Deck 13: A Nation Torn Apart: the Civil War, 1861-1865

Question 1

Union General George McClellan's 1861 letter to his wife stating that "I seem to have become the power of the land, I almost think that were I to win some small success now I could become Dictator or anything else that might please me," reveals that was one of his greatest flaws and eventually led to his removal as general of the Army of the Potomac.

A) procrastination
B) arrogance
C) poor decision making
D) brutality

Answer 1

arrogance

Question 2

How did the newly-developed minie balls, which are pictured on the left, change warfare as compared to the more traditional musket balls, which are featured on the right?

A) They were designed to inflict minimal damage to a victim.
B) Their design made it possible to hit a target at a greater distance.
C) They were less expensive to produce.
D) They were easier to ship to the front lines of battle.

Answer 2

Their design made it possible to hit a target at a greater distance.

Question 3

To the Union, what did their defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, indicate about the Civil War?

A) It was going to need Britain or France to intervene on its behalf.
B) It required more volunteers to fight against the higher number of Confederate soldiers.
C) It decided to focus its war strategy on controlling the Mississippi River first.
D) It had to reconsider that the war would not be as short and bloodless as everyone had predicted.

Answer 3

It had to reconsider that the war would not be as short and bloodless as everyone had predicted.

Question 4

How does First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln's personal story reflect the peculiar nature of the Civil War?

A) Both she and her husband were born in Confederate states.
B) Two of her sons served as generals on opposite sides of the war.
C) She was charged by federal officials of spying for the Confederacy.
D) She lost three brothers who were killed while fighting for the Confederacy.

Question 5

Which of the following was an advantage that the Confederates had at the beginning of the Civil War?

A) a powerful, well-organized navy
B) a military alliance with Great Britain and France
C) the military experience and leadership of General Ulysses S. Grant
D) a large geographic area that promoted a defensive war

Question 6

This map, which depicts McClellan's 1862 Peninsular Campaign in Virginia, shows that his unachieved goal during this campaign was to .

A) capture the Confederate capital of Richmond
B) keep Chesapeake Bay from falling into Confederate control
C) defend the Union capital at Washington, D.C.
D) cut off eastern Virginia from the rest of the Confederacy

Question 7

What was the major reason for the high death rate among soldiers on both sides during the Civil War?

A) technological advances in weaponry
B) poor planning by generals during huge battles
C) disease
D) hand-to-hand combat

Question 8

What effect did the drawing, "Entrance of the Fifty-Fifth Massachusetts (colored) Regiment into Charleston Feb 21, 1865" from Harper's Weekly magazine, have on Northern viewers?

A) It endorsed the idea that racism through segregated military units was acceptable.
B) It showed that emancipation and restoration of the Union justified the high number of war casualties.
C) It promoted reconciliation with their former Southern enemies.
D) It reaffirmed the belief that African Americans were inferior to whites.

Question 9

Which of the following best characterizes the Confiscation Acts?

A) The Confiscation Acts were early efforts to emancipate slaves.
B) The Confiscation Acts were unpopular among Northern abolitionists.
C) The Confiscation Acts extended the naval blockade of the South.
D) The Confiscation Acts ordered the seizure of land from disloyal Southerners.

Question 10

Even though the Union poster "The Eagle's Nest" and the Confederate song sheet "Secession Quick Step" sent different messages to the public in order to boost morale at the beginning of the Civil War, they both .

A) used patriotic symbols and themes associated with the American Revolution
B) upheld the values found in the United States Constitution
C) emphasized the importance of states' rights over a strong central government
D) utilized quotes made by Andrew Jackson during his presidency

Question 11

Why was the 1862 Battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia, considered an early turning point in the Civil War?

A) Robert E. Lee took over command of the Army of Northern Virginia.
B) Lincoln replaced General George McClellan due to his arrogant behavior.
C) General "Stonewall" Jackson was killed, thus costing the Confederacy a major loss.
D) The Union Army was able to besiege the Confederate capital at Richmond.

Question 12

What made the Border States different from other states in the Union?

