
		The Alabama Civil War Round Table

The Alabama Civil War Round Table... established 1990 Birmingham, AL

2010-2011 ACWRT Board of Directors

The American Civil War
(1861 - 1865)

Trivia Question
Who was the "Angel of Marye's Heights"?

The answer can be found on the About Us page.

Civil War Trivia



Question: When and where did the last land fight of the Civil War occur?		Answer: The last land battle of the Civil War occurred on May 13th 1865 at Palmito Ranch in far south Texas and it was a Confederate victory.


Question: If Chimborazzo Hospital in Richmond was the largest Confederate Hospital, what was the Union's?		Answer: Satterlee United States Army General Hospital in Philadelphia covered 16 acres of ground and contained 4,500 beds.


Question: When notified of Major Pelham's death, who made the following statement: "I mourn the loss of Major Pelham. I had hoped that a long career of usefulness and honor was still before him. He has been strickened down in the midst of both and before he could receive the promotion that he had richly won."		Answer: Robert E. Lee in a message to Jefferson Davis


Question: What was the only Southern city among America's ten largest cities in the 1860 census?		Answer: New Orleans - only thirteen Confederate cities ranked among the top 100 American cities in 1860.


Question: Companies within regiments were given letter designations, ten letters were used beginning with "A". Which letter was skipped?		Answer: The military skipped the letter "J" because, when written, it looked too much like the letters "S" or "I".


Question: What was the Union Army and the Confederate Army called at the First Battle of Bull Run?		Answer: At the First Battle of Bull Run the Union army was known as The Army of the Potomac and the Confederate army was known as The Army of Northern Virginia.


Question: What military command was given U. S. Grant at the start of the Civil War?		Answer: Colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry


Question: Where did the largest cavalry battle of the war take place?		Answer: The largest cavalry battle took place at Brandy Station Virginia, June 9, 1863.


Question: Who was the first person to direct artillery fire for an army via aerial reconnaissance?		Answer: Balloonist Thaddeus Lowe, U.S.A. on September 24, 1861.


Question: What Northern general was accused by northern press as being insane?		Answer: William T. Sherman


Question: Who took over "Stonewall" Jackson's division after Jackson's death at Chancellorsville?		Answer: Maj. Gen Edward Johnson


Question: What two Federal generals were in command of troops at the battle of Iuka, Mississippi?		Answer: U. S. Grant and W. S. Rosecrans.


Question: Where did T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson die?		Answer: Guiney Station, Virginia


Question: Who spent his first 13 months in Confederate uniform without coming under fire or taking part in a general engagement?		Answer: Robert E. Lee


Question: What was the name of the man that was hanged after the war for his activity at Andersonville Prison?		Answer: Henry Wirz


Question: The artillery used round shot, where did they aim when they fired it at the attacking troops?		Answer: The round shot was aimed in front of the attacking troops so that it would skip along the ground, (something like skimming a stone across water causing great havoc.


Question: What was the first National Military Park to be authorized by Congress? And in what year did this take place?		Answer: Chickamauga - 1890


Question: How many stars were on the Confederate flag?		Answer: Thirteen, representing each seceded state and the secession governments of Missouri and Kentucky.


Question: What town changed hands 70 times during the Civil War?		Answer: Winchester, Virginia


Question: What was the last state to secede from the Union and the first to be readmitted?		Answer: None other than the Volunteer State - Tennessee.


Question: What distinction did 2nd Lt. Francisco Becerra hold as a member of the 3rd Texas Infantry CSA?		Answer: He had been at the Alamo as one of Santa Anna's soldiers.


Question: What were the approximate death totals (from all causes) for both sides as a result of the Civil War?		Answer: Approximately 360,000 Union soldiers and approximately 135,000 Confederates died during the Civil War.


Question: If a soldier was said to be "Showing the white feather" during the Civil War, his companions were saying what about him?		Answer: If you were said to be "Showing the white feather", you were being accused of being a coward.


Question: Where and when did the bloodiest eight minutes of the Civil War occur?		Answer: The bloodiest eight minutes of the Civil War occurred on June 3, 1864 at Cold Harbor, Virginia. Grant's massive frontal assault against Lee's well entrenched line resulted in 7,000 Union and 1,500 Confederate casualties in less than eight minutes. Grant later stated that this attack had been the greatest mistake in his military career.


Question: How were battles named during the Civil War?		Answer: With some exceptions, Federal forces tended to name battles for the nearest body of water, while the Confederates named battles after the nearest community-practices which gave some battles more than one name, like Bull Run/Manassas and Antietam/Sharpsburg.


Question: How many Confederate and Union generals were killed or mortally wounded in action during the Civil War?		Answer: 77 Confederate generals and 47 Union generals were killed or mortally wounded in action. This works out to 18% of Confederate generals and 8% of Union generals died from battle wounds.


Question: What was called "ole tangle foot" and "oil of gladness" by Civil War soldiers?		Answer: Both nicknames refer to alcoholic beverages, which were said to have taken more men out of action than bullets.


Question: Who was the "Angel of Marye's Heights"?		Answer: Union and Confederate soldiers gave this name to sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, after he risked his life to carry water and provide comfort to wounded Union soldiers at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Sergeant Kirkland was killed the following year at the Battle of Chickamauga.

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