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U.S. Civil War Leaders I Trivia Quiz

Here's a challenging quiz about some of the more famous leaders who fought on both sides of the U.S. Civil War. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by mkp51. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
mkp51

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
97,263

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2640

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This Confederate general was derisively referred to as the "King of Spades" by the troops under his command: Hint

Robert E. Lee

Ambrose Powell

Leonidas K. Polk

John B. Gordon

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Question 2 of 10

2. This fire eating secessionist turned down an offer to fire the first shot of the Civil War at Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC: Hint

Roger B. Taney

Roger A. Pryor

Louis Wigfall

Edmund Ruffin

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Question 3 of 10

3. This Union general was relieved of his command by General Phil Sheridan at the Battle of Five Forks: Hint

Joshua Chamberlain

Dan Sickles

Gouverneur K. Warren

Franz Sigel

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Question 4 of 10

4. This Confederate general was affectionately called "My Old War Horse" by his boss, General Robert E. Lee: Hint

William J. Hardee

Judah P. Benjamin

Albert Sidney Johnston

James B. Longstreet

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Question 5 of 10

5. This Union general relieved Ulysses S. Grant of his command for allegedly disobeying an order: Hint

Henry Halleck

George Gordon Meade

George B. McClellan

Winfield Scott

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Question 6 of 10

6. This Confederate general led his troops over the stone wall during Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. Hint

Earl Van Dorn

Sterling Price

Lewis Armistead

Richard S. Ewell

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Question 7 of 10

7. This Union cavalry commander led his 1,700-man brigade on a daring raid through Mississippi in April 1863. Hint

Benjamin Grierson

Nathaniel Banks

Phil Sheridan

David Hunter

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Question 8 of 10

8. This political Union general was known as "The Beast" and "Spoons" by his enemies: Hint

John C. Fremont

Benjamin Butler

William S. Rosecrans

Don Carlos Buell

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Question 9 of 10

9. This Confederate general was also a bishop of the Episcopal Church: Hint

Leonidas K. Polk

Braxton Bragg

George Pickett

P.T.G. Beauregard

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Question 10 of 10

10. This Union general led his dismounted cavalry troopers to defend the high ground on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg: Hint

O.O. Howard

Strong Vincent

John Buford

Joshua Chamberlain

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This Confederate general was derisively referred to as the "King of Spades" by the troops under his command:

Answer: Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee, who became the most beloved and successful general in American history, actually got off to a bad start with his troops. He made them dig in against their enemies, earning him the nickname "King of Spades."

2. This fire eating secessionist turned down an offer to fire the first shot of the Civil War at Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC:

Answer: Roger A. Pryor

Roger Pryor fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. After the war, Pryor became a staunch pro-Unionist. He moved to New York, where he served with distinction for over fifty years as a lawyer, a justice of the New York Supreme Court, and a U.S. Congressman.

3. This Union general was relieved of his command by General Phil Sheridan at the Battle of Five Forks:

Answer: Gouverneur K. Warren

General Warren, whose actions two years earlier at Little Round Top may have saved the Union from defeat at Gettysburg, was slow to get his 5th Corps into the fight at Five Forks. An impatient and enraged Sheridan immediately relieved him from his command.

4. This Confederate general was affectionately called "My Old War Horse" by his boss, General Robert E. Lee:

Answer: James B. Longstreet

Longstreet was a close personal friend of General Ulysses S. Grant. After the war, he alienated himself from his Southern friends and colleagues by becoming a member of the Republican party and a customs official in the Grant Administration.

5. This Union general relieved Ulysses S. Grant of his command for allegedly disobeying an order:

Answer: Henry Halleck

Halleck, known as "Old Brains" by his colleagues, reinstated Grant a week later when it became evident it was all a misunderstanding. By this time, Grant already had a powerful ally: President Lincoln said of him, "I can't spare this man; he fights."

6. This Confederate general led his troops over the stone wall during Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Answer: Lewis Armistead

Armistead was a close friend of Union General Winfield Scott Hancock, the commander of the Federal troops defending the stone wall. Armistead was mortally wounded leading the unsuccessful attack that achieved the "high water mark of the Confederacy."

7. This Union cavalry commander led his 1,700-man brigade on a daring raid through Mississippi in April 1863.

Answer: Benjamin Grierson

Grierson's raid through Mississippi diverted Confederate forces in that state long enough for General Grant to cross the Mississippi River in April 1863 unopposed. Grierson's raid contributed to the fall of Vicksburg three months later.

8. This political Union general was known as "The Beast" and "Spoons" by his enemies:

Answer: Benjamin Butler

Butler, commanding the union forces occupying New Orleans, enraged the city's citizens when he issued an order that any woman of New Orleans who insulted a Union officer "shall be regarded as ... a woman of the town plying her avocation."

9. This Confederate general was also a bishop of the Episcopal Church:

Answer: Leonidas K. Polk

Polk, a plodding, unimaginative commander, fought at the Battles of Perryville and Chickamauga, and was killed by a Union artillery shell during the Atlanta campaign in 1864.

10. This Union general led his dismounted cavalry troopers to defend the high ground on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg:

Answer: John Buford

Buford's troopers stubbornly held off three times their numbers for several hours... just long enough to permit the balance of Union forces in the area to get into position on the high ground outside Gettysburg.

Source: Author mkp51

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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