A) There was more pro-Union support in most of these states than in others further north.
B) They contained 80 percent of the Union's factories.
C) They had nearly half of the Union's white male population.
D) They were slave-holding states.

Question 13

How could this table justify Horace Greeley's 1861 statement that "Jeff Davis and Co. will be swinging from the battlements at Washington at least by the 4th of July"?

A) The table emphasizes the Northern belief that its soldiers were fighting to preserve the Union and uphold the Constitution.
B) The table reveals that the North did not need Confederate cotton to survive.
C) The table suggests that the disparities between the North and South would lead to a quick Union victory.
D) The table shows that the Confederate government under Jefferson Davis was unorganized and divided.

Question 14

This cartoon from the British magazine Punch indicates that after a Union warship removed two Confederate leaders off the British ship Trent, Lincoln decided to .

A) release the prisoners in order to avoid war with Britain
B) execute the prisoners and face a possible war with Britain
C) keep the Confederates imprisoned for the duration of the war
D) stop exports to Britain because they sympathized with the Confederacy

Question 15

Why did the Confederacy establish a cotton embargo in 1861?

A) The Confederacy did not want any of its cotton exported to textile mills in the North.
B) The Confederacy was trying to coerce Britain and France so they would intervene in the war on its behalf.
C) The Union blockade prevented them from exporting cotton to European nations.
D) The Confederacy needed its cotton more at home in order to make more uniforms and clothing.

Question 16

What does this print of the Zouaves from the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry, which was made in the early stages of the Civil War, convey about soldiers' attitudes toward war at this point in time?

A) Soldiers were more interested in fighting for liberty than getting attention through style.
B) Most of the men who fought for the Union had a great deal of combat experience.
C) Soldiers viewed participation in war as idealistic and adventurous.
D) Soldiers like the Zouaves were expert marksmen.

Question 17

Which of the following was part of the Union's military strategy for mobilization at the start of the Civil War?

A) calling for volunteers to serve for one year
B) blockading the Southern coast with its navy
C) recruiting large numbers of African American soldiers to fight
D) abolishing slavery in the Border States that remained in the Union

Question 18

Based on this map, why was it most important for Lincoln to keep the Border State of Maryland from seceding?

A) Maryland's secession would mean losing control of the Ohio River Valley.
B) The navy could not afford to extend the Union's ocean blockade to one more coastal state.
C) Losing Maryland would leave the Union capital surrounded by Confederate territory.
D) Without Maryland, the city of Philadelphia would have no access to a seaport.

Question 19

As shown on this map, what was the major outcome of the series of Union victories in the western part of the Confederacy between 1862 and 1863?

A) They prevented a Confederate invasion of Missouri and Kentucky.
B) They cut the Confederacy in half and gained control of the Mississippi River.
C) They established a pro-Union government in Arkansas.
D) They captured key Confederate fortresses in the Ohio River Valley.

Question 20

Even though the Civil War has been called the first modern war, what factor dealing with technological advances led to challenges for those involved?

A) Messages about battles were difficult to convey through telegraph.
B) Railroads often took too long to transport soldiers to the battle front.
C) Soldiers on both sides were unfamiliar with loading minie balls into their rifles.
D) Military commanders preferred to implement the more traditional patterns of waging war.

Question 21

How do Theodore Kaufman's painting On to Liberty on the right and the drawing "Entrance of the Fifty-Fifth Massachusetts (colored) Regiment into Charleston Feb 21, 1865" depict African Americans during the Civil War?

A) They are shown to be excluded from the war effort.
B) Both images portray them as joyous victors.
C) Their willingness to go to battle is captured by both images.
D) These images address them as being agents of their own liberty.

Question 22

Black lynchings such as the one illustrated in this image of New York City in 1863 were the result of white New Yorkers responding to the .

A) Emancipation Proclamation
B) new military draft that exempted the rich
C) Copperheads' demands for a cease-fire with the Confederacy
D) increased competition with blacks for wage-paying jobs

Question 23

Which provision of the 1863 Conscription Act led to resentment by many Northerners?

