Civil War Overview - Key Terms (Video Transcript 1-7)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, places, and concepts from the Civil War lecture notes to aid exam prep.

Secession

The act by which Southern states left the United States to form the Confederate States of America.

Confederate States of America (CSA)

The group of Southern states that seceded from the United States and fought the Union in the Civil War.

Union (United States of America)

The federal government and Northern states that fought to preserve the United States and its democratic system.

Fort Sumter

A federal fortress in Charleston Harbor whose bombardment began the Civil War.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

P.G.T. Beauregard

Confederate general who commanded the bombardment of Fort Sumter; West Point trained.

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States; led the Union in the Civil War; opposed expansion of slavery into new territories; assassinated.

West Point (United States Military Academy)

The military academy where many Civil War officers were trained.

Robert E. Lee

Confederate general, West Point graduate; offered command of the Union Army but chose to fight for Virginia.

Stonewall Jackson

Confederate general Thomas J. Jackson known for firm defense at battles, earning the nickname Stonewall.

First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)

First major land battle near Washington DC; Confederate victory; signaled a long war.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to win the Civil War by blockading Southern ports, controlling the Mississippi River, and dividing the Confederacy.

Blockade

Union naval blockade of Southern ports to strangle the Confederacy and curb cotton exports.

Mississippi River strategy

Control of the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy and cut its supply lines.

Gulf of Mexico

Part of the Union strategy to control southern waterways and support the blockade and Mississippi plan.

Greenbacks

Union paper currency issued during the Civil War that was not backed by gold.

Grayback

Confederate paper money not backed by gold, prone to inflation and devaluation.

West Virginia

Territory that split from Virginia to remain loyal to the Union, later becoming a state.

Maryland

Border state whose loyalty was crucial to keep Washington DC; Lincoln suspended some constitutional protections to keep it in the Union.

Clara Barton

Civil War nurse known as the Angel of the Battlefield; founder of the American Red Cross.

Dorothea Dix

Nurse and reformer who led Army nurses for the Union and pushed for sanitation and hospital discipline.

Old Buck (Buchanan)

James Buchanan, the president before Lincoln; criticized for inaction as secession began; nicknamed Old Buck and Old Public Functionary.