A Nation Divided: Civil War Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
A Nation Divided: Civil War Quiz
Image: Danita Delimont/Gallo Images/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Although it ended more than a century ago, the scars of the Civil War are still with Americans today. Think you know more than the average Billy Yank or Johnny Reb about the blood and politics behind the war? Find out by taking our Civil War quiz.
What city was chosen as the confederate capital in 1861?
Richmond, Va.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Corinth, Miss.
Which of these claimed the most lives during the Civil War?
guns
cannon fire
disease
Who won the American Civil War?
the South
the North
There was no clear winner.

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Where did General Lee surrender to General Grant, finally ending the bloody battle?
New York
Maryland
Virginia
How many states eventually ended up seceding from the Union?
5
21
11
Which of the following was NOT a cause of the Civil War?
disagreement over slavery
disagreement over states' rights
disagreement over the electoral college process

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About how many American soldiers lost their lives in the Civil War?
6,000
60,000
600,000
Which two ironclad ships battled it out during at the Battle of Hampton Roads?
The Merriwether and Mortimer
The Minotaur and Maverick
The Merrimack and Monitor
The Civil War killed more Americans than WWI, WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined.
True
False

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What happened to John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Lincoln?
he was imprisoned for many years
he was killed by Union troops
no one knows for sure
What was the South's view of slavery during the Civil War?
Slavery was necessary to its economy.
Slavery was constitutionally protected.
both of the above
Who became president once Lincoln was assassinated?
Grant
Johnson
Davis

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What did Lincoln call his "greatest and most enduring contribution to the history of the war"?
the Emancipation Proclamation
the Gettysburg Address
appointing Ulysses S. Grant to commander of Union Forces
Where were the first shots of the war fired?
Fort Scott
Fort Harrison
Fort Sumter
Which 1865 Constitutional amendment abolished slavery?
11th
12th
13th

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Which battle was the bloodiest of the Civil War?
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Gettysburg
Which of the following is NOT another name for the American Civil War?
War of the Rebellion
War of the People
War Between the States
What popular battle was also called the Battle of Manassas?
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Shiloh

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Which famous battle was fought in 1862?
Gettysburg
Antietam
Custer's Last Stand
What other battle was going on while the Battle of Gettysburg was being fought in Pennsylvania?
Cedar Creek
Shiloh
Vicksburg
Which side relied on hot air balloons for reconnaissance missions during the Civil War?
North
South
both sides

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Which of the following allowed a male citizen aged 20 to 45 exemption from the draft?
providing a substitute
paying $300
either method would work
What did Lincoln suggest doing to African-Americans when the war started?
freeing them and granting them equal rights
keeping them as slaves
sending them out of the country
How many days after Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox was Abraham Lincoln shot and killed?
five
15
25

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How many formerly enslaved people were freed thanks to the Civil War?
400,000
4,000,000
40,000,000
What brought the Confederate Army troops to Gettysburg, Penn. for the decisive battle?
They had to take an emergency detour from their original trail.
The roads went through there.
They needed shoes.
What percentage of the Union Army was African-American?
30 percent
2 percent
10 percent

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Which side used submarines during battle in the Civil War?
North
South
both
How many versions of the Gettysburg address are there?
at least two
at least five
around 10
Why are there often two names for the same battle?
The media named them differently from the armies.
The Union and the Confederacy named them differently.
Both answers are correct.

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