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%).
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
~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.
~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.
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).
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.
~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).
~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.
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.
6 clues
Vice President of the Confederacy. Gave the infamous "Cornerstone Speech" (1861) declaring slavery the Confederacy's "cornerstone."
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.
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.
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.
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
| Answer | Wrong % | Memory Hook |
|---|---|---|
| George McClellan | 50% | "The slows" general; fired by Lincoln; 1864 Dem nominee |
| Napoleon III | 40% | French emperor installed Maximilian in Mexico during the war |
| Congressional Medal of Honor | 33% | Established during Civil War (1862); highest military decoration |
| John Brown | 33% | Harpers Ferry raid 1859; hanged; pre-war catalyst |
| Clara Barton | 25% | "Angel of the Battlefield"; founded American Red Cross |
| Abner Doubleday | 25% | First shot at Sumter; baseball myth |
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
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
Memorize these and recognize 37.7% of all The Civil War clues.
| # | Answer | Count | Sample Clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Tecumseh Sherman | 27 | Known for his scorched earth policy, this Union general worked as a banker & lawyer before the war |
| 2 | Robert E. Lee | 24 | It was at a victory that this CSA Gen. reportedly said, "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it" |
| 3 | Gettysburg | 20 | July 1, 1863: Good news, get to keep leg; bad news, I'm going to Cemetery Ridge for this Penn. battle |
| 4 | Fort Sumter | 17 | First shot of the Civil War was fired there |
| 5 | Andersonville | 17 | Clara Barton traveled to this Confederate prison to help gather evidence of missing & deceased soldiers |
| 6 | Ulysses S. Grant | 16 | Driving the Confederates off Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga in Nov. 1863 made him a national hero |
| 7 | George Pickett | 16 | At Gettysburg, he said, "Up, men, and to your posts! Don't forget today that you are from Old Virginia" |
| 8 | Stonewall Jackson | 14 | Steadfast Confederate general accidentally shot by his own men |
| 9 | Antietam | 14 | Future presidents William McKinley & Rutherford B. Hayes both fought in this bloodiest 1-day battle of the war |
| 10 | Jefferson Davis | 13 | Son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor who was himself a president during the war |
| 11 | Vicksburg | 10 | This city on a bend in the Mississippi River was called "The Gibraltar of the West"; the Union captured it in 1863 |
| 12 | Richmond, Virginia | 10 | In mid-1861 Montgomery, Alabama was out & this city was in as capital of the Confederacy |
| 13 | Bull Run | 10 | Until the first battle of this in July 1861, the North estimated that the war would last about 90 days |
| 14 | George McClellan | 10 | This risk-averse Union general ran for president in 1864; he retreated to Europe after his defeat |
| 15 | David Farragut | 10 | He took New Orleans April 25, 1862 without damning any torpedoes |
| 16 | South Carolina | 8 | Dec. 20, 1860: Privy to a special convention in this state. Looks like they're gonna be the first to secede |
| 17 | the Merrimack | 8 | On May 11 1862, Confederates blew up this ironclad, their own ship, as they retreated from Norfolk Naval Yard |
| 18 | Richmond | 7 | Elizabeth Van Lew pretended to be mentally ill but she was really working as a Union spy in this capital of Virginia |
| 19 | the Monitor | 7 | The USS Cairo was the first iron warship; it was completed before this Merrimack opponent |
| 20 | the Mississippi | 7 | When the North took this city on the Mississippi July 4, 1863, casualties totaled over 19,000 |
| 21 | the Army of the Potomac | 6 | Bruce Catton began his Civil War studies in the 1950s with a trilogy on this Union army |
| 22 | John Wilkes Booth | 6 | "Manhunt" by James Swanson is an account of the multi-day chase to find this killer |
| 23 | Georgia | 6 | ( Here comes the music.) Bring the good old bugle, boys, we'll sing another song Sing it with a spirit that will start the world along Sing it as we u... |
| 24 | Texas | 5 | The last battlefield death of the war was Union Pvt. John Williams, who was killed at Palmito Ranch in this state in May 1865 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 5 | The first major victories for the Union were at Fort Donelson & Fort Henry in this state |
| 26 | Shiloh | 5 | A 1952 novel by Shelby Foote recounts an 1862 battle at this title Tennessee place with a biblical name |
| 27 | Louisa May Alcott | 5 | Not primarily known as a suffragist, in 1879 she became the first female resident of Concord, Mass. to register to vote in local elections |
| 28 | John Brown | 5 | In famous Civil War song, his "body lies a-mouldering in the grave, his soul goes marching on" |
| 29 | Clara Barton | 5 | The only angel Civil War Buffy met was this "Angel of the Battlefield" with whom she tended the wounded |
| 30 | Atlanta | 5 | 1864 burning of this city is depicted in "Gone with the Wind" |
| 31 | Andrew Johnson | 5 | He was the only U.S. senator who did not leave the Senate when his state seceded |
| 32 | Alexander Stephens | 5 | In February 1865 Lincoln met with this Confederate vice president aboard the River Queen at Hampton Roads, Virginia |
| 33 | William Quantrill | 5 | In August 1863 he & his guerrilla band irregularly attached to the Confederate army sacked Lawrence, Kansas |
| 34 | Mary Todd Lincoln | 5 | First lady who was the subject of Irving Stone's "Love Is Eternal" |
| 35 | Burnside | 5 | After the War, this Union general known for his whiskers was elected Governor of Rhode Island 3 times |
| 36 | West Virginia | 4 | What is now this state was briefly called Kanawha after it refused to secede from the Union |
| 37 | the Congressional Medal of Honor | 4 | Though Andrews raid did not succeed, its participants were 1st ever to win this award |
| 38 | Seward | 4 | This Secretary of State was recovering from a carriage accident when he was stabbed on April 14, 1865 |
| 39 | North Carolina | 4 | The USS Monitor sank off the shore of this state that supplied the most troops to the Confederate Army |
| 40 | Maryland | 4 | On September 17, 1862 Gen. Robert E. Lee's Northern march was halted in this slave-holding Union state |
| 41 | Abner Doubleday | 4 | He commanded at 2nd Bull Run & is said to have devised a sport that later used a bullpen |
| 42 | Missouri | 4 | The first leg of the Pony Express included a ferry ride for horse & rider across this river to Elwood, Kansas |
| 43 | Manassas | 4 | ( Ken Burns reads.) The surrender took place at Wilmer McLean's home; years earlier & 130 miles away, his back yard had been part of this first Civil ... |
| 44 | Alabama | 4 | On Feb. 4, 1861 the Confederacy began setting up its government in this city |
| 45 | the South | 4 | First side to resort to drafting soldiers |
| 46 | General Custer | 4 | 12 years before his death out West, he led a charge at the Battle of Trevilian station in 1864 |
| 47 | the Gettysburg Address | 3 | The second sentence of this speech begins, "Now we are engaged in a great civil war" |
| 48 | The General | 3 | ( Cheryl of the Clue Crew gives the choo-choo clue.) On April 12, 1862, Union soldiers went on a rampage after stealing this Confederate locomotive |
| 49 | the Emancipation Proclamation | 3 | Abraham Lincoln called this document, which took effect in 1863, "a fit and necessary war measure" |
| 50 | Savannah | 3 | In December 1864 William T. Sherman wired Lincoln that he was presenting "a Christmas gift" of this port city |
These appear 8+ times. Memorize these first.
Jump to: Civil War | Other | Revolutionary Era | Colonial / Exploration | Ancient | Medieval