American Generals: Which War? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Civil War-Confederate

Born in Virginia in 1807, Lee was the son of famed Revolutionary War cavalry officer Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee. He graduated from West Point in 1829 and served in the Mexican War. Lee resigned from the U.S. Army in 1861 when Virginia joined the Confederacy. Lee famously led the South's main army until he surrendered in April 1865, to the Union's General Grant. Lee died in 1870.

Answer: American Revolution

Born in Rhode Island in August 1742, Greene was appointed to command Rhode Island's troops in 1775, joining the Continental Army in 1776 as a major general. Greene fought in most of the war's major battles, and was famous for his Southern campaign of 1780-1781, which ended with the British surrender at Yorktown. Greene died in 1786.

Answer: Civil War-Union

Born in Ohio in 1822 as Hiram Ulysses Grant, Grant changed his name upon entering West Point in 1839. He served in the Mexican War and later resigned from the Army in 1854. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Grant raised troops in Illinois and was appointed a colonel in 1861. Grant was instrumental in Union victories in the Western theater, and was made Union Commander in Chief in 1864.

After the war, he was elected president in 1868, serving two terms. Grant died in 1885.

Answer: World War II

Omar Bradley was born in Missouri in January 1893. He graduated from West Point in 1915 and served in World War I. In World War II, he commanded the U.S. II Corps in North Africa and Sicily, and the First Army in the Normandy invasion of 1944. Bradley then commanded the 12th Army Group until the end of the war. Bradley was promoted to General of the Army in 1950, to date the last person to hold that rank in the U.S. Army. Bradley died in 1981.

Answer: American Revolution

New Hampshire-born John Sullivan joined the Continental Army in 1775 as a brigadier general. Sullivan was captured at the 1776 Battle of Long Island and exchanged in time for the Battle of Trenton. He served in most of the major campaigns in the Northern theater of the war, and led a punitive expedition against the Iroquois in 1779. Sullivan retired from the Army after this campaign, later serving in Congress and as a Federal judge.

He died in 1795.

Answer: Civil War-Confederate

General Johnston was born in Kentucky in 1803 and graduated from West Point in 1826. Johnston resigned in 1834 to care for his dying wife, and then moved to Texas and fought in the Texas Revolution. He rejoined the U.S. Army in 1846 and fought in the Mexican War. Johnston resigned again from the U.S. Army and joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and was made Commander of the Western theater. Johnston was killed at the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862.

Answer: Civil War-Union

Meade was born in Cadiz, Spain, in 1815, while his wealthy merchant family was doing business there. He graduated from West Point in 1835 and served in the Mexican War. He was a Brigadier General on the outbreak of the Civil War and served in the Union Army of the Potomac. Meade was promoted to commander of the Army of the Potomac three days before the Battle of Gettysburg, a command which he held until the end of the war. Meade died in 1872.

Answer: American Revolution

Anthony Wayne was born in Pennsylvania in 1745. He raised a militia unit for the Continental Army in 1775 and was at the siege of Quebec, the Philadelphia campaign, and the siege of Yorktown. Wayne's temper, along with his battlefield performance, earned him the nickname "Mad Anthony".

He retired from the Army in 1783, but was recalled to service in 1792 and won an important victory against Native American forces in the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers. Wayne died in 1796.

Answer: Civil War-Confederate

Born in North Carolina in 1817, Braxton Bragg graduated from West Point in 1837 and fought in the Mexican War. He resigned his commission in 1855 and bought a sugar plantation in Louisiana. Bragg joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and served in the Western theater, commanding the Army of Mississippi in 1862 at Shiloh and then the Army of Tennessee in 1863. Known as a stickler for rules and military discipline, Bragg was unpopular with his subordinates and was relieved after the Confederate defeat at Chattanooga in 1863, becoming military advisor to President Davis. Bragg died in 1876.

Answer: World War II

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1898, McAuliffe graduated from West Point in 1918. While a lieutenant colonel in the supply department prior to World War II, he helped develop the jeep and the bazooka. Promoted to brigadier general and in command of the 101st Airborne Division's artillery, McAuliffe gained fame at the siege of Bastogne in December 1944, when he replied "Nuts" to a German surrender demand.

Answer: Civil War-Union

Union General George Thomas was born in Virginia in 1816 and graduated from West Point in 1840. Thomas served in the Mexican War, and was then assigned to posts in California and Florida. On the outbreak of the Civil War, Thomas, although a Virginian, remained in the U.S. Army, possibly due to the influence of his New York-born wife. Thomas became famous for his unit's stand at Chickamauga in 1863, after which he rose to command the Union Army of the Cumberland, a post he held until the end of the war. George Thomas died in 1870.

Answer: Civil War-Confederate

Known as Robert E. Lee's "Old War Horse", James Longstreet was born in South Carolina in 1821. He graduated from West Point in 1842 and saw action in Mexico. He joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and was soon promoted to brigadier general, serving in the Army of Northern Virginia under Joe Johnston and later Robert E. Lee.

He became a division commander and was one of Lee's most trusted subordinates. After the war, Longstreet became a member of the Republican Party and wholly embraced Reconstruction and the U.S. Government, serving for one year as Minister to the Ottoman Empire.

He died in 1904.

Answer: World War II

Born in Indiana in 1895, Smith joined the National Guard in 1911 and later saw action in World War I. Promoted to lieutenant, he became a staff officer and instructor at the Army War College. Smith spent most of his career in various staff and administrative positions, and his diplomatic skills meant that he was called upon to negotiate surrender terms with the defeated enemy forces in Europe.

After the war he was CIA director, Under Secretary of State, and Ambassador to the USSR. Smith died in 1961.

Answer: American Revolution

Horatio Gates was born in England in 1727 and served in the British Army. Dissatisfied with his lack of promotion, Gates resigned and emigrated to Virginia in 1770. He joined the Continental Army in 1775, and was commander of the Northern Department during the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. Gates had little respect for George Washington and tried to persuade Congress to give him command of the American army, but his disastrous defeat at Camden in 1780 virtually ended his career. Gates retired at the end of the war and died in 1806.

Answer: Civil War-Union

Joseph Hooker was born in Massachusetts in 1814 and graduated from West Point in 1837. After serving in the Mexican War, he resigned his commission and settled in California. He returned to the Army in 1861 and served with the Army of the Potomac. Hooker had a reputation for bravery and was eventually given command of the army.

He was completely defeated by Robert E. Lee at Chancellorsville in 1863, after which he was transferred to the Western theater and performed well. Hooker retired in 1868 and died in 1879.

Answer: World War II

California-born George S. Patton Jr. was born in 1885 and attended both the Virginia Military Institute and West Point, graduating from the latter in 1909. He was among the troops sent to Mexico in 1916 to capture Mexican rebel leader "Pancho" Villa. He later served in World War I, acquiring a knowledge of tank tactics and becoming the leading advocate of armored warfare in the U.S. Army. During World War II, Patton commanded troops in North Africa, Sicily, France, and Germany.

A solid tactician, Patton's aggressive style, brash personality, and temper got him into trouble time and again, but no one could argue with his success. George S. Patton Jr. died in 1945 from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident in Germany.