The Civil War.

Overview

The Civil War is one of Jeopardy!'s most heavily tested history topics, with over 1,060 clues and 32 Final Jeopardy appearances. The generic "THE CIVIL WAR" category alone accounts for 677 clues (64%), supplemented by specialized categories for Generals (50), People (32), Pre-Civil War (29), Literature (20), Nicknames (15), and Slang (13).

The topic is dominated by a clear hierarchy of answers: Sherman (~42 combined appearances), Fort Sumter (29), Gettysburg (28), Grant (~23 combined), Jefferson Davis (22), Robert E. Lee (20), and Andersonville (20) form the core. These seven answers alone account for roughly 20% of all Civil War clues.

Clue patterns by value: The $100 tier has a perfect 0% wrong rate: pure gimmes. Difficulty scales to 24% wrong at $1600. Interestingly, $2000 clues are easier than $1600 (14% vs. 24%), bottom-row DJ clues sometimes test well-known "big" facts rather than obscure details.

Study strategy: Know the major battles (where, when, why they mattered), the generals (both Union and Confederate with their nicknames), and the key dates. The show especially loves: first shot (Fort Sumter), bloodiest single day (Antietam), turning point (Gettysburg/Vicksburg), surrender (Appomattox), and the prison camp (Andersonville). For FJ, states and lesser-known figures dominate.

Key stumpers: George McClellan (50% wrong: trending upward), Napoleon III (40%), the Congressional Medal of Honor (33%), and John Brown (33%).

Battles & Campaigns

Fort Sumter

29 clues · 97% correct

The Civil War began here. On April 12, 1861, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered the bombardment of this federal fort in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Major Robert Anderson commanded the Union garrison. After 34 hours of shelling, Anderson surrendered, remarkably, no one was killed in the battle itself. Abner Doubleday fired the first defensive shot.

• Date: April 12, 1861 (first shots of the war)
• Location: Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
• Confederate commander: General Beauregard
• Union commander: Major Robert Anderson
• Distinction: No combat deaths during the 34-hour bombardment
• Also: Abner Doubleday (later credited with "inventing" baseball) fired first defensive shot
• Near-gimme: 97% correct; the quintessential easy Civil War answer

Gettysburg

28 clues · 89% correct

The war's largest and most famous battle, fought July 1-3, 1863, in Pennsylvania. The Union victory is widely considered the war's turning point. Pickett's Charge, a doomed Confederate frontal assault on Cemetery Ridge on Day 3, is the battle's iconic moment. On November 19, 1863, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery (after Edward Everett spoke for two hours).

• Date: July 1-3, 1863
• Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• Significance: Turning point; Lee's last invasion of the North
• Day 3: Pickett's Charge (failed assault on Cemetery Ridge)
• Gettysburg Address: November 19, 1863; Lincoln; "Four score and seven years ago"
• Casualties: ~51,000 total (both sides), bloodiest battle of the war
• Key terrain: Cemetery Ridge, Little Round Top, Devil's Den, Seminary Ridge

Antietam

19 clues · 74% correct (17.6% stumper rate)

The bloodiest single day in American military history, approximately 23,000 casualties on September 17, 1862, along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle is also called the Battle of Sharpsburg. Strategically, it was enough of a Union victory for Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation five days later. Future presidents McKinley and Hayes both fought here.

• Date: September 17, 1862
• Location: Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, Maryland
• Distinction: Bloodiest single day in American history (~23,000 casualties)
• Also called: Battle of Sharpsburg
• Consequence: Lincoln issued preliminary Emancipation Proclamation 5 days later
• Features: Dunker Church, Burnside Bridge, the Cornfield
• Future presidents: McKinley and Hayes fought here

Vicksburg

11 clues · 91% correct

The siege of Vicksburg (May-July 1863) gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two. Grant's forces besieged the city for 47 days. Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863; one day after Gettysburg ended. Together, Gettysburg and Vicksburg in the same week represented the war's turning point.

• Date: Siege May 18 - July 4, 1863
• Location: Vicksburg, Mississippi
• Commander: Grant
• Significance: Union gained control of entire Mississippi; split Confederacy
• Surrender: July 4, 1863 (one day after Gettysburg)

Bull Run (Manassas)

13 clues · 85% correct

Two major battles were fought here (First Bull Run: July 1861; Second Bull Run: August 1862), both Confederate victories. First Bull Run was the war's first major battle, spectators from Washington came to watch, expecting a quick Union victory. The Confederate stand earned Thomas J. Jackson his "Stonewall" nickname.

• First Bull Run: July 21, 1861: first major battle; shocking Confederate victory
• Second Bull Run: August 1862: another Confederate victory
• Location: Near Manassas Junction, Virginia
• Naming: Union named battles after waterways (Bull Run); Confederates after towns (Manassas)
• Stonewall Jackson: Earned his nickname here at First Bull Run

Shiloh

7 clues · 83% correct

Fought April 6-7, 1862, in Tennessee. A massive surprise Confederate attack nearly overwhelmed Grant's forces on Day 1, but Union reinforcements turned the tide on Day 2. Named after a small church on the battlefield. One of the war's bloodiest early battles (~24,000 total casualties).

