Civil War Vocabulary

Abatis: (pronounced ab-uh-tee, ab-uh-tis, uh-bat-ee, or uh-bat-is) A line of trees, chopped down
and placed with their branches facing the enemy, used to strengthen fortifications.

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Breech-loading: Rifle-muskets that could be loaded at the breech (in the middle between the
barrel and the stock) instead of from the end (by shoving gunpowder and a ball down the barrel)
were called breech-loading guns.

Antebellum: (pronounced an-tee-bel-uhm) A term often used to describe the United States of
America before the outbreak of the Civil War.

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Bayonet: (pronounced bay-uh-net) A metal blade, like a long knife or short sword, that could be
attached to the end of a musket or rifle-musket and used as a spear or pike in hand-to-hand
combat.

Barrel: The long metal tube on a gun through which a projectile is fired.

H
Hardtack: Hardtack is a term used to describe the hard crackers often issued to soldiers of both
sides during the Civil War.

The chemical in the cap ignites and flame shoots into the chamber that holds the gunpowder.

See the
Secession Acts of the 13 Confederate States »
Sectionalism: Promoting the interests of a section or region (such as the North or the South)
instead of the entire country.

Thrust from exploding powder shoots
the bullet forward like a chest pass in basketball.

G
Gabions: (pronounced gey-bee-en) Cylindrical wicker baskets which were filled with rocks and
dirt, often used to build field fortifications or temporary fortified positions.

1 company = 50
to 100 men, 10 companies = 1 regiment, about 4 regiments = 1 brigade, 2 to 5 brigades = 1
division, 2 or more divisions = 1 corps, 1 or more corps = 1 army.

Picket: Soldiers posted on guard ahead of a main force.

Instead of focusing
only on military targets, armies conducting total war destroyed homes and crops to demoralize
and undermine the civilian base of the enemy’s war effort.

Artillery: Cannon or other large caliber firearms; a branch of the army armed with cannon.

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Napoleonic Tactics: The tactics used by Napoleon Bonaparte that were studied by military men
and cadets at West Point before the Civil War.

It was constructed of heavy timbers and its roof was
covered with soil.

Redan: (pronounced ri-dan) A fortification with two parapets or low walls whose faces unite to
form a salient angle towards the enemy.

1 company = 50
to 100 men, 10 companies = 1 regiment, about 4 regiments = 1 brigade, 2 to 5 brigades = 1
division, 2 or more divisions = 1 corps, 1 or more corps = 1 army.

"Lost Cause": Cultural movement in which Southern states attempted to cope - mentally and
emotionally - with devastating defeat and Northern military occupation after the Civil War.

The
aide wrote and delivered orders and held a position of responsibility which required him to know
troop positions and where officer quarters were located.

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B
Barbette: Raised platform or mound allowing an artillery piece to be fired over a fortification's
walls without exposing the gun crew to enemy fire.

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Bummer: A term used to describe marauding or foraging soldiers.

Artillery: Cannon or other large caliber firearms; a branch of the army armed with cannon.

Earthworks were
used to protect troops during battles or sieges, to protect artillery batteries, and to slow an
advancing enemy.

A soldier needed to tear off the top of the cartridge in order to fire his
weapon - part of the nine steps to fire a muzzle loading gun (or five to fire a breech loading
gun).

Democratic Party: The major political party in America most sympathetic to states rights and
willing to tolerate the spread of slavery to the territories.

E
Earthwork: A field fortification (such as a trench or a mound) made of earth.

Aide-de-Camp: A soldier who was appointed by an officer to be his confidential assistant.

Man-made fortifications could be permanent (mortar or
stone) or temporary (wood and soil).

"Butternut" was also a slang term for a Confederate
soldier.

Sortie: A type of counter-attack used to disrupt the enemy's attack or siege of a fortification,
causing the enemy to divert some of its resources away from the initial attack or siege.

