Civil War Vocabulary Flashcards (Lecture Notes)

A collection of vocabulary-focused flashcards covering key people, places, terms, and concepts from the Civil War lecture notes.

Secession

The act of states withdrawing from the United States to form a separate nation; the Southern states attempted to secede to form the Confederacy.

Union

The United States of America during the Civil War; the Northern side fighting to preserve the United States.

Confederate States of America (CSA)

The group of Southern states that seceded from the USA to form their own government (the Confederacy).

Fort Sumter

A federal military fort in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina; its bombardment marked the start of the Civil War.

P. G. T. Beauregard

Confederate general who ordered the bombardment of Fort Sumter; West Point trained; played a key role in Sumter’s attack.

West Point

The United States Military Academy; training ground for many Civil War officers.

Abraham Lincoln

Election as a Republican president who opposed expanding slavery into new territories; aimed to preserve the Union.

John Brown’s Raid

A radical anti-slavery action that heightened Southern fears of federal action against slavery and contributed to secession.

Upper South

States like Virginia and North Carolina that initially debated secession and could join the Confederacy if attacked.

Lower South

Southern states that seceded early to form the Confederacy. Often contrasted with the Upper South.

Border states

States that bordered both the Union and the Confederacy (e.g., Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri); they remained in the Union and slavery persisted there.

Maryland

A border state crucial to keeping the Union’s capital (Washington, D.C.) safe; Lincoln temporarily suspended some constitutional protections to keep it in the Union.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to win the war: blockade Southern ports, control the Mississippi River, divide the Confederacy, and capture Richmond.

Greenbacks

The Union’s paper currency during the Civil War; not backed by gold, forerunner to modern dollars.

Grayback

Confederate paper money; inflationary and often worthless if the Confederacy lost the war.

War bonds

Government bonds sold to finance the war; bonds paid back with interest when matured.

First Bull Run (Manassas)

The first major battle near Washington, D.C.; a Confederate victory that exposed North’s inexperience.

Stonewall Jackson

Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson; earned the nickname for his firm stand at Bull Run.

George B. McClellan

Union general; West Point graduate; nicknamed "Little Napoleon" for his initial planning, though often criticized in execution.

Clara Barton

Civil War nurse famous for her care on the battlefield and for founding the American Red Cross in the U.S.

Dorothea Dix

Supervisor of Union Army nurses; advocated sanitation and hospital reform.

Angels of the Battlefield

Women nurses who cared for soldiers in the Civil War, recognized for compassion and courage.

West Virginia

A new state formed from Virginia’s western counties during the war; loyal to the Union and not part of the Confederacy.

James Buchanan

15th U.S. president; nicknamed "Old Buck"; his lame-duck presidency saw secession begin and inaction on U.S. property in seceding states.

Montgomery

Capital of the Confederacy in its early days before moving to Richmond.

Richmond

Capital of the Confederate States of America after Montgomery; the political center of the Confederacy.

Robert E. Lee

Leading Confederate general; former West Point superintendent; offered command of the Union Army by Lincoln but chose to fight for Virginia.

Cotton diplomacy (Great Britain)

Confederacy’s hope to leverage cotton exports to gain British support, relying on Britain’s need for cotton.

Territories (Nebraska, Dakota, New Mexico)

New or unsettled lands that would eventually become multiple states as they were settled and organized.