Civil War Terms

Advantages of the North

a)larger population, b)most of the factories to make supplies, c)most of the railroads located in the north, d)strong Navy, e)more money, f)they had an established government

Advantages of the South

had more experienced military officers and were fighting on their own land among their own people

States Rights

Southern argument/ idea that the states should be more powerful relative to the federal government, to the point of seceding if they chose. This "independent" mentality made it hard for Jefferson Davis to coordinate Southern efforts during the Civil War.

Secede/ Secession

(secede) to withdraw formally from some larger organization.

(secession) the act of seceding. 11 states seceded from the Union in 1860-61.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody. The Constitution allows it to be suspended in times of rebellion, but implies it should be Congress who does it (listed in Article 1). During the Civil War, Lincoln suspended the writ and jailed critics of the war.

Greenback

Name for Union paper money not backed by gold or silver. Value would fluctuate depending on status of the war (plural)

Conscription

A military draft (During the American Civil War a wealthy man could avoid ~ by hiring a substitute to serve in his place)

Habeas Corpus

a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to secure the person's release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention.

Attrition

a wearing down over time

Robert E Lee

Confederate general who had opposed secession but did not believe the Union should be held together by force

Copperheads

A group of northern Democrats who opposed abolition and sympathized with the South during the Civil War

Anaconda Plan

Northern Civil War strategy to starve the South by blockading seaports and controlling the Mississippi River

Blockade

The use of troops or ships to prevent commercial traffic from entering or leaving a city or region

Blockade Runners

private Southern ships that attempted to "break" the Union blockade and trade cotton with European countries for manufactured goods.

Bounty

money given as a reward, such as to encourage enlistment in the army

Alabama and Florida

Two of the most famous confederate raiders. Built in Britain.

Ulysses S Grant

an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869-1877). He achieved international fame as the leading Union general in the American Civil War. Considere by many to be the first "modern" general given his willingness to sacrifice men to achieve his goals.

Battle of Antietam

Civil War battle in which the North suceedeed in halting Lee's Confederate forces in Maryland. Was the bloodiest battle of the war resulting in 25,000 casualties. Led to Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation

Proclamation issued by Lincoln, freeing all slaves in areas still at war with the Union. Went into effect Jan 1 1863

George McClellan

union general, 1st commander, overly cautious, fired by Lincoln. 1864 Democratic candidate for President, tried to argue for a negotiated peace with the South and let them secede.

Telegraph

A device that used electrical signals to send messages quickly over long distances. Was integral to Lincoln's management of the war.

Railroad

Utilized by northern armies especially to rapidly move men and supplies.

Rifling

The spiral grooves formed in the bore of a firearm barrel that impart spin to the projectile when it is fired

Minie Ball

new bullet created before the Civil War, led to a high number of casualties during the war

Repeating Rifle

a rifle which could fire multiple times without reloading. Gave Northern soldiers a decided advantage over Southerners when they went into wider use beginning in 1864.

54th Massachusetts Regiment

all-black unit led by Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw during the Civil War

Hardtack

a hard biscuit made of wheat flour

Clara Barton

Nurse during the Civil War; founder of the American Red Cross

Andersonville

The most infamous prison in the south. There was no shelter. There was a huge population, and there were food shortages, overcrowding, and disease that killed about 100 men a day during the summer months.

Battle of Vicksburg

1863, Union gains control of Mississippi, confederacy split in two, Grant takes lead of Union armies, total war begins

Battle of Gettysburg

Turning point of the War that made it clear the North would win. 50,000 people died, and the South lost its chance to invade the North.

Pickett's Charge

Famous moment in the Battle of Gettysburg. Lee ordered the advance, and it cost him nearly 10,000 men. It was the last major offensive of the South during the war.

Gettysburg Address

(1863) a speech given by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg, in which he praised the bravery of Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to winning the Civil War; supported the ideals of self-government and human rights

William T Sherman

the Union general who led a 400 mile march of destruction through Georgia and South Carolina

March to the Sea

Sherman's march to Savannah which cut off confederate supplies received by the sea

Pillage

(v.) to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder; (n.) the act of looting; booty

Mandate

in democratic politics, the "mandate" of the people is the reasoning behind political/ public policy decision making. They voted you in, they must want you to do that thing. For Lincoln, it was Win the War and Free the Slaves.

Thirteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified at the end of the Civil War. Forbade slavery and involuntary servitude EXCEPT as a punishment for crimes.

Appomattox Courthouse

the Virginia town where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in 1865, ending the Civil War

John Wilkes Booth

was an American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.

Assassinate

to murder for political reasons

Major effects of the Civil War

1. Reunification of the Country. 2. Northern Industrial Expansion/ economic "boom". 3. Southern economic and social devastation for about 15 years. 4. Slaves freed and given civil rights for a brief time thanks to Military occupation of the South. 5. Southern white resentment builds and would be expressed through domestic terrorism, leading ultimately to the Jim Crow Era.

6. 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments.