Untitled Flashcards Set

Border States – Slave states (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and later West Virginia) 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 to curb dissent.

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 (July 1861), which ended in a Confederate victory and shattered Union hopes of a quick war.

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 in September 1862, it was the bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history and led to Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Emancipation Proclamation – Issued by Lincoln in 1863, it declared that slaves in Confederate states were free, shifting the war’s focus to ending slavery.

Thirteenth Amendment – Ratified in 1865, it abolished slavery in the United States.

Battle of Gettysburg – A turning point in the Civil War (July 1863), where Union forces defeated Lee’s invasion of the North.

Gettysburg Address – A speech by Abraham Lincoln in November 1863 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, securing control of key waterways.

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 (1864), devastating the South’s infrastructure.

Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War – A group of Radical Republicans in Congress that oversaw the war effort and often criticized President Lincoln’s handling of the war.

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

Union Party – A temporary coalition of Republicans and War Democrats that backed Abraham Lincoln’s re-election in 1864.

Appomattox Courthouse – The site where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, 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; he was removed by Lincoln after the Battle of Antietam.

Robert E. Lee – The leading Confederate general, known for his military skill, but ultimately surrendered at Appomattox.

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.