Appomattox

Occasional but critical

Appomattox Court House, Virginia: site of Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. Grant offered generous terms (soldiers could keep horses, officers kept sidearms). The actual surrender took place in Wilmer McLean's house.

• Date: April 9, 1865
• Location: Appomattox Court House, Virginia
• Terms: Generous: Confederates paroled, kept horses, officers kept sidearms
• McLean: Surrender in his parlor; he'd moved from Manassas to escape the war

Generals & Military Leaders

William Tecumseh Sherman

~42 clues combined · 96% correct

The most-tested Civil War answer overall. Sherman is famous for his "March to the Sea" (November-December 1864), a devastating campaign of total war from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, cutting a 60-mile-wide swath of destruction. He reportedly said "War is hell" (though the exact quote is debated). He also captured Atlanta in September 1864, boosting Lincoln's reelection. His middle name honors the Shawnee chief Tecumseh.

• March to the Sea: Atlanta → Savannah (Nov-Dec 1864); 60-mile-wide destruction
• Atlanta: Captured September 1864 (helped Lincoln win reelection)
• Quote: "War is hell"
• Middle name: Tecumseh (Shawnee chief)
• Rank: Union Major General; later Commanding General of the Army
• Near-gimme: 96% correct rate

Ulysses S. Grant

~23 clues combined · 96% correct

The Union's top general and later 18th President. Grant won at Fort Donelson (demanding "unconditional surrender" matching his initials U.S.), Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga before being named commanding general. He accepted Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Known for his determination and willingness to absorb heavy casualties to achieve victory. His memoirs, finished days before his death from throat cancer, are considered a masterpiece.

• Key victories: Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Appomattox
• "Unconditional Surrender" Grant: Demanded at Fort Donelson (1862)
• Memoirs: Finished shortly before death (1885); published by Mark Twain
• Presidency: 18th President (1869-1877)
• Real name: Hiram Ulysses Grant (the "S" was a clerical error)

Robert E. Lee

20 clues · 94% correct

Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia; the South's most revered general. Lee was offered command of the Union army but chose to fight for his home state of Virginia. His home, Arlington, was seized and became Arlington National Cemetery. He surrendered to Grant at Appomattox. After the war he became president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University).

• Command: Army of Northern Virginia
• Home: Arlington (became the national cemetery)
• Offered Union command: Declined to fight against Virginia
• Surrender: Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865
• After war: President of Washington College (now Washington and Lee)

Stonewall Jackson

17 clues · 93% correct · 2 FJ appearances

Thomas Jonathan Jackson earned his nickname at First Bull Run (1861) when he and his brigade stood "like a stone wall." One of Lee's most trusted lieutenants, he was accidentally shot by his own men at Chancellorsville (May 1863) and died of pneumonia days later. His death was a devastating blow to the Confederacy.

• Nickname origin: First Bull Run: "standing like a stone wall"
• Death: Shot accidentally by own troops at Chancellorsville (May 1863)
• Real name: Thomas Jonathan Jackson
• FJ answer: 2 appearances

George McClellan

~15 clues combined · 50% correct, MAJOR STUMPER

Commander of the Army of the Potomac early in the war, McClellan was brilliant at organization but infamously cautious in battle. Lincoln famously complained he had "the slows." Despite Antietam (which he failed to follow up), Lincoln fired him in November 1862. McClellan ran against Lincoln in the 1864 presidential election as the Democratic nominee and lost. Trending upward recently (3 clues since 2015).

• Command: Army of the Potomac (1861-1862)
• Problem: Overly cautious; "the slows" (Lincoln's complaint)
• Fired: November 1862 (after failing to pursue Lee after Antietam)
• 1864 election: Democratic nominee vs. Lincoln; lost
• Watch out: 50% wrong rate, contestants struggle with this one

George Pickett

~17 clues combined · 94% correct

Confederate general famous for "Pickett's Charge" at Gettysburg (July 3, 1863), a disastrous frontal assault on Cemetery Ridge that resulted in roughly 50% casualties. Though he led the charge, it was Lee who ordered it.

Other Key Military Figures

• Farragut (6 clues): Admiral David Farragut, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" at Mobile Bay (1864). First U.S. admiral.
• Clara Barton (8 clues, 25% wrong): "Angel of the Battlefield"; founded the American Red Cross after the war.
• Abner Doubleday (5 clues): Fired first defensive shot at Fort Sumter; later falsely credited with inventing baseball.
• John Wilkes Booth (8 clues): Lincoln's assassin; actor; shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, April 14, 1865.

