Trivia Archives

Q. Company F of an Indiana regiment was composed of 105 men all of whom were six feet tall or over and were likely the tallest unit in the Union Army.  What is the nickname given to this company and who was the tallest man in the unit?

A. The Monroe County Grenadiers and the tallest man was David Van Buskirk at 6' 10 1/2 " tall. Also accepted several other nicknames - "The Giants", Giants of the Corn, etc.

 Q. Although he graduated 4th in his class at the USMA, this Virginian’s greatest service to the Confederacy did not come while he saw action as a Brigadier General from 1861 to 1862. He was wounded at Frayser’s Farm and returned to his pre-war occupation. He died in New Hampshire in 1892. Name him.

A. Joseph Reid Anderson

 Q. This one armed foreign born officer was arrested for assaulting his Corps commander and a fellow division commander. He was acquitted by a Military Court. Name him.

A. Thomas William Sweeney

Q. He was born in 1830 in South Carolina and served as a private in the 4th Missouri under Colonel John Burbridge. Wounded at Poison Springs, he survived his wound and lived into the early 20th century. He had an unusual physical distinction among his fellow Confederate soldiers which is verified by numerous sources. Name him and the distinction.

Q. In mid-1867, this former Civil War officer was appointed Governor of a Reconstruction Military District and made his HQ in Atlanta. In late 1867 or early 1868 (sources vary), he was removed from that command and replaced by another former Civil War officer. Name both officers.

 Q. During the Civil War, the first (and only) execution of a man convicted of slave-trading (under the prevailing Piracy Acts) took place. Name the executed man and the prison where the hanging took place.

 Q. Name the last officer to receive the Thanks of the Confederate Congress.

 Q. It was supposed to happen after the War Dept. issued an order on June 7, 1887, and President Cleveland approved it. A week later, because of popular opposition by some Union Civil War veterans, the order was revoked. It finally did happen in 1905, under Pres. Theodore Roosevelt. What happened?

 Q. This future Brigadier General was dismissed from the Military Academy for breaking a plate over the head of a future Major General. Name both.

 Q. During the Gettysburg Campaign, this officer was to demonstrate against Richmond, thereby drawing troops away from Lee's army to reinforce the capitol. But at a place east of Richmond, against what his commander thought was an inferior force, the officer withdrew instead. He was removed from command by his superior. He asked for a review of the accusations, but never got it. Name the removed officer.

Q. This small tug boat was built in PA. in 1859. It came under control of the Confederate Inspector General of Naval Ordnance at Norfolk Navy Yard in 1861. In August of 1861 Commander Fairfax took command, armed her with a rifled gun and attacked the sloop-of-war Savannah, riding at anchor off Newport News. She inflicted considerable damage on the  Savannah who was unable to train her guns effectively upon her attacker. Name her.

Q. This Confederate ship was built in England in 1864. She was captured off the North Carolina coast in 1864. Condemned by a court, she was then bought by the US Navy, repaired and commissioned under a new name. In late April, 1865 she was renamed again, becoming the 5th US warship to bear the new name. She was decommissioned in late 1865 and sold to private ownership in 1869. Name her.

Q. This Virginia native was a Civil Engineer prior to the war. He belonged to a TN regiment as a Lt. Colonel, then Colonel. Promoted to Brigadier General in 1863. Led a brigade at Missionary Ridge and the Atlanta campaign. He would lose a limb on the Fourth of July. He died in Indiana near the end of the century and is buried in TN. Name him.

Q. This Confederate had 2 children with his mistress (an ex-slave) as well as one with his wife. He fought under Jackson at Malvern Hill and Cold Harbor. Appointed Brig. General in 1862 but never confirmed. Never resumed command position again after being accused of cowardice at Antietam and another battle. Captured in 1863, never exchanged and held till end of war. Died in the 20th century. Name him.

Q. This rebel was the only officer jumped directly from Confederate  Captain to General (Brigadier). Name him.  

Q. This young man lost a leg as the result of wounds incurred at Philippi, in 1861. Upon his return home, he devised an artificial limb of such superior quality that he was able to found a firm for their manufacture that still exists. Name him.

Q. He was born in Indiana and was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he graduated 5th in his class. He became a lieutenant in the Artillery  and fought in the Seminole War in Florida. From 1841 to 1844, he was an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point). He also served in the Mexican-American War in 1846. He became the Commandant of a camp of instruction in Richmond. His manual proved to be the ideal book for the training of these young men. He briefly commanded a brigade in the field in 1861 and 1862. His highest rank was colonel. He died in the 1870's. Name him.

Q. Name the first Confederate officer to die in combat. He was a Lieutenant Colonel. Some sources say his rank was Captain.