The
defenders build earthworks to strengthen their position inside a fort or city against assault while
the besieging army constructs fortifications to protect siege guns and soldiers from sharpshooters
inside the city.

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Abolitionist: Someone who wishes to abolish or get rid of slavery.

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Abolitionist: Someone who wishes to abolish or get rid of slavery.

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Cap: Essential to firing a percussion rifle-musket, a cap is a tiny brass shell that holds fulminate
of mercury.

Batteries included 6 cannon (with the horses, ammunition, and equipment needed to
move and fire them), 155 men, a captain, 30 other officers, 2 buglers, 52 drivers, and 70
cannoneers.

Feint: (pronounced feynt) To pretend to attack in one direction while the real attack is directed
somewhere else.

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Copperhead: Term for a Northerner who opposed the war effort.

Sanitary Commission: A government agency created on June 18, 1861, whose purpose
was to coordinate female volunteers who were supporting the Federal army.

Battery: The basic unit of soldiers in an artillery regiment; similar to a company in an infantry
regiment.

Battery: The basic unit of soldiers in an artillery regiment; similar to a company in an infantry
regiment.

Reconstruction: A term used to describe the time in American history directly after the Civil
War during which the South was ―reconstructed‖ by the North after its loss in the war.

M
Mason-Dixon line: A boundary surveyed in the 1760s that ran between Pennsylvania to the
North and Delaware, Maryland and (West) Virginia to the South.

Breach: A large gap or "hole" in a fortification's walls or embankments caused by artillery or
mines, exposing the inside of the fortification to assault.

Furlough papers also contained a warning that failure to return on time would cause the soldier to
be "considered a deserter".

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Defeat in Detail: Defeating a military force unit by unit.

Casualty: A soldier who was wounded, killed, or missing in action.

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Canteen: Round container used to carry water; made of wood or tin and carried over the
shoulder by a strap.

Sentry: (pronounced SEHN-tree) A soldier standing guard.

Z
Zouave: (pronounced zoo-ahv or zwahv) A zouave regiment was characterized by its soldiers'
bright, colorful uniforms which usually included baggy trousers, a vest, and a fez in different
combinations of red, white, and blue.

Scurvy: (pronounced SKUR-vee) A disease caused by lack of ascorbic acid (found in fresh fruits
and vegetables).

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Contrabands: Escaped slaves who fled to the Union lines for protection.

Interior Lines: A military strategy which holds that the fastest, most efficient maneuvers,
transportation and communication are conducted within an enclosed geographic area as opposed
to outside the geographic area.

Emancipation: Freedom from slavery.

Instead of focusing
only on military targets, armies conducting total war destroyed homes and crops to demoralize
and undermine the civilian base of the enemy’s war effort.

Armory: A place where weapons and other military supplies are manufactured.

Entrenchments: Long cuts (trenches) dug out of the earth with the dirt piled up into a mound in
front; used for defense.

Skirmish: A minor fight.

Brogans were also popular amongst civilians during the time period.

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Abolitionist: Someone who wishes to abolish or get rid of slavery.

Although it saw use in the early stages of
the war, soldiers quickly learned that it cut off circulation around the head and face, leading to
the eventual abandonment of the havelock.

Democratic Party: The major political party in America most sympathetic to states rights and
willing to tolerate the spread of slavery to the territories.

Recruits: The term used to describe new soldiers.

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Ambush: To lie in wait for an unexpected attack.

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Bayonet: (pronounced bay-uh-net) A metal blade, like a long knife or short sword, that could be
attached to the end of a musket or rifle-musket and used as a spear or pike in hand-to-hand
combat.

Bivouac: (pronounced BIH-voo-ack) Temporary soldier encampment in which soldiers were
provided no shelter other than what could be assembled quickly, such as branches; sleeping in
the open.

The military draft became a necessity on both sides of the conflict.

Ambulance: A two-wheeled or four-wheeled wagon or cart used to transport wounded or sick
soldiers.

Bombproof: A field fortification which was made to absorb the shock of
artillery strikes.

