The American Civil War was a defining moment in U.S. history. Fought between 1861 and 1865, it pitted the Union states of the North against the secessionist Confederate states of the South over the issues of slavery and states’ rights. Here we have compiled 51 riddles to test your knowledge of this turbulent time period.
Riddles About the Beginning of the Civil War
These riddles cover the events leading up to and at the start of the Civil War.
Riddle 1
I was elected president in 1860 but before I could take office, seven Southern states seceded from the Union. Who am I?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln
Riddle 2
We were a series of seven debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas over the issue of slavery. What are we?
Answer: The Lincoln-Douglas debates
Riddle 3
I issued a proclamation in late 1860 stating I would use force to uphold federal laws and collect tariffs in the seceded Southern states. Who am I?
Answer: President James Buchanan
Riddle 4
I was the first state to secede from the Union in December 1860. Who am I?
Answer: South Carolina
Riddle 5
We were a failed last-ditch attempt in 1861 to avert the Civil War by proposing constitutional amendments to protect slavery. What are we?
Answer: The Crittenden Compromise
Riddle 6
I was opened by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861, starting the Civil War. What am I?
Answer: The Battle of Fort Sumter
Riddle 7
I allowed President Lincoln to raise an army of 500,000 men after the attack on Fort Sumter. What am I?
Answer: The Militia Act of 1862
Riddles About Key Civil War Figures
These riddles are about important people on both sides of the Civil War.
Riddle 8
I was the president of the Confederate States of America throughout its existence during the Civil War. Who am I?
Answer: Jefferson Davis
Riddle 9
I was the commanding general of the Confederate States Army but resigned my commission to become an advisor to Jefferson Davis. Who am I?
Answer: Robert E. Lee
Riddle 10
I was a famous Southern cavalry commander known as the “Wizard of the Saddle” for my daring battlefield tactics. Who am I?
Answer: Nathan Bedford Forrest
Riddle 11
I was a Northern abolitionist who led the failed raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 trying to start a slave rebellion. Who am I?
Answer: John Brown
Riddle 12
I was the commanding general of the Union Army and later the 18th president of the United States. Who am I?
Answer: Ulysses S. Grant
Riddle 13
I was Grant’s main adversary, the mastermind behind the Confederates’ military strategy for much of the Civil War. Who am I?
Answer: Robert E. Lee
Riddle 14
I was a famous Southern spy during the Civil War, nicknamed the “Siren of the South” for my espionage skills. Who am I?
Answer: Belle Boyd
Riddles About Major Civil War Battles
These riddles cover some of the most famous and pivotal battles of the Civil War.
Riddle 15
I was the first major battle of the Civil War, fought near Manassas Junction, Virginia, in July 1861. Who am I?
Answer: The First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)
Riddle 16
I was a bloody September 1862 battle that halted Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the North. Who am I?
Answer: The Battle of Antietam
Riddle 17
I was a December 1862 battle and major Union victory that gave them control of the Mississippi River. Who am I?
Answer: The Battle of Shiloh
Riddle 18
I was a July 1863 battle considered the turning point of the war, where the Union repelled Lee’s second invasion of the North. Who am I?
Answer: The Battle of Gettysburg
Riddle 19
I was a May 1864 battle known as the “The Hell that was Petersburg” where Grant’s forces suffered heavy losses against Confederates at Petersburg, Virginia. Who am I?
Answer: The Battle of the Crater
Riddle 20
I was a September 1864 battle that finally allowed Union forces to capture Atlanta, Georgia. Who am I?
Answer: The Battle of Atlanta
Riddles About the End of the Civil War
These riddles are about the conclusion of the war and its aftermath.
Riddle 21
I was a march made by General Sherman from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, in late 1864, destroying Confederate resources. What am I?
Answer: Sherman’s March to the Sea
Riddle 22
I surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. Who am I?
Answer: Robert E. Lee
Riddle 23
I assassinated President Lincoln just days after Lee’s surrender in April 1865. Who am I?
Answer: John Wilkes Booth
Riddle 24
I am the constitutional amendment passed in 1865 that abolished slavery in the United States. What am I?
Answer: The 13th Amendment
Riddle 25
I was the period after the Civil War when the Southern states were gradually readmitted to the Union. What am I?
Answer: Reconstruction
Riddles About the Union (North)
These riddles cover facts about the Union side during the Civil War.
Riddle 26
I was the Pennsylvania town where the Union Army repelled Pickett’s Charge, a key Confederate assault at Gettysburg. What am I?
Answer: Cemetery Ridge
Riddle 27
I was the Maryland port city where Union troops arrived by sea to defend Washington D.C. early in the war. What am I?
Answer: Annapolis
Riddle 28
I was the New York military camp where thousands of Union Army recruits trained to fight. What am I?
Answer: Camp Upton
Riddle 29
I was the Ohio city along the Ohio River that was an important Union supply hub during the war. What am I?
Answer: Cincinnati
Riddle 30
I was the bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War for the Union, fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland, in 1862. What am I?
Answer: The Battle of Antietam
Riddles About the Confederacy (South)
These riddles are about the Confederate side during the Civil War.
Riddle 31
I was the first capital of the Confederacy until it was moved to Richmond in 1861. What am I?
Answer: Montgomery, Alabama
Riddle 32
I was a famous Confederate naval warship captured and sunk by the Union in 1862. What am I?
Answer: The CSS Virginia (Merrimack)
Riddle 33
I was the Confederate general who lost the Battle of New Orleans, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River. Who am I?
Answer: Mansfield Lovell
Riddle 34
I was the Confederate capital in Virginia and the target of many major Union offensives during the war. What am I?
Answer: Richmond
Riddle 35
I was the Confederate Army division that made the disastrous Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. What am I?
Answer: Pickett’s Division
Riddles About Civil War Innovations and Events
These riddles cover important innovations and other events from the Civil War era.
Riddle 36
I was the famous Union ironclad warship with a rotating turret that fought the CSS Virginia. What am I?
Answer: The USS Monitor
Riddle 37
I was invented by Richard Gatling and was an early type of rapid-fire machine gun used by some Union troops. What am I?
Answer: The Gatling gun
Riddle 38
I allowed many enslaved people to escape to Union lines and freedom during the war. What am I?
Answer: The Underground Railroad
Riddle 39
I was started by Clara Barton during the war to provide medical care for wounded Union soldiers. What am I?
Answer: The American Red Cross
Riddle 40
I was an anti-war, anti-draft riot that erupted in New York City in 1863, resulting in over 100 deaths. What am I?
Answer: The New York City draft riots
Riddles About the Home Front and Daily Life
These riddles cover what life was like on the home front during the Civil War.
Riddle 41
I was a term used for city dwellers who traveled to the countryside to buy food directly from farmers during the war. What am I?
Answer: Hoarders
Riddle 42
I was a pejorative term for men who hired substitutes to fight in their place during the war. What am I?
Answer: Copperheads
Riddle 43
I was a Union nurse famous for treating wounded soldiers during the war and becoming a women’s suffrage activist later. Who am I?
Answer: Clara Barton
Riddle 44
I was a term used for Northern anti-war Democrats during the Civil War era. What am I?
Answer: Copperheads
Riddle 45
I was a drummer boy for a Union regiment who became famous for his bravery on the battlefield at the age of 9. Who am I?
Answer: John Clem
Riddles About Civil War Prisons
These riddles are about the infamous prisons used during the Civil War.
Riddle 46
I was an overcrowded Confederate prison where thousands of Union soldiers died from disease and malnutrition. What am I?
Answer: Andersonville
Riddle 47
I was a Union prison known for its harsh conditions where many Confederate prisoners died. What am I?
Answer: Camp Douglas
Riddle 48
I was a Confederate officer who oversaw the Andersonville prison and was executed for war crimes after the war. Who am I?
Answer: Henry Wirz
Riddle 49
I was an infamous Georgia prison that held Union officer prisoners and was the site of the Great Locomotive Chase. What am I?
Answer: Libby Prison
Riddle 50
I was a Union ironclad warship that the Confederates tried using to break the naval blockade of Charleston Harbor. What am I?
Answer: The CSS David
Conclusion
Riddle 51
I am considered by historians to be the bloodiest war in American history, resulting in over 600,000 deaths. What am I?
Answer: The American Civil War
The American Civil War was a transformative event that reshaped the nation. We hope these riddles have provided some insight into this pivotal time while testing your knowledge. From causes to key figures, innovations to daily life, and pivotal battles to lasting legacies, the Civil War left an indelible mark on the country’s history. Understanding this turbulent era remains key to understanding America itself.
