Civil War Key Terms and Major Battles for US History

Causes of the Civil War

Main causes included abolitionism, Uncle Tom's Cabin, the Underground Railroad, Harpers Ferry, and Lincoln's election.

Confederate States of America

Nation formed by 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union.

First Battle of Bull Run

First major Civil War battle fought in 1861 near Manassas Junction, Virginia.

Stonewall Jackson

Confederate general whose troops helped win the First Battle of Bull Run.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade the South, control rivers, and capture Richmond.

Winfield Scott

Union general who designed the Anaconda Plan.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America.

Conscription

Military draft used by both the Union and Confederacy during the war.

Battle of Shiloh

1862 battle in Tennessee where Grant forced Confederate retreat after heavy casualties.

Ulysses S. Grant

Union general who became one of the North's most important military leaders.

Fall of New Orleans

1862 Union naval victory led by David Farragut that captured New Orleans.

George McClellan

Union general criticized for being overly cautious during the war.

Peninsula Campaign

1862 Union attempt to capture Richmond, Virginia.

Robert E. Lee

Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Second Battle of Bull Run

1862 Confederate victory led by Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

Battle of Antietam

1862 battle that stopped Lee's invasion of the North and boosted Union morale.

Emancipation Proclamation

1862 order by Lincoln freeing slaves in states rebelling against the Union.

Contrabands

Escaped slaves who sought protection in Union army camps.

Black Troops

African American soldiers who served in the Union Army and Navy during the Civil War.

Draft Riots

Violent 1863 protests in New York City against the federal draft.

Morrill Land Grant Act

1862 law providing federal land for state colleges and universities.

National Banking Act

1863 law creating a system of national banks and national currency.

Greenbacks

Paper money printed by the Union government to help finance the war.

Battle of Chancellorsville

1863 Confederate victory considered Robert E. Lee's greatest triumph.

Vicksburg Campaign

Union campaign led by Grant that split the Confederacy along the Mississippi River.

Battle of Gettysburg

Most important Civil War battle; major Union victory in 1863.

George Meade

Union general who commanded forces at Gettysburg.

1864 Presidential Election

Lincoln defeated George McClellan with help from Union military victories.

Andrew Johnson

Democrat chosen as Lincoln's vice-presidential running mate in 1864.

William Tecumseh Sherman

Union general known for total war tactics during Sherman's March to the Sea.

Sherman's March to the Sea

1864 campaign destroying Southern infrastructure from Atlanta to Savannah.

Appomattox Court House

Site where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant in April 1865.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment abolishing slavery in the United States.

Civil War Impact

The South's economy was devastated, slavery ended, and the North gained political dominance.