Small Talk-Trivia

The Civil War Trivia Quiz Book

By Stephen Davis · Originally published August 2018 · pp. 39–46

A delightful surprise while I was recently in Baton Rouge was when a member of the Baton Rouge Civil War Round Table gave me as a gift William Terdoslavich’s The Civil War Trivia Quiz Book (New York, 1984). We take our questions this month from it.

1. What did “Jeb” stand for, in the common nickname for Confederate Maj. Gen. “Jeb” Stuart (1833–1864)? 2. What was Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s nickname? How did it come about? 3. Name the two Union

warships sunk by the CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads, March 8, 1862. 4. What fort did Sherman’s troops have to storm in order to take Savannah in December 1864? 5. What Kansas town, a hotbed of abolitionist sentiment, became the target of a raid by William Quantrill’s band in August 1863? 6. In terms of casualties, what is the battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862, known for? 7. Who took command of the Union I Corps after Maj. Gen. John Reynolds death, July 1, at Gettysburg? 8. In the battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, what Confederate corps commander was wounded? 9. Who was the manager of the theater where President Lincoln was fatally shot, April 14, 1865? 10. What Civil War battle was featured in the film How the West Was Won (1962)?

Answers found on page 46. Steve Davis is the Civil War News Book Review Editor. He can be contacted by email at: [email protected].

Answers 1. James Ewell Brown (Stuart). 2. “Cump.” Terdoslavich explains, “His brothers and sisters found his middle name, Tecumseh, too difficult to pronounce, so they shortened it.” 3. The USS Congress and the USS Cumberland. 4. Fort McAllister. 5. Lawrence, Kansas. 6. The highest number of Americans killed on a single day in U.S. history. 7. Brig. Gen. Abner Doubleday. 8. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet. 9. John Ford. 10. Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862.