Register New Player - Log In
Welcome to our world of fun trivia quizzes and quiz games:     New Player quiz register Play Now! trivia game
Fun Trivia: C : Civil War Figures

Special Sub-Topic: The Men Who Wore Blue


What Confederate cavalry general did Union private John Huff mortally wound at Yellow Tavern?

    J.E.B. Stuart. John Huff, a 45 year old private sharpshooter, fired the shot that mortally wounded General Stuart on May 11, 1864. Huff was killed 2 weeks later in a battle near Haw's Shop, Virginia.

What did Union soldiers call "tangle foot" and "oil of gladness"?
    alcoholic beverages. Both nicknames applied to alcoholic beverages.

What did the Union army name the "Virginia Two-step?"
    diarrhea. Union troops jokingly coined the name the "Virgina Two-step" to refer to diarrhea - the most common ailment that plagued both sides.

What New Orleans born actress was sent to the South to gather military intelligence for the Federal Army?
    Pauline Cushman. Pauline Cushman was born in New Orleans but was raised in Michigan. At the age of 17 she left home to pursue a career as an actress in New York. Several years later she was fired in a Kentucky theater for toasting the South. The Federal Army sent her south to gather military intelligence. She was arrested by the Confederates but they spared her life when she passed valuable information to W. S. Rosecrans.

What prominent Union general was named "Spoons"?
    Benjamin Butler. General Benjamin F. Butler acquired the name "Spoons Butler" for his alleged habit of appropriating Southern silverware while serving as military governor of New Orleans.

What Union general left his name to posterity as the label for a certain style of whiskers?
    Ambrose Burnside. Burnside was known for his style of muttonchop whiskers, which became known as "sideburns" in his honor.

What famous Union general barely escaped serious injury in Matthew Brady's photography studio?
    Ulysses S. Grant. In March of 1864, one of Brady's assistants accidentally shattered an overhead skylight while General U.S. Grant was sitting for a portrait.

Why was General Philip H. Sheridan known as "Little Phil?"
    he was a small man. Sheridan was 5'5" tall and weighed only 115 pounds. His aggressive manner earned him respect among his troops and fellow officers. He was named commander of Grant's cavalry 1864.

What Union general committed murder before the war and was released on an insanity defence?
    Daniel E. Sickles. A New York lawyer, U.S. Representative and notorious ladies' man, Sickles shot and killed his wife's alleged lover, Barton Keys (Francis Scott Keys' son) in cold blood in front of a crowd of people in Washington,D.C. His clever attorneys defended the case on the ground that he acted in a moment of passion and insanity, and he was not convicted for his crime.

What Union general was nicknamed "Curly," "Fanny," and "Autie?"
    George Custer. The tall, lithe and yellow haired General Custer had many nicknames. Often an exhibitionist, his observers found him either dashing or absurd.


Did you find these entries particularly interesting, or do you have comments / corrections to make? Let the author know!

  • Send the author a thank you or compliment
  • Submit a correction