Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States during the Civil War who was the President of the Confederate States of America?
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Key Facts About Jefferson Davis:
- Born: June 3, 1808, in Kentucky (like Lincoln, but a year earlier).
- Background: West Point graduate, Mexican-American War hero, former U.S. Senator and Secretary of War.
- CSA Presidency: February 18, 1861 – May 10, 1865 (captured by Union troops near the war’s end).
- Leadership Style: Often criticized for micromanaging and clashing with Confederate generals (like Robert E. Lee).
Robert E. Lee’s Virginia estate was confiscated by the Union and turned into a cemetery during the war. This has become know as Arlington National Cemetery.
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The Supreme Court later ruled the seizure illegal (1882) and compensated the Lee family, but by then, 20,000+ Union dead were buried there. Today, Arlington holds over 400,000 graves, including JFK’s eternal flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
This state saw the most Civil War battles during the war.
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The top 3 states with the most Civil War battles and skirmishes were:
1. Virginia
- Battles/Skirmishes: 120+ major battles, 2,154+ total engagements (per NPS data)
- Why? Home to both capitals (Richmond + D.C.), the war's Eastern Theater, and iconic clashes like Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Appomattox
2. Tennessee
- Battles/Skirmishes: 1,000+ (second only to Virginia in major battles)
- Why? Critical railroads and rivers; sites include Shiloh, Chattanooga, and Franklin
3. Missouri
- Battles/Skirmishes: 1,162+ (though many were smaller guerrilla raids)
- Why? A bitterly divided border state with brutal irregular warfare
Fun Fact: Tiny Missouri saw more fights than Georgia or Pennsylvania - despite not being a Confederate state!
Which of the following states was NOT a member of the Confederate States of America?
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Officially remained neutral early in the war, though it had a pro-Confederate faction. It never joined the CSA and was later controlled by the Union. Kentucky was so divided that it had two rival governments during the war—one Unionist, one Confederate—and sent soldiers to both armies. It’s called the "Brother Against Brother" state!
If you were drafted during the American Civil War, you could pay someone $300 to fight in your place.
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The $300 "Commutation Fee" in the Civil War Draft. A man could hire a substitute who would serve in his place, or he could simply pay $300 to get out of the obligation. source: u-s-history.com/pages/h249.html
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Which of these statements is NOT true?
While Napoleonic-style massed infantry assaults (like Pickett’s Charge) were still used, the Civil War saw advanced weaponry that made such tactics deadly. Rifled muskets (e.g., Springfield 1861) had much greater range and accuracy than smoothbore muskets, leading to higher casualties. Repeating rifles (e.g., Spencer and Henry rifles) and early machine guns (like the Gatling Gun) were also present.
More men died in the Civil War than any other American conflict.
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Roughly 2% of the population, an estimated 620,000 men, lost their lives in the line of duty. The next highest total was WWll with 405,399 deaths. source: battlefields.org/learn/articles/civil-war-casualties
No women fought in the American Civil war.
Loreta Janeta Velazquez disguised herself as a male Confederate soldier, fought at Shiloh, and was captured—then released when her gender was discovered.
The first MAJOR battle of the Civil War took place at Fort Sumter. Where was it located?
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The battle began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces bombarded the fort for 34 hours until Union troops surrendered. Remarkably, no soldiers were killed during the actual battle—the only fatalities occurred due to an accidental gunpowder explosion during the surrender ceremony. This clash marked the explosive start of the Civil War!
This was bloodiest single day of fighting in the Civil War. Over 23,000 men died in 24 hours.
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The single bloodiest day in Civil War history, was the Battle of Antietam (September 17, 1862), with around 23,000 casualties in just one day—more than any other 24-hour period in American military history. The Battle of Antietam (also called the Battle of Sharpsburg in the South) took place near Sharpsburg, Maryland, along the Antietam Creek. The battle was so deadly that a single sunken road, known as the "Bloody Lane", saw over 5,000 casualties in just three hours. By the end of the day, bodies were piled so high that soldiers said you could walk along the lane without touching the ground. The Civil War's deadliest battles were shockingly costly—Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle and had more American casualties than the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Mexican-American War combined!
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In 1863 a gunshot went through President Lincoln's hat - in an attempt to assassinate him. This occurred two years before he was actually assassinated.
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In August 1863, a sniper shot through Lincoln’s hat while he was riding horseback near the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C. (a summer retreat for presidents). Lincoln downplayed it, but his guard, Ward Hill Lamon, later confirmed the assassination attempt. The would-be assassin was never caught—and Lincoln didn’t tighten security, leading to his eventual murder in 1865.
The American Civil War lasted for
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The American Civil War lasted for four years, from April 12, 1861, to April 9, 1865 (with final surrenders concluding by June 1865).
Key Dates:
- Start: Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter (South Carolina).
- End: General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House (Virginia).
- Final Surrender: June 23, 1865 (CSS Shenandoah in Liverpool, England).
