|
A abatis: trees felled with their tops facing in the direction of the enemy and the tips of the branches sharpened into spikes abolitionist: person opposed to slavery and in favor of ending it advance: to move forward agriculture: act of cultivating the soil, fanning ambulance: wagon or boxcar used to transport wounded or ill soldiers from the field amenorrhea: abnorrnal suppression or absence of menstruation ammunition: bullets, gunpowder, shot and shell used in firing weapons of war amputation: surgical operation used to remove an arm, leg or other extremity anesthesia: compound used to make patients unconscious before surgery Army of the Tennessee: principle Federal force in the Western Theater of operations Army of Trans-Mississippi: principle Confederate force in the Western Theater of operations artifact: man-made object from a past time artillery: cannon and mortars used in the Civil War to support the infantry and defend fixed positions
B battery: number of similar items grouped as a unit; such as a battery of cannon Battery DeGoyler: Union battery position of the 1 2th Michigan, named for the commanding officer who died in the siege of Vicksburg; battle: an encounter of two armies battlefield: place where a battle is fought; area of conflict black powder: an explosive consisting of a compound of potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal. blockade: practice of positioning naval ships in front of an enemy's harbors and river openings to prevent vessels loaded with commerce from entering and departing bondage: slavery; a state of being bound by law border states: the slave states located between the North and the South that stayed in the Union during the Civil War brigade: an organized military unit that was generally composed of five regiments and led by a brigadier general C caisson: a large box used to hold ammunition; a horse-drawn vehicle, usually two wheeled, formerly used to carry two ammunition boxes caliber: the diameter of the inside of a tube; the diameter of the bore of a gun; the diameter of a bullet or shell camp: ground on which an army pitches its tents campaign: connected series of military operations forming phase of a war canister: a type of Civil War artillery ammunition that resembled a coffee can containing small, round, iron balls packed in sawdust and used for defending against infantry attack cannon: artillery piece; big gun casualty: military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, capture, or missing in action cavalry: army component mounted on horseback used mostly for scouting, raids and protecting the flanks of the army chevaux de frise a fence of stakes or sharpened sticks forming a defense barrier or fortification comrade: fellow soldier Confederacy: the union of the Southern states that had seceded Confederate: an adherent of the Confederate States of America or its cause; Southerner; also called a rebel or Johnny Reb Confederate Flag: the Confederate flag had 3 versions, the first flag was the "Stars and Bar", second, "Stainless Banner and the third "National Flag", however many people assume "Beauregard's Battle Flag" was the national flag Confederate States of America: the country formed by the states that seceded from the United States of America Congressional Medal of Honor: highest award for acts of bravery given by the United States conscription: law which order men to military service; today called the draft constitution: written plan of government contraband: black slave who, during the Civil War, escaped to or was brought within the Union line convalescent: recovering injured or ill person Copperhead: Northern Democrat who opposed the Union's war policy and favored a negotiated peace corps: large military unit composed of three divisions led by a lieutenant general (Confederacy) or a major general (Union) court martial: to subject to a military trial with a court consisting of a board of commissioned officers counterattack: attack made to counter (off-set) an attack by the enemy countermine: tunnel for intercepting an enemy mine crater: large hole, natural or man made. Natural causes include volcano or meteorite, man-made causes include artillery shells or explosives Crater, Battle of the: 20 hour battle which occurred at Third Louisiana Redan on June 25th. The Union exploded black powder beneath the Confederate line of defense at the Third Louisiana Redan cross fire: firing from two or more points so that the lines of fire cross culture: the way of life of a group of people, including their customs, traditions, and values
D Davis, Jefferson: president of the Confederate States of America defensive war: a war in which an army fights to defend its land or territory depot: a place to store military supplies desertion: the act of a soldier leaving military service without the legal authority to do so detonate: to set off an explosion digitalis: a drug prepared from the seeds and dried leaves of the genus Digitalis, which includes foxgloves, used as a cardiac stimulant division: military unit composed of three or four brigades led by a major general domino: rectangular block whose face is divided into two equal parts that are black or blank marked with one to six dots and used in a game dysentery: an infection of the lower intestinal tract producing pain, fever, and severe diarrhea, often with the passage of blood and mucus; the number one killer in the Civil War