 Q. The daily postal-mail service he ran between two important cities in the 1830's was the basis for the nickname given to this Confederate general. For one point, name him and the two cities.

 Q. A month prior to his assassination, plotters intended to kidnap Lincoln. It had been reported that he was to attend a play matinee. The conspirators laid in wait, but Lincoln was a no-show. Name the play he was supposed to attend and the building in which it was to be performed.

 Q.  This Mass. native and USMA graduate (7th in his class) spent most of  the conflict years in Europe buying war supplies. Post war he was in  business and then operated a school for over 20 years in NY where he  died in the 20th century. Name him.

 Q.  Born in Maine, she went to Costa Rica in 1853 as a teacher. In September, 1861 she was nurse to a Maine regiment and later that fall took over the brigade hospital. In May, 1862 she went to the Peninsula as a Sanitary Commission worker. In September of 1862, she went to Commission’s Soldier’s Home in Washington. In December of 1862 she was placed in charge of "Camp Misery" and shortly transformed the place, to the benefit of its inhabitants. Name her

 Q.  This officer saw action in all campaigns of the AoP (except for the Peninsular campaign). He seconded Cleveland's nomination in 1884 with the words "We love him for the enemies he has made". He would serve as a congressman, Minister to Mexico, Consul-General to Havana, and Consul-General to Hong Kong. Name him.

 03/13/08

Q.   Born in Wisconsin, he was appointed to the USMA from New York, graduating 12th in his class. He fought at First Manassas, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Although receiving brevet promotions, he was killed at Gettysburg with the permanent rank of 1st Lieutenant. Name him.

 03/12/08

Q.   This surgeon was born in Virginia, and received his medical degree in Canada. He would serve as surgeon to a unit before being put in charge of an army hospital in Georgia. He would be brevetted Lt.Col. prior to the end of the war. Post-war, he served on the faculty of a D.C. university. He's buried in Arlington. Name him.

 03/11/08

Q.   Some sources claim that this Confederate, a major during the Battle of Chancellorsville, gave the order to fire that resulted in the death of Stonewall Jackson. He would also lead a regiment during Pickett's Charge. After the war, he would become a newspaper editor only to die at the age of 27. Name him.

 03/07/08

Q.   A Brevet Brigadier General turned Bureaucrat was accused of  conspiring with an Artillery Captain turned carpetbag Federal  Legislator and others to defraud the  Federal government. While both served primarily in the western  theater, O.R. organization charts do not ever list them in the same  Corps and the Artillery Captain wound up in the Army of the Potomac.  A sensational trial which consumed many weeks and included W. T.  Sherman as a witness for the defense resulted in a hung jury as to  both men. An equally long and sensational 2nd trial with Nelson Miles  appearing as a defense witness resulted in both men being acquitted.  Name both men, must have both correct.

03/06/08

Q.   This General was in command of federal forces at Natchez , and was with Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign.  During the war he was  wounded and forced to retire . The wound left him lame for life.  After the war he was Postmaster General, Secretary of Treasury and Secretary of State.  A town in Oregon is named for him. 

 03/04/08

Q.   This Civil War figure attained the rank of brevet-brigadier general. He was also a diplomat and a newspaper editor. After the war he became Secretary of State, a position his grandson also held. Name him.

 02/28/08

Q.   Even though this Confederate officer was elected to the Second Regular Confederate Congress shortly after Chancellorsville, he remained with the army until the fall of 1864. After the war, he was offered the post of Sec. of the Navy by President Hayes but refused it. Name him.

 02/27/08

Q.   This artist's painting concentrated on the everyday camp life of the Union soldier. Many of his works are housed in two different Washington buildings. He was born in NY and died in Brooklyn. Name him.

 02/26/08

Q.   Expelled from his state legislature for striking a member, he was a Captain in June of 1861. In March of 1862, as a Colonel, he engaged the enemy in battle, against his superior’s orders, and was victorious. He was commissioned a BG USV in August of 1862. He was mustered out in August of 1865 and became Chief Justice of a Supreme Court out West. In 1867 he challenged a detractor to a duel and was killed. Name him.

 02/22/08

Q.   After serving in his brother's brigade, this Carolinian would succeed his brother as commander of the brigade. After the war he would practice law, become a U.S. Senator, and serve as Minister to Mexico. Name him.

 02/21/08

Q.   This man was the youngest general officer in the Confederate Army at the time of his appointment. He became the first to be buried in the yard of the Harrison House in Franklin, TN. Name him.

