The Civil War in Missouri: 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: William Harney

Harney initially commanded Union forces in Missouri from St. Louis, but was soon replaced by Nathaniel Lyon. Ulysses S. Grant led a small number of troops in Missouri operations in 1861, but never had overall command. William S. Rosecrans commanded Union forces in Missouri through most of 1864.

Answer: Missouri never seceded.

Missouri never seceded, although the governor elected in 1860, Claiborne Fox Jackson, proved to be a secessionist. Missouri was one of the few slave states that did not secede. (The others were Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware.) Missourians became tired of raids from Kansas Jayhawkers, but those came after the war started, not before. And, had Missouri seceded, the state would have been of immense strategic importance, threatening Kansas, Iowa and Illinois.

Answer: He dressed as a woman

On May 9, Lyon dressed as an old woman. Sentries assumed "she" was the mother-in-law of prominant local Frank Blair, out for a daily ride. Lyon was armed with two pistols under his disguise, but never needed them. The next day, based on what he saw, Lyon ordered the arrest of the Guardsmen at Camp Jackson.

Answer: The Grand Steeple Chase

Newspapers, which sometimes depicted Lyon as a lion, dubbed the chase the Grand Steeple Chase. The Great Locomotive Chase refers to an 1862 incident in Georgia.

Answer: Sterling Price and Ben McCulloch

Sterling Price, a former Missouri governor, commanded the Missouri State Guard, which was later incorporated into the Confederate Army. Ben McCulloch commanded Confederate troops from Arkansas. Jackson was Missouri's duly elected governor, deposed forcibly by Lyon. Basil W. Duke was a Confederate cavalry commander who fought in Missouri and elsewhere.

Answer: John M. Schofield

All four men were future Commanding Generals, in the following order: Grant (March 1864 - March 1869), Sherman (March 1869 - Nov. 1883), Sheridan (Nov. 1883 - Aug. 1888) and Schofield (Aug. 1888 - Sep. 1895). Only Schofield, however, fought at Wilson's Creek.

He served as Lyon's chief of staff. The bookish general's finest hour arguably came at the battle of Franklin (Tenn.) on Nov. 30, 1864, when his staunch defense at Franklin wrecked Hood's Army of Tennessee.

Answer: Confederate forces found it and returned the body to Union forces in nearby Springfield

After Lyon was killed on Bloody Hill, his body was mistakenly left behind. Confederates found the body and temporarily laid it in a bed in farmer Ray's house before returning it to Union forces. But when Samuel Sturgis, Lyon's successor, left Springfield for Rolla, the body was left behind again. Sturgis sent men to collect the body. Lyon was eventually laid to rest in Connecticut. Armies left in control of a battlefield would often do mass burials, but dead commanding generals were usually returned to their own side for proper burial.

Answer: The rebel forces split in two, with Price heading north and McCulloch staying put

Price and McCulloch disagreed about what to do next, and in the end, they parted ways. McCulloch hovered around southwest Missouri until he was driven out near the year's end. McCulloch would be killed while leading Confederate forces at the decisive battle of Pea Ridge, Ark., the following March. Meanwhile, Sterling Price led his forces back toward Jefferson City, eventually attacking and defeating a small Union force at Lexington. Price was unable to hold north-central Missouri, and eventually withdrew to join Confederate forces in Arkansas. Pilot Knob was a small engagement during Price's 1864 campaign in Missouri. Confederate forces never made a serious attempt to take St. Louis.

Answer: Secessionist forces advanced behind rolled hemp bales

Missouri was one of the country's major producers of hemp, used to make rope. Rebels ingeniously soaked large hemp bales in the Missouri River the night before the battle, which made the bales largely invulnerable to Union fire. The Rebels advanced while rolling the bales before them. Thus, the First Battle of Lexington was also known as the Battle of the Hemp Bales. The Gatling gun, while available during the Civil War, was never used. The other two choices were totally made up.

Answer: They made them listen to a speech

Deposed Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson, whom the Confederacy would soon install as Missouri's (powerless) Confederate governor, lectured the Union troops for entering Missouri without permission and attacking its citizens. Sterling Price paroled the Union soldiers on the promise that they would not fight again for a while, a common practice in the first two years of the war. Col. Mulligan refused parole, but Price was so impressed with Mulligan's conduct during and after the battle that he let him go. Mulligan was killed in Virginia in 1864.