The Civil War: Causes, Turning Points, and Major Leaders

A war fought between groups of people within the same country. The U.S. Civil War was fought between the Union and Confederacy

Civil War

The Southern states that seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America.

Confederacy

The Northern states that remained loyal to the United States and fought to preserve the nation.

Union

The 16th president who led the Union during the Civil War and worked to preserve the United States.

Abraham Lincoln

The president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War

Jefferson Davis

The Union strategy to blockade Southern ports, control the Mississippi River, and capture Richmond.

Anaconda Plan

The first major battle of the Civil War that showed neither side would win quickly.

Battle of Bull Run

Confederate general who earned his nickname by standing firm at Bull Run

Stonewall Jackson

The bloodiest single day in American military history and a key Union victory.

Battle of Antietam

Lincoln's order declaring enslaved people in Confederate states free as of January 1, 1863.

Emancipation Proclamation

A major Union victory that became the turning point of the Civil War

Battle of Gettysburg

Lincoln's famous speech honoring soldiers and emphasizing equality, freedom, and democracy

Gettysburg Address

A Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River whose capture split the Confederacy in half

Vicksburg

Union general who led the North to victory and accepted Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

Ulysses S. Grant

The commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia

Robert E. Lee

One of the first famous African American military units to fight for the Union

54th Massachusetts Regiment

A military strategy that targets an enemy's resources, economy, and ability to continue fighting.

Total War

Union general who captured Atlanta and led the destructive March Through Georgia

William Tecumseh Sherman

The Virginia location where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865

Appomattox Court House

The constitutional right of a citizen to appear before a court when arrested. Lincoln temporarily suspended this right during the war.

Habeas Corpus