Civil War & Reconstruction

Bull Run

First major land battle of the Civil War; resulted in a Confederate victory.

Antietam

Bloodiest single-day battle in American history; led to the Emancipation Proclamation.

Gettysburg

Major turning point of the Civil War; Union victory in Pennsylvania.

Vicksburg

Union victory that gave the North complete control of the Mississippi River.

South's Declining Economy

Strained severely during the war by Union blockades, inflation, and severe shortages.

Clara Barton

Civil War nurse who later founded the American Red Cross.

Ulysses S. Grant

Major General for the Union forces who accepted Lee's surrender.

William T. Sherman

Union General known for his total war tactics and 'March to the Sea.'

Robert E. Lee

Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Stonewall Jackson

Key Confederate general who earned his nickname at the First Battle of Bull Run.

Appomattox Court House

Location where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, ending the war.

Abraham Lincoln

16th U.S. President who led the Union through the Civil War.

Wade-Davis Bill

Congressional reconstruction plan that was blocked by Lincoln's pocket veto.

Total War

Military strategy targeting civilian and economic resources, not just enemy armies.

Attrition

Military strategy of wearing down the enemy through continuous losses in personnel and supplies.

Reconstruction

Post-war period with the primary goal of reunifying the United States and offering amnesty.

Lincoln's Assassination

Carried out by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre shortly after the war ended.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment that officially abolished slavery throughout the United States.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

Jefferson Davis

Politician who served as the first and only President of the Confederacy.

Freedmen's Bureau

Federal agency established to help freed slaves and poor Southerners find work and education.

Election of 1876

Disputed election that resulted in a compromise signaling the official end of Reconstruction.

Andrew Johnson

17th U.S. President; impeached by the House of Representatives but not removed from office.

Black Codes

Restrictive laws passed by Southern states to limit the freedom of African Americans.

Blockade Runners

Small, fast ships used to slip through the Union naval blockade of Southern ports.

Election of 1864

Election in which Abraham Lincoln was re-elected amidst the ongoing Civil War.

Radical Republicans

Congressional faction pushing for strict punishment of the South and robust civil rights for freedmen.

Habeas Corpus

Constitutional right suspended by Lincoln during the war to jail anti-war agitators.

Anaconda Plan

Union's strategic plan to blockade Southern ports and gain control of the Mississippi River.

Emancipation Proclamation

Executive order by Lincoln that freed slaves living in Confederate-held territory.

Advantages of North/South

North had industry, population, and railroads; South had home-field advantage and strong military leadership.