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Quiz about How Did They Die
Quiz about How Did They Die

How Did They Die? Trivia Quiz


Civil War officers and soldiers died in many different ways during the conflict: many died brutal deaths, several died tragic deaths and some from strange causes. Here is my quiz on the subject.

A multiple-choice quiz by wwwocls. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
wwwocls
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
345,892
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
821
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 108 (8/10), Guest 75 (9/10), Guest 24 (0/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Union Major General John Sedgwick had an interesting death. He was killed on May 9, 1864 in the early days of the Battle of Spotsylvania. How was he killed? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Only a little over a month after General Sedgwick's death, Episcopal bishop/Confederate Lieutenant General Leonidas K Polk was killed during the Confederate attempt to block Sherman's march to Atlanta. His death was particulary gruesome. How did the bishop join his God on June 14, 1864? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Probably the most important death of the war was the loss of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Jackson died on May 10, 1863. How? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn had one of those strange "got to hear it to believe it" deaths. He died three days before Stonewall Jackson on May 7, 1863. How? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Confederate guerilla leader and all around psychopath "Bloody" Bill Anderson was killed on October 26, 1864 at Albany, Missouri. How did the vicious fighter, author of and participant in) several slaughters, meet his end? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Three year old Edward Woods died on July 5, 1863, while combing the battlefield at Gettysburg for souvenirs, thus making him the youngest person killed in the battle and its aftermath. How did he die? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Confederate Brigadier General Felix Zolicoffer had a rather embarrassing death. What was it? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Willie Lincoln, the 11 year old son of President Abraham Lincoln, died tragically on February 20, 1862. What was the most likely cause of his death? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Cavalry officer John Buford, one of the heroes at Gettysburg where he crucially held the high ground on the first day of the battle, died on December 16, 1863. How did he die? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The tragedy that put a capper on the war was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford's theater in April of 1865 by John Wilkes Booth. How did Booth die? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 108: 8/10
Mar 06 2024 : Guest 75: 9/10
Mar 05 2024 : Guest 24: 0/10
Mar 04 2024 : Guest 66: 2/10
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Union Major General John Sedgwick had an interesting death. He was killed on May 9, 1864 in the early days of the Battle of Spotsylvania. How was he killed?

Answer: Shot by a Confederate sniper

What was intersting about Sedgwick's death was what he said before he was killed by a Confederate sniper. Sedgwick was directing the placement of Union artillery and became disgusted when his staff took cover out of fear of Confederate gun fire. "I'm ashamed of you, dodging that way," he said to them. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance..." An moment later, he was shot in the head and killed instantly. Tragic but comedic at the same time.

Source: Wikipedia
2. Only a little over a month after General Sedgwick's death, Episcopal bishop/Confederate Lieutenant General Leonidas K Polk was killed during the Confederate attempt to block Sherman's march to Atlanta. His death was particulary gruesome. How did the bishop join his God on June 14, 1864?

Answer: Torn almost in two by artillery fire

Like General Sedgwick, Polk was at the lines reconnoitering the situation with Confederate Generals Hardee and Johnston when William Tecumseh Sherman himself spotted the generals and ordered his artillery to fire into the grouping. They did and General Polk was ripped almost in two by a shell that passed through his chest and both arms.

Source: Wikipedia
3. Probably the most important death of the war was the loss of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Jackson died on May 10, 1863. How?

Answer: Pneumonia

Jackson was shot twice in the left arm by friendly fire while scouting for a night attack after his incredible flanking maneuver on May 2, 1863 against the Army of the Potomac. The arm was amputated but Jackson took a turn for the worse and died of pneumonia on May 10, 1863.

Source: Wikipedia
4. Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn had one of those strange "got to hear it to believe it" deaths. He died three days before Stonewall Jackson on May 7, 1863. How?

Answer: Shot to death by a jealous husband

Dr. James Bodie Peters, convinced that General Van Dorn had carried on an affair with his wife, sneaked into Van Dorn's office and blasted him in the back of the head while Van Dorn was writing a letter. Peters was never brought to trial on the grounds that Van Doren had "violated the sanctity of his home."

Source: Wikipedia
5. Confederate guerilla leader and all around psychopath "Bloody" Bill Anderson was killed on October 26, 1864 at Albany, Missouri. How did the vicious fighter, author of and participant in) several slaughters, meet his end?

Answer: Killed in an ambush by Union soldiers

The master of ambushes, "Bloody" Bill was ambushed himself by Union troops under Colonel Samuel P Cox. Bravely (or stupidly), Andersen led his mounted forces straight into Cox's men, located in the surrounding timber. "Bloody" Bill was shot twice in the side of the head and killed. Human scalps from his previous massacres were found on his horse's bridle.

Note: After the war, Jesse and Frank James and their crew tried to avenge Anderson's death by killing Samuel P Cox in a bank robbery in Gallatin, Missouri. They shot an innocent cashier instead.

Source: Wikipedia
6. Three year old Edward Woods died on July 5, 1863, while combing the battlefield at Gettysburg for souvenirs, thus making him the youngest person killed in the battle and its aftermath. How did he die?

Answer: Shot by his own brother

Edward and his slightly older brother found a rifle on the battlefield and, as little boys tend to do, started to handle it. The gun went off and little Edward was shot dead.

Source: Civil War Curiosities by Webb Garrison
7. Confederate Brigadier General Felix Zolicoffer had a rather embarrassing death. What was it?

Answer: Shot by Union troops due to his nearsightedness

During the Battle of Mill Springs in January of 1862, General Zollicoffer, easily conspicuous in a white raincoat, rode towards a group of Union soldiers from Kentucky which he mistook for Confederate soldiers firing on their own men. Thanks to his poor vision, General Zollicoffer was shot into history.

Source: Wikipedia
8. Willie Lincoln, the 11 year old son of President Abraham Lincoln, died tragically on February 20, 1862. What was the most likely cause of his death?

Answer: Typhoid Fever

It's believed that Willie died from typhoid fever as a result of drinking contaminated water. His brother, Tad, was also affected but survived. Willie's death devastated the entire Lincoln family.
9. Cavalry officer John Buford, one of the heroes at Gettysburg where he crucially held the high ground on the first day of the battle, died on December 16, 1863. How did he die?

Answer: Unknown, possibly typhoid fever

John Buford died of an illness, possibly typhoid fever, at 2 PM on the afternoon of December 16. Buford's friend, General George Stoneman, requested that Buford be promoted to Major General. Knowing him to be on his deathbed and very appreciative of his service, Abraham Lincoln agreed and Buford was promoted. Upon hearing of his promotion, Buford said, "It is too late. Now I wish I could live."

Source: Wikipedia
10. The tragedy that put a capper on the war was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford's theater in April of 1865 by John Wilkes Booth. How did Booth die?

Answer: Shot by a Union soldier

After a manhunt that lasted almost two weeks, Booth and an accomplice were tracked down at a farmhouse near Port Royal, Virginia. Trapped in a burning tobacco barn (set on fire by the soldiers to flush him out), Booth was shot in the neck by Boston Corbett. Paralyzed from the neck down, Booth died three hours later. Shortly before he died, as per his request, a Union soldier tending him raised his hands in the air. Booth, looking at them, uttered his last words: "Useless, useless."

Source: Wikipedia
Source: Author wwwocls

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