Fort Sumter: The starting point of the war when General P.G.T. Beauregard forced its surrender in 1861.
Anaconda Plan: The war strategy of the North proposed by Winfield Scott that avoided direct conquest and hoped to cut off the South through blockades of the Atlantic Ocean and Mississippi River.
1st Bull Run: A battle at Manassas Creek, Virginia in 1861 that resulted in a victory for General Beauregard of the South after the northern army broke ranks and fled to Washington.
Morrill Land Grant Act: A law passed by Congress in 1862 that gave states public land that could be sold to establish mechanical and agricultural colleges.
Homestead Act: A law passed in 1862 that provided 160 acres of land to any citizen who agreed to live on and improve the land for five years and pay a small fee.
Peninsular Campaign: A Union offensive led by General McClellan with the goal of capturing Richmond. The campaign failed after McClellan was repeatedly driven back by General Robert E. Lee.
Battle of Shiloh: A battle in 1862 when Union General Grant defeated Confederate General Albert Johnston after receiving 35,000 reinforcements. Heavy casualties were inflicted on both sides. The Union forces later continued on to capture Memphis and Vicksburg.
Monitor and Merrimac: The first two ships with the technology of ironcladding, one from the South and one from the North. The battle between the ships was inconclusive but influential for the naval battles of the twentieth century.
Emancipation Proclamation: A decree issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed all slaves in Confederate states still in rebellion.
Robert E. Lee: The most influential Confederate general in the Civil War. He repelled McClellan during the Peninsular Campaign and was proficient in the art of defensive warfare.
Border States: The states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware that could have turned the tide of the war in favor of the Confederacy had they not opted to remain in the Union.
Legal Tender Act: An act in 1862 that created a national currency for the Union preceded by Secretary of the Treasury Chase issuing paper money.
Copperheads: A term used by Republicans to describe northern Democrats who were against war and sometimes suspected of aiding the Confederacy; they were led by Clement Vallandigham.
Election of 1864: An election between Lincoln (Republican) and McClellan (Democrat) which resulted in Lincoln’s second election. McClellan would have won the election had it not been for the tremendous boost to national morale caused by Sherman’s capture of Atlanta.
13th Amendment: A modification to the Constitution ratified in 1865 that outlawed slavery in all states.
Clara Barton: Previously a government clerk allowing her to gain connections among Congressmen, she organized nursing and the distribution of medical supplies to the Union army and forced reforms in Congress regarding army medical practice.
New York Draft Riots: Protests in New York City in 1863 resulting in many deaths, especially of blacks, caused by anger at the draft and racial prejudice.
Gettysburg: The location of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War in which Robert E. Lee’s advance was stopped by Union General George Meade.
Vicksburg: Ulysses S. Grant captured this influential Mississippian city after a siege, allowing the Union to control all of the Mississippi River.
Sherman’s March: A violent and destructive crusade which included the burning of Atlanta and Savannah. Sherman wanted to inflict such horrors that the South would not consider war again.
George McClellan: Led the failed Peninsular Campaign and campaigned against Lincoln in the 1864 election.
Appomattox: The location at which General Lee surrendered to General Grant.
Ulysses S. Grant: The most prominent Union general of the Civil War, named general-in-chief of all Union forces in 1864.
Abraham Lincoln: The President of the United States during the Civil War.
Jefferson Davis: The President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.
Anaconda Plan: The war strategy of the North proposed by Winfield Scott that avoided direct conquest and hoped to cut off the South through blockades of the Atlantic Ocean and Mississippi River.
1st Bull Run: A battle at Manassas Creek, Virginia in 1861 that resulted in a victory for General Beauregard of the South after the northern army broke ranks and fled to Washington.
Morrill Land Grant Act: A law passed by Congress in 1862 that gave states public land that could be sold to establish mechanical and agricultural colleges.
Homestead Act: A law passed in 1862 that provided 160 acres of land to any citizen who agreed to live on and improve the land for five years and pay a small fee.
Peninsular Campaign: A Union offensive led by General McClellan with the goal of capturing Richmond. The campaign failed after McClellan was repeatedly driven back by General Robert E. Lee.
Battle of Shiloh: A battle in 1862 when Union General Grant defeated Confederate General Albert Johnston after receiving 35,000 reinforcements. Heavy casualties were inflicted on both sides. The Union forces later continued on to capture Memphis and Vicksburg.
Monitor and Merrimac: The first two ships with the technology of ironcladding, one from the South and one from the North. The battle between the ships was inconclusive but influential for the naval battles of the twentieth century.
Emancipation Proclamation: A decree issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed all slaves in Confederate states still in rebellion.
Robert E. Lee: The most influential Confederate general in the Civil War. He repelled McClellan during the Peninsular Campaign and was proficient in the art of defensive warfare.
Border States: The states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware that could have turned the tide of the war in favor of the Confederacy had they not opted to remain in the Union.
Legal Tender Act: An act in 1862 that created a national currency for the Union preceded by Secretary of the Treasury Chase issuing paper money.
Copperheads: A term used by Republicans to describe northern Democrats who were against war and sometimes suspected of aiding the Confederacy; they were led by Clement Vallandigham.
Election of 1864: An election between Lincoln (Republican) and McClellan (Democrat) which resulted in Lincoln’s second election. McClellan would have won the election had it not been for the tremendous boost to national morale caused by Sherman’s capture of Atlanta.
13th Amendment: A modification to the Constitution ratified in 1865 that outlawed slavery in all states.
Clara Barton: Previously a government clerk allowing her to gain connections among Congressmen, she organized nursing and the distribution of medical supplies to the Union army and forced reforms in Congress regarding army medical practice.
New York Draft Riots: Protests in New York City in 1863 resulting in many deaths, especially of blacks, caused by anger at the draft and racial prejudice.
Gettysburg: The location of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War in which Robert E. Lee’s advance was stopped by Union General George Meade.
Vicksburg: Ulysses S. Grant captured this influential Mississippian city after a siege, allowing the Union to control all of the Mississippi River.
Sherman’s March: A violent and destructive crusade which included the burning of Atlanta and Savannah. Sherman wanted to inflict such horrors that the South would not consider war again.
George McClellan: Led the failed Peninsular Campaign and campaigned against Lincoln in the 1864 election.
Appomattox: The location at which General Lee surrendered to General Grant.
Ulysses S. Grant: The most prominent Union general of the Civil War, named general-in-chief of all Union forces in 1864.
Abraham Lincoln: The President of the United States during the Civil War.
Jefferson Davis: The President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.
Questions