Untitled Flashcards Set

Border States

Slave states that remained in the Union during the Civil War.

West Virginia

Broke away from Confederate Virginia in 1863 to remain in the Union as a free state.

Laird Rams

Two ironclad warships built by Britain’s Laird Brothers for the Confederacy, but never delivered due to British intervention.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A legal order requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or court, which President Lincoln suspended during the Civil War.

New York Draft Riots

Violent protests in July 1863 against the Civil War draft, largely led by Irish immigrants.

Morrill Tariff Act

A high protective tariff passed in 1861 to raise revenue for the Civil War and protect Northern industry.

Greenbacks

Paper currency issued by the U.S. government during the Civil War that was not backed by gold or silver.

Jefferson Davis

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

Elizabeth Blackwell

The first woman to receive a medical degree in the U.S., she helped train nurses during the Civil War.

Clara Barton

A Civil War nurse who later founded the American Red Cross.

Sally Tompkins

A Confederate nurse who ran a hospital in Richmond and was commissioned as a captain in the Confederate army.

Battle of Bull Run

The first major battle of the Civil War, which ended in a Confederate victory.

Peninsula Campaign

Union General George McClellan’s failed attempt in 1862 to capture Richmond by advancing up the Virginia Peninsula.

Battle of Antietam

A key battle, it was the bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history.

Emancipation Proclamation

Issued by Lincoln in 1863, it declared that slaves in Confederate states were free if they were able to escape.

Thirteenth Amendment

Ratified in 1865, it abolished slavery in the United States.

Battle of Gettysburg

A turning point in the Civil War, where Union forces defeated Lee’s invasion of the North.

Gettysburg Address

A speech by Abraham Lincoln emphasizing national unity and the war’s purpose in preserving democracy.

Battle of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson

Early Union victories in Tennessee in 1862, led by Ulysses S. Grant.

Siege of Vicksburg

A major Union victory in July 1863, giving the North control of the Mississippi River.

Sherman’s March

Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s campaign of total war through Georgia.

Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War

A group of Radical Republicans that oversaw the war effort and critiqued President Lincoln.

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and wanted peace with the Confederacy.

Union Party

A coalition of Republicans and War Democrats that backed Lincoln’s re-election in 1864.

Appomattox Courthouse

The site where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson

A Confederate general known for his tactical brilliance, killed in 1863 at Chancellorsville.

George McClellan

A Union general known for his cautious strategy; removed by Lincoln after the Battle of Antietam.

Robert E. Lee

The leading Confederate general, known for his military skill.

Ulysses S. Grant

The Union’s top general who led the North to victory and later became the 18th U.S. president.

William Tecumseh Sherman

A Union general famous for his “March to the Sea,” employing total war tactics against the South.