A) the ability to buy one's way out of the draft in exchange for a high fee
B) the inclusion of immigrants among those who might be drafted
C) the clemency offered to those who disappeared to escape the draft
D) the state-based quota system for the draft

Question 24

Why did this cartoon from a Richmond newspaper, which depicted a rich speculator, anger Southerners?

A) Speculators hoarded supplies and sold them at exorbitant prices while people went hungry.
B) Speculators were illegally smuggling cotton supplies to Britain and getting wealthy.
C) Speculators evaded the draft and refused to pay the Confederate income tax.
D) Speculators were aiding blacks and ignoring the plight of white citizens.

Question 25

How does the image of war as seen in Alexander Gardner's photograph of the aftermath of
The Battle of Antietam compare with the image of the celebrated Zouaves of the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry?

A) The brutality seen in the photograph accords with the fierce masculinity of the Zouaves.
B) The devastation portrayed in the photograph shows how well prepared such soldiers as the Zouaves were.
C) The photograph appears to be anti-war propaganda when compared with the historical accuracy of the drawing.
D) The grim reality of the photograph exposes the foolish romanticism of the Zouaves.

Question 26

Despite being a smashing victory, why did the Battle of Chancellorsville come at a heavy price for the Confederacy?

A) General "Stonewall" Jackson was accidentally killed by his own troops.
B) By focusing efforts at Chancellorsville, the South lost control of the West.
C) It revealed the incompetence of General Robert E. Lee.
D) The Army of Northern Virginia lost half its men.

Question 27

President Lincoln understood that the emancipation of African-American slaves would

A) win the sympathies of those who lived in Border States
B) prevent British intervention on behalf of the Confederacy
C) doom any hopes of a Union victory in Virginia
D) motivate white troops

Question 28

What seems to be the main purpose of this illustration?

A) encouraging African Americans to move west
B) arguing that African Americans' greatest contributions were off the battlefield
C) portraying African-American soldiers as lacking courage
D) celebrating the contributions of African Americans to the war effort

Question 29

Even though Thomas Mann's 1876 sculpture The Freedman's Memorial was mostly funded by former slaves, what conflicting message does this monument visually express?

A) Abraham Lincoln originally did not plan to emancipate slaves at the beginning of the Civil War.
B) African Americans were portrayed as passive figures that played no role in gaining their freedom.
C) The statue is located in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy.
D) The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves who were in areas of rebellion, not the Border States.

Question 30

Legislation passed during the Civil War gave the federal government the power to do which of the following for the first time?

A) print paper money
B) levy an income tax
C) create a national bank
D) establish tariffs

Question 31

What made the Battle of Gettysburg different from other battles fought in the Civil War?

A) It was the longest battle fought during the Civil War.
B) More soldiers combined from both sides died there than in any other battle.
C) The Confederacy was able to control all the immediate territory around Washington, D.C.
D) It was the only battle fought on Union soil that did not include the Border States.

Question 32

What eventually made this Massachusetts 54th Regiment poster that was designed to recruit black soldiers inaccurate?

A) Black soldiers were never allowed to fight in the Union Army.
B) Black soldiers were eventually promoted to positions of leadership in their regiments.
C) Lincoln's decision to cut wages for black soldiers to $7.00 a month.
D) Black and white regiments were eventually integrated during the Civil War.

Question 33

Which was a major problem on the Southern home front throughout the Civil War?

A) violent slave insurrections
B) a sharp drop in prices
C) frequent strikes by workers
D) food shortages

Question 34

Lack of unity among Southerners was evidenced by Jefferson Davis's vice president, Alexander Stephens, who criticized .

A) Confederate military generals
B) Davis's political campaign strategies
C) the draft and income tax
D) the ban on cotton exports

Question 35

How did the Civil War affect women in both the North and South?

A) They fought for the right to serve in the military.
B) They took on new responsibilities outside the domestic domain.
C) They strived to maintain their traditional roles.
D) They began to advocate for more legal rights for themselves.

Question 36

Recruitment efforts by Dorothea Dix, who was head of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, eventually led to women dominating the profession.

