The American Civil War
Instructions: From Fort Sumter to Appomattox — explore the battles, leaders, and turning points of America's most defining conflict.
- 1.
In which location were the first shots of the American Civil War fired?
AFort McHenry, MarylandBFort Sumter, South CarolinaCFort Monroe, VirginiaDFort Pickens, Florida - 2.
Who served as President of the Confederate States of America throughout the Civil War?
AAlexander StephensBJohn C. BreckinridgeCJefferson DavisDRobert E. Lee - 3.
Which Civil War battle earned the grim title of the single bloodiest day in American military history?
ABattle of AntietamBBattle of GettysburgCBattle of ChickamaugaDBattle of Fredericksburg - 4.
How many states made up the Confederate States of America?
ANineBTwelveCTenDEleven - 5.
President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation declared enslaved people in Confederate states to be free on what date?
AJuly 4, 1862BJanuary 1, 1863CApril 9, 1865DDecember 18, 1865 - 6.
Which side emerged victorious from the three-day Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863?
AThe ConfederacyBNeither — the battle ended in a stalemateCThe UnionDThe battle was halted by a negotiated truce - 7.
What was the name of the Confederate ironclad warship that fought the USS Monitor in March 1862?
ACSS AlabamaBCSS TennesseeCCSS ShenandoahDCSS Virginia - 8.
General William T. Sherman's famous 'March to the Sea' in late 1864 ended at which city?
ASavannah, GeorgiaBAtlanta, GeorgiaCColumbia, South CarolinaDRaleigh, North Carolina - 9.
In what Virginia location did General Robert E. Lee formally surrender to end the Civil War on April 9, 1865?
ARichmondBAppomattox Court HouseCPetersburgDDurham Station - 10.
Confederate General Thomas Jackson earned the nickname 'Stonewall' while commanding troops at which 1861 battle?
ABattle of AntietamBBattle of ShilohCBattle of Fort DonelsonDFirst Battle of Bull Run - 11.
Which constitutional amendment, ratified in December 1865, officially abolished slavery throughout the United States?
AThirteenth AmendmentBFourteenth AmendmentCFifteenth AmendmentDTwelfth Amendment - 12.
The Union capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 4, 1863, gave Northern forces full control of which major waterway?
AThe Ohio RiverBThe Tennessee RiverCThe Mississippi RiverDThe Cumberland River - 13.
Which Union general commanded the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Gettysburg?
AWilliam T. ShermanBGeorge G. MeadeCAmbrose BurnsideDGeorge B. McClellan - 14.
President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in November 1863 to dedicate what type of site?
AA new veterans' hospitalBA reconstructed Union army encampmentCA new Pennsylvania state capitol buildingDA national soldiers' cemetery - 15.
The Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia was constructed on the salvaged hull of which captured Union Navy warship?
AUSS MerrimackBUSS MonitorCUSS CongressDUSS Cumberland
Answer Key
Confederate artillery opened fire on the Union-garrisoned Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861, starting the Civil War.
Jefferson Davis, a former U.S. Senator from Mississippi and Secretary of War under President Pierce, was inaugurated as Confederate President in February 1861 and led the Confederacy until its defeat.
The Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, produced roughly 23,000 casualties in a single day — more deaths than any other day of combat in American history.
Eleven states seceded from the Union to form the Confederacy: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
The Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, declaring enslaved people in rebellious Confederate states free, and reshaping the moral purpose of the Union war effort.
Union forces under General George Meade successfully repelled General Lee's Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania at Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863, in what became a decisive turning point of the war.
The CSS Virginia fought the USS Monitor in Hampton Roads, Virginia, on March 8–9, 1862, in history's first battle between iron-armored warships — a clash that changed naval warfare forever.
Sherman's army marched 300 miles from Atlanta and captured Savannah, Georgia, in December 1864, cutting a devastating path through Confederate territory and crippling Southern supply lines.
Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at the McLean House in the small village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, ending major combat in the Civil War.
At the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) in July 1861, General Barnard Bee reportedly declared that Jackson was standing 'like a stone wall,' giving Thomas Jackson his famous and enduring nickname.
The Thirteenth Amendment, ratified on December 6, 1865, permanently abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, completing what the Emancipation Proclamation had begun.
With the fall of Vicksburg, the Union controlled the entire length of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two and severing vital supply routes to the western Confederate states.
General George G. Meade, appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac just three days before the battle began, led Union forces to their pivotal victory at Gettysburg on July 1–3, 1863.
Lincoln delivered his famous two-minute speech on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg, honoring the Union dead from the July battle.
After Union forces scuttled the steam frigate USS Merrimack when abandoning the Gosport Navy Yard in 1861, the Confederates raised the hull and rebuilt it as the iron-plated warship CSS Virginia.