Civil War 1860-1865 — Practice Quiz
A US History cheat sheet for Civil War 1860-1865 — every key formula with its symbols defined — plus a medium-level practice quiz to test recall.
Formulas & key concepts
Federal fort in Charleston Harbor, SC; site of first shots of Civil War
Where: Confederate attack led to Lincoln calling for troops
Slave states that remained in the Union (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri)
Where: Strategic importance to North; Lincoln handled carefully
Union war strategy to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River
Where: Designed by Winfield Scott to "squeeze" the South
Confederate strategy to use cotton exports to gain support from Britain and France
Where: Failed as Europe found other sources (India, Egypt)
First major battle of the Civil War; Confederate victory
Where: Shattered Northern hopes for a quick war; "Stonewall" Jackson
Union General known for organizing the Army of the Potomac but criticized for being overly cautious
Where: Ran against Lincoln in 1864 election
Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
Where: Brilliant tactician; declined offer to command Union army
Bloodiest single-day battle in US history; Union strategic victory
Where: Gave Lincoln the opportunity to issue Emancipation Proclamation
Warships covered with iron plating (Monitor vs. Merrimack/Virginia)
Where: Marked end of wooden warships
Union General who won key victories in the West (Vicksburg) and later commanded all Union armies
Where: Accepted Lee's surrender at Appomattox
Bloody battle in Tennessee; Union victory that gained control of upper Mississippi River valley
Where: Showed the war would be long and bloody
Union siege that led to the capture of the Mississippi River
Where: Split the Confederacy in two
Executive order by Lincoln freeing slaves in Confederate-held territories
Where: Changed war aim to ending slavery; prevented European intervention
One of the first African American regiments organized in the North
Where: Led heroic assault on Fort Wagner
Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and sympathized with the South
Where: Also known as Peace Democrats
Constitutional protection against unlawful imprisonment
Where: Suspended by Lincoln to silence dissenters
Nurse who cared for wounded soldiers on the battlefield; "Angel of the Battlefield"
Where: Founded the American Red Cross
Turning point of the Civil War; Union victory that stopped Lee's second invasion of the North
Where: Bloodiest battle of the war (3 days)
Failed Confederate infantry assault on the last day of Gettysburg
Where: Disastrous defeat for Lee
Famous speech by Lincoln dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg
Where: Redefined war as a struggle for human equality ("new birth of freedom")
Union General known for his "March to the Sea" through Georgia
Where: Practiced "total war" to destroy Southern morale and resources
Military strategy involving the destruction of civilian and economic resources
Where: Used by Sherman to end the war sooner
Location where Lee surrendered to Grant, effectively ending the Civil War
Where: Generous terms of surrender
Confederate sympathizer who assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre
Where: Part of a larger conspiracy
Violent disturbances in New York City against the new draft laws
Where: Fueled by racial tensions and class resentment ("rich man's war, poor man's fight")
Infamous Confederate prisoner-of-war camp in Georgia
Where: Thousands of Union soldiers died from starvation and disease
Confederate General known for his steadfastness at Bull Run
Where: Accidentally killed by his own men at Chancellorsville
Union Admiral who captured New Orleans and Mobile Bay
Where: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"
Escaped slaves who joined the Union army lines
Where: Given protection and work by Union forces
Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery throughout the United States
Where: Passed Congress before war ended; ratified after
Practice quiz
What event marked the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, leading President Lincoln to call for troops?
- The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter
- The Battle of Gettysburg
- The Emancipation Proclamation
- Sherman's March to the Sea
Answer: The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter
Which Union strategy, designed by Winfield Scott, aimed to blockade Southern ports and gain control of the Mississippi River to "squeeze" the Confederacy?
- Cotton Diplomacy
- The Anaconda Plan
- Total War
- Pickett's Charge
Answer: The Anaconda Plan
The First Battle of Bull Run in 1861 was significant because it was the first major battle of the Civil War and resulted in what outcome?
- A decisive Union victory that ended the war quickly.
- A Confederate victory that shattered Northern hopes for a quick war.
- The capture of Richmond by Union forces.
- The issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Answer: A Confederate victory that shattered Northern hopes for a quick war.
The Battle of Antietam in 1862 is remembered as the bloodiest single-day battle in US history and provided President Lincoln with the strategic opportunity to issue what important document?
- The Gettysburg Address
- The Thirteenth Amendment
- The Emancipation Proclamation
- The Anaconda Plan
Answer: The Emancipation Proclamation
Which Union General achieved key victories in the Western theater, including Vicksburg, and later commanded all Union armies, ultimately accepting Robert E. Lee's surrender?
- George B. McClellan
- William Tecumseh Sherman
- Ulysses S. Grant
- David Farragut
Answer: Ulysses S. Grant
The Union victory at the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863 was crucial because it achieved what strategic goal?
- It forced Britain and France to support the Confederacy.
- It led to the immediate end of the war.
- It gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two.
- It resulted in the capture of Robert E. Lee.
Answer: It gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two.
What was a significant consequence of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863?
- It immediately freed all slaves throughout the United States.
- It convinced Britain and France to intervene on behalf of the Confederacy.
- It changed the Union's war aim to include ending slavery and discouraged European intervention.
- It led to a swift Confederate surrender.
Answer: It changed the Union's war aim to include ending slavery and discouraged European intervention.
Often considered the turning point of the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 resulted in a Union victory that achieved what?
- It opened the way for a Confederate invasion of Washington D.C.
- It stopped Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North.
- It led to the capture of Ulysses S. Grant.
- It secured control of the Mississippi River for the Confederacy.
Answer: It stopped Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North.
Union General William Tecumseh Sherman is best known for his "March to the Sea" through Georgia, during which he employed the strategy of "total war." What did "total war" involve?
- Limiting military engagements to only direct combat between armies.
- Focusing solely on capturing enemy capital cities.
- Destroying civilian and economic resources to break the enemy's will to fight.
- Negotiating peace treaties with local populations.
Answer: Destroying civilian and economic resources to break the enemy's will to fight.
Which constitutional amendment, ratified after the Civil War, officially abolished slavery throughout the United States?
- The First Amendment
- The Tenth Amendment
- The Thirteenth Amendment
- The Fifteenth Amendment
Answer: The Thirteenth Amendment
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