E earthworks: earthworks with wooden frameworks and dirt in front; breastworks Emancipation Proclamation: proclamation that was signed and issued by President Lincoln on September 22, 1862, which freed the slaves in the Confederacy effective January 1, 1863 embalm: to protect a corpse from decay engineer corps: military organization involved in skillfully laying out or constructing a military operation enlistment: the state of being enrolled in the military
F Federal: supporter of the United States Government in the Civil War; soldier in the Federal (Union) army; Northerner also called Billy Yank flank: the end of a battle line folk song: a song of the common people of a country or region that reflects their life style forceps: medical instrument used in delicate operations for grasping, holding firmly, or exerting traction fort: strong or fortified place for protection against the enemy. Fort Hill, Fort Garrott and South Fort at Vicksburg fortification: works erected to defend a place foundry: place where iron and steel are made into usable items free state: a state that did not allow slavery frontal assault: a direct attack on the enemy's front fugitive slave: slave who runs away from his master Fugitive Slave Act: a strong fugitive slave law authorizing the return of a fugitive slave to his master and five years imprisonment to anyone who helped a suspected fugitive furlough: to grant a leave of absence
G gabion: cylindrical basket open at both ends and filled with dirt used to stabilize earthworks Grant, Ulysses S.: general in command of the Army of the Tennessee during the Vicksburg Campaign, later commander of all the armies of the United States grapeshot: a cluster consisting of nine or more small balls put together by means of cast-iron circular plates at top and bottom with two rings and a central connecting rod; used in a cannon to disrupt troop movement Gunner's Quadrant: instrument used to measure the angle of elevation of long heavy guns and mortars gunboat: a small armed vessel
H Habeas Corpus: the right of a citizen to obtain a writ of habeas corpus as a protection against illegal imprisonment hardtack: hard square cracker made of flour, water and salt; one of the major staples for both Northern and Southern soldiers headquarters: place from which a military commander issues orders and performs the duties of command housewife: a small sewing kit, usually handmade, carried by soldiers and sailors during the Civil War
I infantry: foot soldiers; basic unit of a Civil War army inquiry: investigation ironclad: a 19th century warship having sides armored with metal plates invader: one that enters in a hostile manner
K kept: a military cap having a close-fitting band, a round top sloping toward the front, and a visor
L lanyard: a strong cord with a hook at one end used to fire a cannon leukorrhea: A vaginal discharge containing mucus and pus cells limber: a large ammunition box; formerly a two wheeled horse drawn vehicle that tow a cannon a contained one ammunition box Lincoln, Abraham: 16th President of the United States assassinated April 14, 1865, shortly into his second term litter: stretcher used to carry a sick or injured person lyrics: words to a tune
M magazine: a place to store ammunition manpower: strength expressed in terms of available persons to perform a task Mason and Dixon Line: line used to determine the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland; traditionally, seen as the boundary line between North and South medicinal: for medical purposes mess: a group of men, usually in the military who regularly eat meals together mine: during the Civil War it generally referred to a system of tunneling under the enemy earthworks and detonating explosives to create a crater or opening where troops could charge the enemy; encased explosive designed to destroy the enemy and/or enemy property minie ball: large, elongated bullet made of soft lead that was fired from Civil War Montgomery: capital city of the state of Alabama; first capital of the Confederate States of America morphine: very powerful painkilling drug mortally wounded: wounded to extent that death follows mortar: muzzle-loading cannon used to fire projectiles at high angles
N North, the: those states which opposed the Confederate State of America during the Civil War; the Union; Federal troops; Northerners offensive: making the attack P parapet: an earthen or stone embankment protecting soldiers from enemy fire parole: the promise of a prisoner of war upon his faith and honor to fulfill stated conditions in consideration of special privileges, usually release from captivity. pea bread: peas ground into a powder, mixed with water and salt to form a bread. Eaten by Confederate troops at Vicksburg Pemberton, John Clifford: general in command of the Confederate forces during the Siege of Vicksburg picket: person placed on guard duty at the front lines plantation: large farm raising one main crop political map: map that shows such things as national and state boundaries and the names and locations of towns and cities pontoon bridge: bridge whose deck is supported by flat bottomed boats prejudice: an unwarranted bias prisoner of war: soldier captured by the enemy and placed in an enemy camp Quartermaster: a commissioned officer of the Quartermaster Corps whose duty is to provide clothing and subsistence for a body of troops