Coup de Main: (pronounced koo-duh-mahn) A French term used to describe a quick, vigorous
attack that surprises the enemy.

"Graybacks": A slang term for lice, or occasionally an offensive "Yankee" slang term for
Confederate soldiers.

1 company = 50
to 100 men, 10 companies = 1 regiment, about 4 regiments = 1 brigade, 2 to 5 brigades = 1
division, 2 or more divisions = 1 corps, 1 or more corps = 1 army.

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Typhoid: Bacterial disease causing fever, diarrhea, headache, enlargement of the spleen, and
extreme physical exhaustion and collapse.

While many conscripts were excellent soldiers, veterans often considered draftees to be inferior,
unreliable soldiers.

Foraging: A term used for ―living off the land,‖ as well as plundering committed by soldiers.

Christian Commission: An organization established in 1861 for the relief of Union
soldiers; the Christian Commission provided food, Bibles, and free writing materials to the
soldiers to encourage them in good moral behavior.

Massacre The cruel killing of a number of helpless or unresisting people.

Revenue Cutter: This term applies to fast ships that were used to patrol the seas and Great
Lakes to prevent smuggling and impose importation and custom fees.

Arsenal: A place where weapons and other military supplies are stored.

When the rifle-musket was fired, expanding gas from the gunpowder blast was caught in
the hollow base of the bullet forcing it against the rifled grooves inside the barrel.

Butternut: Home-made dye used to color "homespun" cloth a yellow-brown color, used when
imported gray cloth became scarce.

Aide-de-Camp: A soldier who was appointed by an officer to be his confidential assistant.

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Commutation: Stipulation adopted by both the Union and Confederate governments which
allowed certain draftees to pay a fee in order to avoid military service.

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Brevet: (pronounced brehv-it) An honorary promotion in rank, usually for merit.

They were named after Admiral John A. Dahlgren, their inventor.

There were
16 Union armies (named after rivers, such as the Army of the Potomac) and 23 Confederate
armies (named after states or regions, such as the Army of Northern Virginia).

This term was also used to describe the Confederate vessel H.L.

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Militia: Troops, like the National Guard, who are only called out to defend the land in an
emergency.

Sometimes they were buried in the ground in the enemy's path to explode when stepped on.

See Emancipation Proclamation »
Enfilade: (pronounced en-fuh-leyd) To fire along the length of an enemy's battle line.

Fluid builds up in the tissues and causes limbs to swell up horribly.

Earthworks were
used to protect troops during battles or sieges, to protect artillery batteries, and to slow an
advancing enemy.

Cotton-Clad: Gunboats using stacked cotton bales to protect themselves from enemy fire.


 View the Flags of Bentonville Exhibit
Border States: The states of Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri.

Shebangs: (pronounced sheh-bang) The crude shelters Civil War prisoners of war built to
protect themselves from the sun and rain.

Until the spring of
1863, the Confederate cavalry force was far superior to its Federal counterpart.

Campaign: A series of military operations that form a distinct phase of the War (such as the
Shenandoah Valley Campaign).

Because the fee was
higher than the average worker's annual salary, this provision angered less-wealthy citizens on
both sides of the war.

Greenbacks: Paper currency which began to circulate in the North after February 1862 with the
passage of the Legal Tender Act.

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Bayonet: (pronounced bay-uh-net) A metal blade, like a long knife or short sword, that could be
attached to the end of a musket or rifle-musket and used as a spear or pike in hand-to-hand
combat.

Campaign: A series of military operations that form a distinct phase of the War (such as the
Shenandoah Valley Campaign).

The chamber
turns so that each bullet can be fired in succession without reloading.

Butternut: Home-made dye used to color "homespun" cloth a yellow-brown color, used when
imported gray cloth became scarce.

The
aide wrote and delivered orders and held a position of responsibility which required him to know
troop positions and where officer quarters were located.

Siege: (pronounced seej) Blocking the supply lines and escape routes of a city to force it to
surrender.