost forty years. During the War of 1812, he gained recognition fighting on what was then the frontier of the United States against Tecumseh at Fort Harrison, as well as other Native American groups with their British allies.

Although he resigned his commission at the end of the war, he joined once again just a year later when he was offered a commission as a major. He led troops again during the Black Hawk Wars (1828) and the Second Seminole War (1837), but it was his leadership during the Mexican-American War (1846-48), which made Taylor a war hero.

He was in charge at both the Battle of Palo Alto and the Battle of Resaca de la Palma; in both, even though his men were outnumbered, his army was victorious and he was promoted to major general.

Answer: George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush was only 17 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, but after his graduation from Phillips Academy on his eighteenth birthday he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, becoming a naval aviator in the Naval Reserve. When he finished training he was commissioned as an ensign and became the youngest naval aviator at the time.

He first was assigned to be a photographic officer, however, by 1944 he was assigned to Air Group 51, which won the Battle of the Philippine Sea, one of the largest air battles of WWII.

After flying 58 combat missions in 1944, and becoming highly decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation, he was assigned to Norfolk Navy Base (Virginia), and then to Naval Air Station Grosse Ile (Michigan), where he was stationed when WWII came to a close.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

In April, 1832, the Illinois State Milita, a volunteer unit, voted Abraham Lincoln in as captain of the group. He was put in charge of a rifle regiment 4th Regiment of Mounted Volunteers. Interestingly, the group had to be provisioned as none of the members, including Lincoln, had any type of weapon. Twenty-three years old at the time, Lincoln never fought in battle, however, he was present in the aftermaths of the Battles of Stillman's Run and Kellogg's Grove, where he helped to bury the dead. Less than three months later, he was discharged from his position and rejoined as a private in Captain Jacob Early's spy company, which was mustered out in less than a month.