 02/20/08

Q.  Three brothers from Maine, all graduates of Bowdoin. The youngest went to fight for freedom in "Bleeding Kansas" even before attending college. He returned to volunteer at the start of the War. While positioning a regiment on the field of Second Manassas, he was mortally wounded, dying a few days later. His other two brothers were both lawyers. One saw action at Shiloh, where he was wounded and then served in garrison duty near Centreville. He was mustered out in July, 1863 and re-commissioned as Colonel in June 1864. He lost his right leg at Monett’s Bluff. Although breveted as MG, he retired in 1865 as BG USA to return to the law. His other brother, who also achieved the rank of MG, was injured in a fall from his horse in the Carolinas. He later served from Lookout Mountain through the Atlanta campaign, then in Winchester, VA. After the war he was a lawyer and legislator. He wrote a two volume biography of his father that was published in 1907. Name their father.

02/19/08

Q. This bureaucrat held the same post in the executive branch of both the U.S. and the C.S. governments. Before becoming a government worker he was admitted to the bar and edited a newspaper. Post war he worked for a bank and then became U.S. Consul in a southern hemisphere country. He died in that country and is buried there. Name him.

 02/15/08

Q. A native of Maine became the 4th Governor of a north-western state. He also represented that state in the US Senate for one term. His brother was a Civil War officer who would end the Civil War with a brevet Major-General rank. Name both brothers.

 02/14/08

Q. This officer, born in Indian Territory, was the step-son of a Mexican War general. He graduated from an Academy in Massachusetts. By the time the war started, he was a Union Captain in the cavalry, and fought at 1st Bull Run. He would later serve as a staff officer to at least 2 Generals, and became a Brigadier-General in early 1863, and led a cavalry division at a famous East TN battle. After the war he served as a US Indian Inspector and Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs before dying in Maine. Name him.

 02/13/08

Q.  In the early days of 1862, a force of 800+ Confederates camped near a creek in north-central Missouri. A force of about 450 Union troops found them despite heavy fog. After less than an hour of fighting, the Confederates were routed. Total number of men killed in engagement was just less than 50. Name the battle.

 02/12/08

Q.  He finished last in his USMA class. In this fight he had to defend so many sectors of his line at the same time that he fought in a complete circle, a formation that anticipated another battle he would wage twelve years hence, against opponents in war paint rather than Confederate gray. Name the officer and the Civil War battle. Must have both correct.

Question by Dennis Conklin

 02/08/08

Q.  It was built during the War of 1812, on an island named "Cole's". It guarded the Stono River and was designated Battery No. 7. Now protected by an easement, the site still remains nearly inaccessible. Name it.

 02/07/08

Q. He was a Quaker born in the South and served as a delegate in the International Anti-Slavery Conference in Paris. He moved to Indiana, where his home is now a National Historic Landmark. He was known as the President of the Underground Railroad. Name him.

(Question by Dick Clark)

 02/05/08

Q. This native of a cotton state and Graduate of the University of Va. entered the war as a private in an infantry regiment, left that regiment and enrolled in another. In the fall of 1861 he became a staff officer and served on the staff of his uncle until that general was killed in 1863. He served as a staff officer in Richmond for most of the rest of the war and was captured at Sayler's Creek. Post war he published an article about an important event in the war's closing days, practiced law and served in the legislative branch of his state government. He died in the 20th century. Name him.

02/02/08

Q. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 5,1861, at Salem, Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, he was mustered into Company F, 23rd Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers where he served as a clerk and occasionally drew military maps. He was first sent to Annapolis, Maryland and then to North Carolina. While stationed in North Carolina, he took part in the expedition against Roanoke Island, the New Bern campaign, and other engagements. Later in the war, he served in South Carolina in the vicinity of Port Royal, Hilton Head and St. Helena. In Virginia, he served at Cold Harbor and took part in the siege of Petersburg. He chose not to re-enlist and was discharged on October 16, 1864. One of his names is synonymous with a February Holiday. Name him.

 02/01/08

Q. He was a teacher, lawyer, and Confederate Soldier. Served under General Sterling Price, General John Marmaduke. After the war he  set up a law practice in St. Louis, Missouri. There he had an ongoing feud with the editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. One day he and a fellow attorney  stormed into the editor's office with the intention of slapping him and demanding an apology. The editor picked up a revolver and shot him  in the heart killing him instantly., stating later he had acted in self defense. Prior to his demise he had written a famous poem about the burial of a certain general's flag in Mexico. Name him.

 1/31/08

Q. Born in New York in 1844, this Ohio soldier survived the war and became a noted author, poet and public speaker. He graduated from Yale after the war. As a Consul, he was instrumental in getting a Federal veterans cemetery established in a foreign country. He died at the age of 69. Name him and the cemetery location. Both answers are required for the point.

