Confederate Officers at Gettysburg Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which Confederate officer served as Gen. Robert E. Lee's Chief of Staff during the Battle of Gettysburg?

Answer: Col. Robert Chilton

Col. Robert Chilton served as Lee's Chief of Staff during much of the Civil War, including the Battle of Gettysburg. He also served as Inspector General at Gettysburg. Taylor, Marshall, and Venable all served as aides to Lee during the battle.

2. Which Confederate officer commanded a brigade from Louisiana that was known by the nickname "Louisiana Tigers"?

Answer: Gen. Henry Hays

Gen. Henry Hays led the brigade known as the "Louisiana Tigers" at the Battle of Gettysburg. This brigade inflicted heavy damage on Union troops defending Cemetary Hill on the evening of July 2, 1863. They were forced to withdraw due to darkness and lack of support.

3. Which Confederate officer resigned from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point due to poor grades compounded by the fact the he also struck a fellow cadet that he would later serve with in the Army of Northern Virginia?

Answer: Gen. Lewis Armistead

Gen. Lewis Armistead left West Point shortly after striking fellow cadet Jubal Early over the head with a plate. Armistead was also failing academically, making his decision to resign from the academy an easy choice. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Armistead served as a brigade commander in the 1st corps while Early served as a division commander in the 2nd corps.

4. Often sick during the Civil War, Confederate 3rd corps commander Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill was ill during the Battle of Gettysburg and saw only slight action. What illness is it commonly believed that Hill suffered from at Gettysburg?

Answer: venereal disease

Killed in action in April 1865, no one knows for sure what constantly ailed Gen. Hill. Autopsies were not a common practice during the Civil War era especially in battle. There is no definitive way of knowing, but doctors had often leant toward believing that due to his sexual indiscretions as a young man, Hill suffered from the effects of venereal disease.

While this will never been confirmed or debunked, Hill had all the symtoms of recurring illness brought on by the disease.

5. Gen. Richard Kemper was captured twice by Union troops at Gettysburg on 2 separate days.

Answer: True

Leading his brigade in the Confederate assault on July 3, 1863 known commonly as "Pickett's Charge", Kemper was wounded and captured by Union troops. He was rescued by his own men and taken back to the Confederate line on Seminary Ridge. Too badly wounded to travel with the Army of Northern Virginia, Kemper was left behind and again captured after the Confederate retreat on July 4, 1863.

6. Which officer served as Chief of Artillery for the Army of Northern Virginia during the battle of Gettysburg?

Answer: Gen. William Pendleton

Although Col. Edward Porter Alexander commanded the artillery assault on the center of the Union line of defense preceding "Pickett's Charge" on July 3, 1863, Gen. William Pendleton was the Chief of Artillery during the Battle of Gettysburg.

7. Which Confederate commander was the first to encounter Union troops in Gettysburg?

Answer: Gen. James J. Pettigrew

While on a march to Gettysburg to gather supplies on June 30, 1863, the Confederate troops under the command Gen. James J. Pettigrew of Gen. Henry "Harry" Heth's division, saw the approach of Union cavalry commanded by Gen. John Buford and withdrew back to their camp in Cashtown, Pennsylvania. The following morning, Heth entered Gettysburg and the battle began.

8. Which Confederate officer rode into battle on at Gettysburg and was never seen again, dead or alive?

Answer: Gen. Richard Garnett

On July 3, 1863, Gen. Richard Garnett rode into battle leading his brigade in "Pickett's Charge". Later in the attack, his horse returned to the Confederate line of defense on Seminary Ridge and years after the Civil War, his sword was found in a pawn shop in Baltimore, Maryland.

However, Garnett was never seen alive again or found among the Confederate dead and wounded soldiers. It is widely believed that Garnett was shot at point blank range by a Union cannon contaianing canister shot and the top half of his body was blown to bits.

9. During the Confederate assaualt on July 3, 1863 known as "Pickett's Charge", gen Lewis Armistead is known to have hollered to his men, Come on boys! Give them __________"

Answer: the cold steel

Armistead gave this order for his men to follow him to the stone wall while waving his hat on his sword. His men reached the wall but were soon forced back and Armistead was mortally wounded in the attack.

10. Which Confederate officer's life was spared by a newspaper during the battle of Gettysburg?

Answer: Gen. Henry "Harry" Heth

On July 1, 1863, Gen. Henry "Harry" Heth rode into battle wearing a new hat tha was a bit too large for him. To make it fit better, Heth stuffed a newspaper inside the brim to make it more snug. During the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union bullet struck Heth in the head.