People, Politics & the Home Front

Jefferson Davis

22 clues · 82% correct

President of the Confederate States of America (1861-1865). A former U.S. Senator from Mississippi and Secretary of War. The Confederacy's capital was in Richmond, Virginia. Davis was captured in Georgia after the war (May 1865) and imprisoned at Fort Monroe for two years. He was never tried for treason.

• Title: President of the Confederate States
• Capital: Richmond, Virginia
• Before war: U.S. Senator (Mississippi), Secretary of War
• Captured: May 1865 in Georgia (disguise story)
• Prison: Fort Monroe (2 years); never tried

Alexander Stephens

6 clues

Vice President of the Confederacy. Gave the infamous "Cornerstone Speech" (1861) declaring slavery the Confederacy's "cornerstone."

John Brown

9 clues · 67% correct (33% stumper)

Abolitionist who led the raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) in October 1859, attempting to spark a slave rebellion. He was captured (by Robert E. Lee), tried, and hanged. His raid is considered a key event leading to the Civil War. "John Brown's Body" became a popular Union marching song.

• Raid: Harpers Ferry (October 1859)
• Goal: Spark slave rebellion; seize federal arsenal
• Captured by: Robert E. Lee (then a U.S. Army colonel)
• Executed: Hanged, December 2, 1859
• Legacy: "John Brown's Body" (song); helped inflame tensions

Harriet Tubman

7 clues · 71% correct

Escaped slave who became the most famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, making approximately 13 trips to free roughly 70 enslaved people. During the Civil War, she served as a Union spy, scout, and nurse. Known as "Moses" for leading her people to freedom.

Key Terminology & Concepts

• Andersonville (20 clues, 90% correct): Notorious Confederate prison camp in Georgia. Horrific conditions killed roughly 13,000 Union prisoners. Commandant Henry Wirz was the only Confederate executed for war crimes.
• The Monitor (9 clues): Union ironclad warship. Fought the CSS Virginia (formerly Merrimack) at Hampton Roads (March 1862), first battle between ironclad ships.
• The Merrimack/Virginia (6+ clues): Confederate ironclad (the CSS Virginia, rebuilt from the USS Merrimack).
• Emancipation Proclamation (5 clues): Lincoln's January 1, 1863 executive order freeing slaves in Confederate states.
• Copperheads (FJ answer): Northern Democrats who opposed the war and wanted a negotiated peace.
• Army of the Potomac (7 clues): The Union's principal army in the Eastern Theater.

Final Jeopardy & Study Strategy

FJ Patterns (32 appearances)

The Civil War's 32 FJ appearances are widely distributed, no single answer dominates. Key patterns:

Top FJ answers (2 each): Tennessee, Stonewall Jackson, Maryland, Andrew Johnson.

FJ favors states: Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Missouri, California, West Virginia, Nevada, often asking which states seceded, which were border states, or which were admitted during the war.

FJ obscure answers: The Hunley (first submarine to sink a warship), Copperhead (anti-war Democrats), The Man Without A Country (novel), Franklin Pierce (only president who wasn't asked to support the war effort), Custer.

FJ does NOT favor: The obvious gimmes (Fort Sumter, Sherman, Gettysburg) rarely appear in FJ; those are board-clue territory.

The Timeline Drill

Know these dates cold: - 1859: John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry - 1860: Lincoln elected; South Carolina secedes (December) - 1861 April 12: Fort Sumter (war begins) - 1861 July: First Bull Run - 1862 March: Monitor vs. Merrimack (ironclads) - 1862 April: Shiloh - 1862 September 17: Antietam (bloodiest single day) - 1862 September 22: Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation - 1863 January 1: Emancipation Proclamation takes effect - 1863 May: Chancellorsville (Stonewall Jackson killed) - 1863 July 1-3: Gettysburg - 1863 July 4: Vicksburg surrenders - 1863 November 19: Gettysburg Address - 1864 September: Sherman captures Atlanta - 1864 Nov-Dec: Sherman's March to the Sea - 1865 April 9: Lee surrenders at Appomattox - 1865 April 14: Lincoln assassinated

Stumper Drill

Fading vs. Trending Answers

Fading (lower priority for modern games): - The Monitor / Merrimack (largely disappeared post-2005) - Andrew Johnson (absent since 2004) - Alexander Stephens (absent since 2014) - Jefferson Davis (0 appearances since 2015!)

Trending up (prioritize): - Andersonville (surging: 4 appearances since 2015) - George McClellan (3 since 2015: and it's a stumper) - Gettysburg and Fort Sumter remain evergreen

Quick-Fire Nicknames

Civil War nicknames generate their own sub-category (15 clues): - Stonewall → Thomas Jackson - Uncle Billy → William Sherman - Unconditional Surrender → Ulysses S. Grant - The Swamp Fox → Francis Marion (actually Revolutionary War, but sometimes confused) - Angel of the Battlefield → Clara Barton - Old Fuss and Feathers → Winfield Scott - Little Mac → George McClellan