(Question by Robin Ansell)

 1/30/08

Q.  This native of a northeastern state served throughout the war. He became a 2nd Lieutenant in an inf. regiment of a Midwestern state in Aug. of 1861 and a captain in June of 1862. He was breveted Major for Port Hudson and also received the brevets of Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel in 1865. Post war he settled in an adopted state and became a bankruptcy official. Subsequently he represented that state in the legislative
branch of the Federal Government. He died in Chicago in the second decade of the 20th century. Name him.
(Question by Dennis Conklin)

A. Legrand Winfield Perce

 1/29/08

Q.  Buried in Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha, WI. Born on November 2, 1840 in Wilimington, South Carolina. He enlisted in the South Carolina Cavalry when hostilities broke out with the north and served until his capture with General Lee in April 1865. He has the distinction of being both one of the oldest living Confederate Veterans as well as the only known black Confederate that is buried in Wisconsin. He died at 103 years of age on December 27, 1943.  Name him.

A. Arthur A. Reese

1/25/08

Q.  This New England artillery commander was a multi-talented individual. Attending West Point (Class of 1839), he subsequently wrote a scholarly financial treatise, supported women's rights and the abolitionist cause. Resigning in late 1862, due to 'unrelenting persecution' (particularly by Republican politicians), he died in Somerset after the war. He was related to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Name him? (Question by Robin Ansell)

A. Col William Batchelder GREENE USA (1819-1878)

 1/24/08

Q.  This Confederate Congressman did not survive the war. Before the war he was a lawyer and a state senator, he also shot and killed a man in the local court house and was acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity. One brother was killed at Gettysburg, another sibling was mortally wounded in the Wilderness, only one brother survived the war in spite of multiple wounds. He was engaged in repelling an incursion of wandering Unionist guerrillas from a neighboring state when he was mortally wounded. Name him.(Question by Dennis Conklin)

A. William Waightstill Avery aka William Waigstill Avery

1/23/08

Q.  This Civil War veteran is often credited with making possible Virginia's support during U.S. Grant's Presidential campaign. He would serve as consul to Hong Kong, a lawyer to a California railroad, Interior Dept. employee, and as an assistant Attorney General in the D.O.J. Name him...

A. John Mosby

1/22/08

Q.  It's well known that on the body of Lincoln's assassin there were 5 photographs of women  found - 4 actresses and a politician's daughter. Name the politician's daughter and 2 of the actresses.

A. Alice Grey, Helen Western, Effie Germon, and Fanny Brown. The fifth was Lucy Hale, daughter of John P. Hale, former senator from New Hampshire

1/18/08

Q. This New England veteran served in the same regiment as his Surgeon father. He achieved far greater post-war fame in his chosen international career, which ended abruptly in the early 20th century, with the tragic sinking of a passenger liner. Name him?(Question by Robin Ansell)

A. Drummer Francis Davis MILLET USA (1846-1912)

1/17/08

Q. He was born in Philadelphia in 1843 where he received his education.. In September, 1862, he enlisted as a private in a Pennsylvania militia regiment, and served in the ranks during the Antietam campaign, after which he was honorably discharged. In October he was appointed 2d lieutenant in a Pennsylvania cavalry unit, and served in the Army of the Potomac in the Fredericksburg campaign, and in Gen. Stoneman's cavalry raid of April and May, 1863. He was promoted to the rank of captain and aide-de-camp in June, 1863, and appointed to the staff of his father, who then commanded the a corps in the Army of the Potomac. He has the same name as his very famous father. Who was he?  (Question by Steve Daniels)

A. George Gordon Meade Jr.

1/16/08

Q. On a spring morning in 1864 a detail of eight men from a New England outfit ( it's 2nd corps divisional commander called one of the best in his division) assembled to execute a repeat deserter. The officer named to head the firing squad talked his way out of the assignment and persuaded another captain to take his place. Some sources say he had deserted three times, once pardoned by Lincoln, A second time, running away under fire in the Wilderness, he talked his superiors into giving him yet another chance, for this, his third transgression he died with seven bullets in his body. Name the deserter.
(Question by Dennis Conklin)

A. John D. Starbird

 1/15/08
Q. This monument, the figure of a lady, keeps tranquility in the soldiers field in Laurel Grove Cemetery. Savannahians know her by a special nickname. She was originally in the cupola of the Confederate monument in Forsyth Park. When she was removed that section was bricked and decorated and she was placed in Laurel Grove Cemetery on a handsome pedestal donated by Captain H. J. Dickerson in the soldiers lot. The front reads: "To The Confederate Dead. To The Men of Gettysburg." Unveiled 1875 What is the nickname given to the statue?
(Question by Steve Daniels)

A. Silence

1/14/08
Q. This USMA graduate and son of a career officer wore a major general's shoulder straps in two wars. Two of his uncles were Confederate generals (C.S.A.) Name him.
Question by Dennis Conklin

A. Fitz Lee