He suffered severe concussion, but due to the thickness of the newspaper, the bullet glanced off and did not penetrate his head.

11. Which Confederate officer led his troops, penetrating the Union line of defense on Cemetary Ridge farther than any other commander during the Battle of Gettysburg?

Answer: Gen. Ambrose Wright

On July 2, 1863, Gen. Ambrose Wright led his brigade all the way to the crest of Cemetary Ridge to a point where he could see down the eastern slope of the ridge. Without support, Wright was forced to withdraw to avoid being captured. The point that Wright reched is significantly farther than any Confederate commander reached during "Pickett's Charge" on July 3, 1863.

12. Which Confederate commander was attacking Cemetary Hill on the evening of July 2, 1863, when he was shot from his horse, falling partially paralyzed onto the ground unoticed by his troops?

Answer: Col. Isaac Avery

Col. Isaac Avery was commanding his brigade in an assault on Cemetary Hill when he was struck in the neck by a Union bullet. His men did not notice him fall from his horse and he lay on the ground, paralyzed on his right side from his wound. He was later found by his men but was unable to talk.

He wrote a note left-handed and barely legible to his aide to send to his father. The note read, "Tell my father that I died with my face to the enemy". Avery died later that evening.

13. Gen. Isaac Trimble, who commanded a division during "Pickett's Charge", resigned his command under Gen. Richard Ewell due to a falling out with his Ewell.

Answer: False

When the Battle of Gettysburg began, Gen. Trimble had no command and was serving as an aide to Gen. Ewell. The two men did have an argument about attacking Culp's Hill on July 1, 1863. Trimble was chosen by Gen. Lee to lead the division of wounded general William Dorsey Pender during "Pickett's Charge". During the attack, Trimble was wounded and later captured.

14. Gen. James Longstreet never gave a verbal command to commence the Confederate attack on July 3, 1863 known as "Pickett's Charge".

Answer: True

When asked by Gen. George Pickett if he should commence the attack, Longstreet, who was opposed to the attack, only nodded. No vebal order by Longstreet was ever given.

15. Which Confederate commander was shot in the left leg on July 1, 1863 and still continued to command throughout the Battle of Gettysburg without being treated?

Answer: Gen. Richard Ewell

On July 1, 1863, 2nd corps commander, Gen. Richard Ewell was shot in the left leg and continued on through the battle untreated. This was due to the fact that earlier in the Civil War, Ewell was wounded near the same spot on his left leg and it had been amputated. What the bullet struck was his artificial leg. Therefore, he was not injured and did not require medical treatment.

16. Gen. Robert E. Lee was known to prefer to ride his famous horse, "Traveller". However, Lee travelled with two horses. What was the name of his other horse?

Answer: Lucy Long

"Lucy Long" served mainly as a back-up horse for Lee in the event that something should happen to "Traveller" during battle.

17. Not arriving in Gettysburg until the early afternoon on July 2, 1863, Confederate cavalry commander Gen. "Jeb" Stuart did not command troops in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Answer: False

Gen. Stuart commanded his troops against Union cavalry east of Gettysburg in the rear of the Union Army on the afternoon of July 3, 1863. His attacks were thwarted by the Union cavalry.

18. Which Confederate officer holds the distinction of being the first infantry officer with the rank of general to be captured by Union troops since Gen. Robert E. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia in 1862?

Answer: Gen. James J. Archer

On July 1, 1863, Gen James J. Archer was captured near Willoughby Run by Union soldiers under the command of Gen. Abner Doubleday. With this, Archer became the first infantry general to be captured under Lee's tenure as the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.

19. Gen. Robert E. Lee commonly referred to which Confederate officer by his first name or his nick-name?

Answer: Gen. Henry "Harry" Heth

A distant relative of Gen. Lee, the latter often called Gen. Heth "Henry" or "Harry".

20. According to Confederate statistics, which Confederate corps commander had the most soldiers under his command during the Battle of Gettysburg?

Answer: Gen. Ambrose P. Hill (3rd corps)

Commanding approximatley 27,800 troops, Gen. Ambrose P. Hill's 3rd corp was the largest. Gen Richard Ewell's 2nd corp contained approximatley 21,300 while Gen. James Longstreet commanded 21,000 troops. Gen "Jeb" Stewart only commanded a division of cavalry at Gettysburg and is estimated to be between 7,000 to 8,000 soldiers. (2 of Stuart's brigades were not present at Gettysburg).

Source: Author Snorf1124

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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