A) teaching
B) domestic
C) nursing
D) civil service

Question 37

Who were the Copperheads?

A) Northern Democrats who argued for a cease-fire with the Confederacy
B) Northern Democrats who supported the cause of the Union
C) Southern Democrats who opposed secession
D) Southern Democrats who freed their slaves

Question 38

What are the Copperheads in this cartoon from Harper's Weekly preventing the goddess Liberty from accomplishing?

A) freeing the slaves
B) negotiating with Britain
C) fighting the Confederacy
D) arresting Union dissenters

Question 39

The Battle of Antietam in 1862 was considered a major turning point of the Civil War because .

A) the victory afforded President Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation
B) it was the last time Confederate troops would enter Union territory
C) General Robert E. Lee was never again as aggressive for the rest of the campaign in Virginia
D) Confederate forces were forced to hurriedly withdraw into the Carolinas

Question 40

The Emancipation Proclamation .

A) was issued after a major Confederate victory
B) did not apply to the Border States
C) declared that all African Americans were now free
D) forced Britain to recognize the Confederacy

Question 41

How did this image, which was made shortly after Lincoln's assassination and captures popular anger against the war and a call to execute Jefferson Davis, contradict Lincoln's message in his Second Inaugural Address in which he stated "With malice toward none, with charity for all,…let us…bind up the nation's wounds…"?

A) Lincoln had desired a peaceful reconciliation with the Confederacy.
B) Lincoln's address actually called for harsher punishments for the South.
C) Lincoln had called for Lee's execution, not Davis's.
D) Lincoln wanted Davis executed in retaliation for John Brown's execution.

Question 42

Who did Lincoln name as commander of all the Union armies in 1864?

A) William T. Sherman
B) Joseph Hooker
C) Ulysses S. Grant
D) George Meade

Question 43

Many of General Grant's victories in Virginia were characterized by .

A) the use of guerrilla tactics
B) tens of thousands of Union casualties
C) taking advantage of the blunders of General Lee
D) the employment of unusual strategies to compensate for having fewer troops

Question 44

General William T. Sherman's comments to his army stating that "We are not only fighting hostile armies but a hostile people, and we must make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hand of war, as well as their organized armies," reflects which Union war strategy?

A) the Anaconda Plan
B) the "scorched earth" campaign
C) Special Field Order No 15
D) unconditional surrender

Question 45

The image of "Columbia" on this "cotton bond" sold to raise cash for the Confederacy shows that, like Northerners, Southerners .

A) revered women for their contributions to the war effort
B) longed for the pre-war past
C) looked to Europe for ways to symbolize their hopes
D) associated their cause with liberty

Question 46

This photograph showing the ruins of Columbia, South Carolina, after Union forces set fire to it demonstrates the .

A) dangers of a successful slave insurrection
B) results of an unsuccessful attempt to hold peace negotiations in that city
C) Union's desire for vengeance on South Carolina, which started the secession movement
D) Confederacy's reluctance to defend one of its greatest strongholds

Question 47

Lee surrendered to Grant at , thus bringing an end to the Civil War.

A) Richmond, Virginia
B) Washington, D.C.
C) Atlanta, Georgia
D) Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia

Question 48

How did those who published this illustration of the Fort Pillow massacre most likely hope the public would react?

A) with outrage toward the Confederate soldiers
B) with disgust with the African-American soldiers
C) with righteousness in favor of the Confederate cause
D) with hope for a cease fire

Question 49

According to this broadside from Lincoln's 1864 presidential campaign, the victory of his Democratic opponent, George B. McClellan, would result in .

A) the continuation of slavery
B) reunification with the South
C) victory for the Confederates
D) freedom for slaves

Question 50

What conclusion can be made about the composition of the Confederate Army during the span of the Civil War?

A) The Confederate Army had more African American soldiers serving than the Union Army did.
B) The number of enlisted Confederate soldiers declined between 1862 and 1863 due to high battle casualties.
C) The Confederate Army needed to have numbers similar to the Union Army's since they were planning on invading the North.
D) The Confederate Army was smaller than the Union Army due the South's smaller population.