Fun Facts About the Civil War

 

There is so much to know about the Civil War besides who shot whom.  Check out some interesting facts about the Civil War and then search for some more trivia on your own.

Jesse James is a well known outlaw, but did he really get his start during the Civil War?
Didn't men lose their limbs and their lives due to poor health care in the Civil War?
Who was the first Republican president?
Why did General Thomas Jonathan Jackson earn the knickname "Stonewall?"
Was General Robert E. Lee a flirt?
Was there really a Civil War battle in the middle of the Arizona desert?
The Hunley submarine was big, right?
Is President Lincoln's final resting place really a secret until 1901?
When were "dog tags" invented?




Jesse James is a well known outlaw, but did he really get his start during the Civil War?

As a youth he rode with a group of Confederate supporters who left 150 abolitionist men dead in Lawrence, KS in August 1863.

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Didn't men lose their limbs and their lives due to poor health care in the Civil War?

Yes, immediate medical care would have saved many soldiers some heartache, but health care today wouldn’t be the same if the American Civil War hadn’t occurred. Emergency Care is a major health care area which expanded during the Civil War. Nurses set up stations on the battlefields to care for the wounded immediately. It was learned that injuries had a better chance for recovery if they were cared for immediately. While many were still lost to lack of medical attention (or the proper attention) there were a good many saved thanks to this "new" health care.

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Who was the first Republican president?

The Republican party got its start before the Civil War on the premise that it would end slavery. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president of the United States.

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Why did General Thomas Jonathan Jackson earn the knickname "Stonewall?"

General "Stonewall" Jackson was named such because he was considered to be as stubborn an opponent as a stone wall. It also echoed the feeling that he as well as his army was unmovable.

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Was General Robert E. Lee a flirt?

You bet! General Lee's private letters reveal his flirtatious side when he writes to women. However, it is believed that he was always faithful and devoted to his wife, Mary. This must be true because she actually wrote witty addendums to the ends of some of these flirty letters! On one she notes that she hopes her husband doesn't try to pass himself for a widower at a party which he plans to attend. They both must have had quite a sense of humor.

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Was there really a Civil War battle in the middle of the Arizona desert?

Yes, in Picacho Peak State Park there is a monument to the battle fought there on April 15, 1862. It's the westernmost battle of the war, and it was fought by 26 men. California and its gold was a hot commodity to both the North and the South during the war, so it's a bit surprising that more fighting didn't occur on the way to this rich location.

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The Hunley submarine was big, right?

No--the submarine was tiny compared to subs today. Anyone who's had the chance to tour a submarine knows there's not a lot of headroom, but the Hunley was incredibly small. It was about 39 feet long and only 3 feet wide! If you think you have to duck on today's subs, the Hunley was only 4 feet tall! It's crew of eight must have been incredibly crunched as they cranked the propeller shaft to send the Hunley through the water at 3.5 mph.

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Is President Lincoln's final resting place really a secret until 1901?

Yes and no. Abraham Lincoln's body was buried in a tomb in Springfield, Illinois until it was learned that someone had tried to steal the president's body from the unguarded tomb. The effort failed due to poor planning, but the groundskeeper was upset enough to order five men to bury the tomb in an unmarked location. Lincoln safely remained there until 1901 when he son ordered that the men reveal the location to him. He then had Lincoln buried in his original location except that this time he lay in a steel cage under ten feet of concrete.

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When were "dog tags" invented?

"Dog tags" as well as "coffee wagons" were created by the United States Christian Commission (USCC) during the Civil War. This group served as spiritual guides to the soldiers during the war, and they nursed wounded soldiers in the field. The tags were created for identification purposes. The USCC was founded by the well-known YMCA.

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