R railroad: road having a line of rails fixed to wooden ties to provide a track for cars drawn by locomotives Railroad Redoubt: four sided earthwork used to defend the rail line into Vicksburg ration: the food allowance of one soldier4 rebel: one who fights authority; Southerner; Confederate; Johnny Reb rebellion: armed resistance to the authority of an established government recruiter: person who gets new soldiers for an army by encouraging men to enlist redan: a three-sided fortification forming a salient angle redoubt: a four-sided fortification rectangular or square used to defend a road, rail line, hill or pass regiment: military unit composed of 10 companies and led by a colonel reinforce: to strengthen by adding something new reinforcement: an additional supply of soldiers repel: to drive back; to fight against replica: a close reproduction of the original rheumatism: any of several pathological conditions of the muscles, tendons, joints, bones, or nerves, characterized by discomfort and disability Richmond: capital city of the state of Virginia; second capital of the Confederate States of America rifled musket: term adopted in 1855 to designate those shoulder arms that retained the outside dimensions of the old muskets but had rifled barrels
S salient: an outwardly projecting part of a fortification or defensive line sanitation: the promotion of hygiene and prevention of disease achieved through the maintenance of clean conditions sap: a trench or tunnel dug to a point within an enemy position; to undermine the foundation of a fortification sap roller: cylindrical object of basketwork rolled ahead of men constructing a sap (trench) toward the enemy to provide cover from the enemy's small-arms fire scalpel: small, sharp knife used by surgeons to cut through skin and other soft tissue scorbutus (scurvy): a disease characterized by spongy gums, loosening of the teeth and a tendency to bleed into the skin and mucous membranes and caused by a dietary deficiency of ascorbic acid-vitamin C secede: to withdraw from; pull-out segregation: the separation of groups of people based on race shell: a projectile or piece of ammunition having a hollow tube or depression containing explosives used to propel the projectile shot: a round projectile or piece of ammunition shrapnel: an artillery shell containing metal balls fused to explode in the air above the enemy troops; shell fragments from an exploding shell siege: military blockade of a town or fortified place to force its surrender by cutting communications and supply lines; military operations in which the enemy surrounds pins down an army signal flag: flag made of several colors to contrast with the landscape and used to send messages slave: person who is owned by another person slave state: a state where slavery was permitted slavery: the state of a person who has been purchased by another: bondage smoothbore: a cannon or gun having no rifling; having a smooth tube soldier: someone who is engaged in military service South, the: those states which lie south of the Mason-Dixon Line; the Confederate States of America; the Confederacy; the Southerners; Confederate troops spiritual: a religious song that was developed primarily by blacks in the South spoil: property taken form the enemy in war; loot spathe: a leaflike organ that encloses or spreads from the base of the spadix of certain plants, such as jack-in-the pulpit or the calla sponge: pad used in surgery and medicine; artillery accessory used to wet cannon tube after firing stalemate: a standoff; a deadlock; a fight without a winner states, rights: the political doctrine that all powers not given to the central government by the Constitution belonged to the states themselves stockade: a line of stout posts or timbers set firmly in the earth in contact with each other to form a barrier or defense fortification strategy: the science or art of military command as applied to the overall planning and conducting of large-scale operations styptic: contracting the tissues or blood vessels supply center: place which supplies needed goods to other places surrender: to give up control of sutler: private businessman who followed the army and sold goods to the soldiers suture: silk thread stitch used to sew up wounds sympathizer: someone who tends to favor a particular cause tactics:The technique or science of securing the objectives designated by strategy; the art of deploying and directing troops, ships in an effective manner against the enemy telegraph: a message sent electrically by wire theater: large area where military campaigns took place thumbstall: leather thumb covering worn by a cannoneer as a vent stop torpedo: a small explosive consisting of a container, gunpowder and firing mechanism, denotation could be caused by contact, pressure, friction primer or electrically; mine tow-hook: hook used to remove the cotton waste in which the rounds of artillery ammunition were packed trench: deep ditch where troops sought protection during battle; a long narrow excavation used for military defense and often having the excavated dirt piled up in front of it as an earthwork troops: soldiers tunnel: horizontal passage through or under an obstruction Typhoid fever: an acute, highly infectious disease caused by the typhoid bacillus, Salmonella typhosatransmitted by contaminated food or water and characterized by red rashes, high fever, bronchitis and intestinal hemorrhaging
U Union: those states remaining loyal to the United States of America; the North; Federal; Northern United States Colored Troops: black soldiers who fought in the Union Army United States Sanitary Commission: relief organization whose primary goal was to supply the material wants of the soldier
V volunteer: person who offers himself for service without being forced to do so
W wad: separated the powder from the shot, made of loose pieces of cordage weapon: an instrument used for fighting worm: an artillery accessory used to used to extract the wad and cartridge from the bore if necessary Y Yankee: a soldier who fought with the Union; a Federal; Billy Yank; Blue jacket |
Last updated: April 14, 2015