Civil War Trivia

The American Civil War was a pivotal conflict in the history of the United States, fought between 1861 and 1865. It remains one of the deadliest wars in American history and had far-reaching consequences for the nation. From the causes and key figures to significant battles and outcomes, the Civil War is a topic rich with historical significance and intrigue.

For more questions or quizzes, see our trivia quiz sitemap.

Civil War Trivia Questions

1. In which year did the American Civil War begin?
2. What was the name of the President of the Confederate States of America?
3. Who was the President of the United States during the Civil War?
4. Which event marked the beginning of the Civil War?
5. What was the first state to secede from the Union?
6. What was the name of the fort in South Carolina where the first shots of the Civil War were fired?
7. What was the primary reason for Southern secession?
8. What was the name of the Union's first ironclad warship?
9. What was the bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War?
10. What was the bloodiest battle of the entire Civil War?
11. Who served as the commanding general of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia?
12. What was the name of the Confederate capital during the Civil War?
13. What was the term for the group of Southern states that seceded from the Union?
14. What was the famous speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War?
15. Who was the commander of the Union Army?
16. What was the name of the Confederate spy who led espionage operations in the Union capital?
17. What was the name of the Union general who famously marched through Georgia, practicing total war?
18. What was the name of the document that proclaimed the emancipation of slaves in Confederate-held territory?
19. What was the term for the Union's strategy to defeat the Confederacy by controlling the Mississippi River?
20. What was the bloodiest battle in the Western Theater of the Civil War?
21. What was the name of the Union nurse who later founded the American Red Cross?
22. What was the term for a Northerner sympathetic to the Southern cause during the Civil War?
23. Who was the Confederate general who famously surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House?
24. What was the name of the Union general who led the Army of the Potomac in the early years of the war?
25. What was the first major battle of the Civil War to take place on Northern soil?
26. What was the name of the Union's first African American regiment in the Civil War?
27. What was the term for Southern civilians who supported the Union cause during the Civil War?
28. What was the bloodiest battle in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War?
29. What was the term for the Confederate strategy of avoiding major battles and prolonging the war?
30. What was the name of the Confederate prison camp in Georgia where thousands of Union soldiers died?
31. What was the name of the Union general who famously said, "War is hell"?
32. What was the name of the Confederate general known as "Stonewall"?
33. What was the name of the Union ironclad warship that fought the CSS Virginia to a draw?
34. What was the term for the law that allowed wealthy men to avoid military service in the Civil War by paying a fee?
35. What was the name of the Union general who later became the 18th President of the United States?
36. What was the name of the Union general who was killed by friendly fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville?
37. What was the term for the Confederate soldiers who raided Union supply lines and territory?
38. What was the name of the Union general who was appointed to command all Union forces in 1864?
39. What was the name of the Confederate general who famously led Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg?
40. What was the term for the period of rebuilding and reconciliation after the Civil War?
41. What was the name of the first all-black regiment formed in the North during the Civil War?
42. What was the name of the Confederate prison camp in Alabama known for its harsh conditions?
43. What was the term for the policy of granting amnesty to Confederate states and readmitting them to the Union?
44. What was the name of the Union general who famously said, "I shall return"?
45. What was the name of the Confederate ship that sank the USS Housatonic, becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy warship?
46. What was the term for the strategy of destroying civilian infrastructure and resources to weaken the enemy's ability to fight?
47. What was the name of the Union general who issued the Emancipation Proclamation?
48. What was the term for the border states that remained in the Union but allowed slavery?
49. What was the name of the Confederate capital after Richmond fell to Union forces?
50. What was the name of the Union general who famously said, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead"?
51. What was the term for the Confederate draft that required military service from all able-bodied men aged 17 to 50?
52. What was the name of the Union general who led the successful Vicksburg Campaign?
53. What was the term for the Confederate currency issued during the Civil War?
54. What was the name of the Union general who led the failed Peninsula Campaign?
55. What was the term for the Union strategy to divide the Confederacy by capturing key Southern cities and territory?
56. What was the name of the Union general who served as Lincoln's second Vice President?
57. What was the term for the Confederate states that seceded after the fall of Fort Sumter?
58. What was the name of the Confederate general who led the Army of Tennessee?
59. What was the term for the law that allowed Union soldiers to claim land in the South after the Civil War?
60. What was the name of the Union general who famously said, "I will fight no more forever"?

Civil War Trivia Answers

1. 1861
2. Jefferson Davis
3. Abraham Lincoln
4. Attack on Fort Sumter
5. South Carolina
6. Fort Sumter
7. States' rights (specifically, the right to own slaves)
8. USS Monitor
9. Battle of Antietam
10. Battle of Gettysburg
11. Robert E. Lee
12. Richmond, Virginia
13. Confederacy (or Confederate States)
14. Gettysburg Address
15. Ulysses S. Grant
16. Belle Boyd
17. William Tecumseh Sherman
18. Emancipation Proclamation
19. Anaconda Plan
20. Battle of Shiloh
21. Clara Barton
22. Copperhead
23. Robert E. Lee
24. George B. McClellan
25. First Battle of Bull Run (or First Battle of Manassas)
26. 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
27. Unionists (or Union sympathizers)
28. Battle of Gettysburg
29. Fabian strategy
30. Andersonville Prison
31. William Tecumseh Sherman
32. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
33. USS Monitor
34. Twenty Negro Law
35. Ulysses S. Grant
36. John Sedgwick
37. Partisan Rangers (or Partisans)
38. Ulysses S. Grant
39. George Pickett
40. Reconstruction
41. 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
42. Andersonville Prison
43. Reconstruction
44. Douglas MacArthur
45. CSS Hunley
46. Total war
47. Abraham Lincoln
48. Border states
49. Danville, Virginia
50. David Farragut
51. Conscription Act (or Draft Act)
52. Ulysses S. Grant
53. Confederate dollar
54. George B. McClellan
55. Anaconda Plan
56. Andrew Johnson
57. Confederacy
58. Joseph E. Johnston
59. Homestead Act
60. Chief Joseph

Conclusion

The American Civil War was a defining moment in the history of the United States, shaping the nation's identity and future. Its legacy continues to influence American society, politics, and culture to this day. From the struggle for emancipation to the battles for control of territory and resources, the Civil War remains a subject of fascination and study for historians and enthusiasts alike.

For more information on the American Civil War, visit its Wikipedia page.