Who's Who: U.S. Civil War Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alexander Stephens

Orphaned at a young age, Stephens first taught school, and then became a lawyer. He was an experienced politician before the Civil War began, holding a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives (1836-41), before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1843-1859).

Lincoln was elected President in 1860, and Stephens urged Southerners to remain loyal to the Union; after he was elected to the Confederate Congress, however, Stephens was chosen to be the Vice President of the Confederacy. When the war was over, he was imprisoned for a few months and resumed his service in the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming Governor of Georgia.

Answer: Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was a remarkable person. Born into slavery, she escaped to Philadelphia and freedom when she was twenty-seven years old. After that she began helping other slaves find their freedom as a Conductor on the Underground Railroad, where she received the nickname, "Moses". She was extremely proud that she helped over 300 people find their freedom, and "never lost a single passenger".

After the Civil War began, she began to work with the Union Army, nursing slaves and wounded soldiers, helping to scout in places familiar to her, and even leading a battle. It was 1874 before Tubman's contribution to the Union Army was recognized and she received payment for her service.

Answer: William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman graduated from West Point in 1840, and while he gained battle experience in the Second Seminole War (1835-42), he spent the Mexican War in California. He continued to live there after leaving the army, but took a job at the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy in 1859.

When the Civil War began he was commissioned as colonel of a volunteer regiment that fought at the First Battle of Bull Run. Even though the battle was a humiliating defeat for the Union, Sherman's performance was described as "exemplary". He continued to gain recognition in the Western Theater. He served under Grant at the Battle of Shiloh (1862) and during the siege of Vicksburg (1863). After the capture of Atlanta in 1864, Sherman took his men on the famous March to the Sea, disrupting both Confederate supply lines and infrastructure, and following a scorched earth policy until the capture of Savannah. Sherman later served as Commanding General of the Army from 1869-1883.

Answer: Andrew Johnson

Perhaps Andrew Johnson is best known for being the first president that was brought up for impeachment, but he was first chosen for Lincoln's vice-presidential running mate because he was an experienced politician from the South (Tennessee). Even so, he choose to remain faithful to the Union during the Civil War; he was the only senator from a southern state who did not resign when his state left the Union.

It was believed that his name on the ticket would bring some balance during the Election of 1864. Of course, he became president (1865-69) after Lincoln was assassinated, and had the extremely difficult task of bring the country back together once was the war was over.

Answer: Clara Barton

Before the Civil War began, Clara Barton was a teacher; today she is credited for opening the first free school in New Jersey. She was working as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office when the war began, and quickly recognized the need for aid to both wounded and active soldiers. Because she excelled at procuring desperately needed supplies, she was given charge of a hospital near the war front in the Eastern Theater.

After the war was over, she was given permission to open the Office of Missing Soldiers to help locate many of the missing men from both sides of the conflict. It was during a trip to Europe in 1868 that she met Louis Appia, one of the founders of the International Committee of the Red Cross; he offered to assist her in forming the American Red Cross.

Answer: U.S. Grant

Grant attended West Point, graduating 21 of 39 in his class, and was recognized as a proficient horseman. He stayed in the army to support his family, and served as a quartermaster during the Mexican War, but had left due to his failure to follow orders - "resign or reform". He had been found drinking again.

Grant was essentially down and out when the American Civil War began in 1861. He quickly rose in the military ranks after re-enlisting in, making a name for himself in the Western Theater at battles like Ft. Donelson and Shiloh, at a time when the Union Army wasn't doing well in the Eastern Theater. After his successfully siege at Vicksburg, Grant moved quickly through the ranks, achieving the rank of Lieutenant General in 1864, a rank that had previously only been held by George Washington; at the same time he was given charge of all Union Armies. He went on to serve two terms as U.S. President after the war.

Answer: Robert E. Lee

Born to a family of recognized war heroes, Robert E. Lee entered West Point in 1825, where he graduated second in his class. He worked as a military engineer before bringing attention to himself during the Mexican American War. In 1852 he was appointed as the Superintendent of West Point; he served there three years before accepting an assignment to a cavalry regiment in Texas.

When the Civil War began, Lee was offered command of the Union Army, but he could not bring himself to fight against his native Virginia. Known as the Grey Fox, he led the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the Eastern Theater, and was its representative at Appomattox Court House, where the surrender was given in 1865. Lee went on to serve as the president of Washington College after the war was over.

Answer: Jesse James

A member of a pro-Confederate slave-owning family, Jesse James was only sixteen when he joined Quantrill's Raiders, a group of Confederate guerillas, with his older brother, Frank. He had, however, lived in western Missouri all of his life; it was an area deeply affected by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, and so heavily populated with Southerners that it was called Little Dixie. Quantrill's Raiders frequently made forays into Kansas, attacking Jayhawkers, who were abolitionists, there. Eventually the James brothers joined with another guerilla unit led by Bloody Bill Anderson.

When the war was over the Jesse and Frank organized the famous James-Younger Gang, and commenced to robbing banks. In 1882 Jesse was shot in his home by Robert Ford, a member of his gang. James was thirty-four years old.

Answer: James Longstreet

Like many of the Civil War officers, James Longstreet graduated from West Point. He had already been given the nickname "Pete" by his father, reportedly due to his solid character. At school, however, Longstreet had the reputation of being a bit of a troublemaker; he was popular with his classmates, but didn't really excel at his studies. After graduating he served in the Mexican-American War.

He resigned his U.S. Army commission and joined the Confederacy after the incident at Fort Sumter. Longstreet was promoted to major general after the First Battle of Bull Run, and continued to contribute to the Confederate cause in the Eastern Theater until the loss at Gettysburg. He had been unhappy that his ideas had not been put into action there, but was more discontented with the leadership in the Western Theater and returned to the East. After the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House, Longstreet became reacquainted with a friend from West Point - none other than General Grant. It was President Hayes, however, who appointed Longstreet as U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in 1880.

Answer: James Ewell Brown Stuart

Jeb Stuart was a native Virginian who attended West Point at a time when Robert E. Lee was appointed superintendent. They became personal friends, and during his last year there Stuart was appointed as an honorary cavalry officer because of his skill with horses. Stuart joined the U.S. Army, but resigned in 1861 after Virginia seceded from the Union. He was appointed by Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson to command the Confederate cavalry in the Army of the Shenandoah, participating in Eastern Theater action.

The Confederate loss at the Battle of Gettysburg was particularly difficult for Stuart, as he seems to have been given some of the blame. Although he was never publicly chastised by General Lee, he was overlooked for a promotion. Less than a year later, Stuart was mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern.