The First Modern War
The Politics of War
The Citizen Soldier
The General as President
The Heritage Of Victory
100
April 12, 1861 – May 9, 1865
How long did the Civil War last?
100
The Civil War shows how the American people made their democracy work in a time of most extraordinary trail and complexity.
Why is the Civil War worth a great deal of re-examination?
100
The average citizen man/woman had to go through a grueling process to transform form civilian to soldier.
What did a civilian have to do to become a soldier?
100
Grant captured over 15,000 men at Fort Donelson.
How many men did Grant capture at Fort Donelson?
100
Two nations fought until it seemed to one side or the other that it would not be worth while fight any longer.
How did a nation win a war in the old days?
200
Rifles have the advantage of long range accuracy, because spinning bullets have far flatter and more stable trajectories than balls fired from smooth-bore muskets. Muskets had the advantage of a faster rate of fire.
What is a big difference between a musket and a rifle?
200
The first step for the South was not to resort to arms, but the calling of conventions, the adoption of a constitution, and the creation of a brand new government.
What was the first step the South was going to do?
200
More than 400 women disguised themselves as men and fought in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War.
How many women fought in the Civil War?
200
March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877
How long was Ulysses S. Grant in office for?
200
The Northern States won the Civil War.
Which side won the Civil War?
300
Sharpshooters were to kill enemy targets of importance (i.e., officers and NCOs) at long range.
What was the mission of the sharpshooter?
300
Lincoln had no professional military training whatsoever. His only experience had been of the sketchiest, confined to service in a raw volunteer company.
Why is Lincoln sometimes remarked as very poorly prepared for his role as commander in chief?
300
The youngster would scribble the number 18 on a tiny piece of paper, and place it in the sole of his shoe. Then, when asked about his age, he could truthfully say that he was over 18.
How did an underage recruit not feel guilty about lying to his government about his age so he could fight in the war?
300
Ulysses S. Grant has appeared on the fifty dollar bill since 1913.
How long has Ulysses S. Grant appeared on the fifty dollar bill?
300
620,000 men/women lost their lives due to the Civil War.
How many people lost their lives due to the Civil War?
400
For both battle and parade drill it consisted of 2 to 4 ranks of foot soldiers drawn up side by side in rigid alignment, and thereby maximizing the effect of their firepower.
What was the strategy of the line infantry?
400
The word politician has a shady connotation, and people tend to feel that the art of politics itself is somehow unworthy of a man who hopes to qualify as a great leader.
Why is the word politics sometimes referred to as a bad word?
400
If the World War II losses had been in proportion to the Civil War losses, we would have had 2,500, 000 men killed.
If the World War II losses had been in proportion to the Civil War losses, how many men would have lost their lives?
400
Schuyler Colfax through 1869–1873, Henry Wilson through 1873–1875, and no vice president until 1877.
Who were Ulysses S. Grant's vice presidents are how long were they in office?
400
In 1860, America rested on the assumption that there were superior people and inferior people.
Why was America in 1860 a democracy?
500
The Southern States wanted absolute independence, and the Northern wanted absolute union.
What did each side of the Civil War want?
500
The battles of Fredericksburg and Cold Harbor were strictly the work of professionals. No political general had an important role in either one.
Why are the battles of Fredericksburg and Cold Harbor stand as melancholy examples of useless butchery?
500
A Union soldier would say he was fighting to save the union, and let it go at that. A Confederate soldier would say he was fighting to destroy the Union.
If asked why were they fighting, what would be the responses of the soldiers on both sides?
500
Ulysses S. Grant, a great man, and America, a great nation, confronted a profound and complex set of problems whose solution demanded qualities which neither the man nor the nation possessed.
Why is the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant a haunting story of American history?
500
No matter how bloody it was, the Civil War attempted to end the race problem in America.
In reality, what big problem did the Civil War attempt to solve?
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