Trivia

Question:
What state in proportion to its population, sent more men to the Civil War than any other state?

Answer:
Missouri - the total number of Missouri soldiers who served (on both sides) in the Civil War was 199,111.

Question:
How much ammunition did a Civil War Infantryman carry into battle?

Answer:
The official ammunition load for a Civil War Infantryman to carry into battle was 60 rounds (40 in his cartridge box and 20 in his pockets)

Question:
Who was the only person to be awarded two Medal's of Honor in the Civil War?

Answer:
Tom Custer (brother of George Armstrong Custer) was awarded two Medal's of Honor for capturing two Confederate flags within 3 days in 1865. He captured his first at Namozine Church on April 3, 1865 and his second at Sayler's Creek. He died with his brothers at the Little Big Horn in 1876.

Question:
Who was the "Angel of Marye's Heights"?

Answer:
Union and Confederate soldiers gave this name to sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, after he risked his life to carry water and provide comfort to wounded Union soldiers at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Sergeant Kirkland was killed the following year at the Battle of Chickamauga.

Question:
What was called "ole tangle foot" and "oil of gladness" by Civil War soldiers?

Answer:
Both nicknames refer to alcoholic beverages, which were said to have taken more men out of action than bullets.

Question:
How many Confederate and Union generals were killed or mortally wounded in action during the Civil War?

Answer:
77 Confederate generals and 47 Union generals were killed or mortally wounded in action. This works out to 18% of Confederate generals and 8% of Union generals died from battle wounds.

Question:
How were battles named during the Civil War?

Answer:
With some exceptions, Federal forces tended to name battles for the nearest body of water, while the Confederates named battles after the nearest community-practices which gave some battles more than one name, like Bull Run/Manassas and Antietam/Sharpsburg.

Question:
Where and when did the bloodiest eight minutes of the Civil War occur?

Answer:
The bloodiest eight minutes of the Civil War occurred on June 3, 1864 at Cold Harbor, Virginia. Grant's massive frontal assault against Lee's well entrenched line resulted in 7,000 Union and 1,500 Confederate casualties in less than eight minutes. Grant later stated that this attack had been the greatest mistake in his military career.

Question:
If a soldier was said to be "Showing the white feather" during the Civil War, his companions were saying what about him?

Answer:
If you were said to be "Showing the white feather", you were being accused of being a coward.

Question:
What were the approximate death totals (from all causes) for both sides as a result of the Civil War?

Answer:
Approximately 360,000 Union soldiers and approximately 135,000 Confederates died during the Civil War.