abatis	Trees sharpened at one end, facing toward the enemy to prevent an advance.
abolition	To put an end to slavery.
abolitionist	Someone who wants to eliminate slavery.
ambulance	From the French term meaning "walking hospital". A horse cart used to transport wounded soldiers from the battlefield to a hospital tent.
amputate	To remove a severely damaged limb (usally an arm or leg).
Anaconda Plan	Plan by which the North would encircle the South, cutting off supplies and slowly crush it.
army	The largest group of soldiers in the war. There were 16 Union armies and 23 Confederate armies.
artillery	A term usually referring to some type of cannon. Field artillery were mobile, while heavy artillery were usually fixed as in defence of a fort..
assassinate	To murder a political official.
barbette	A raised wooden platform that allowed artillery to be fired over a wall.
barrel	The long metal tube on a gun the bullet is fired through.
battalion	A unit of soldiers. Two squadrons formed a battalion. Three battalions formed a regiment.
battery	The basic unit of soldiers in an artillery regiment. Comprised of 6 cannons, 155 men, 1 captain, 30 officers 2 buglers, 52 drivers, and 70 cannoneers.
battle	A military confrontation between two opposing forces.
bayonet	A metal blade attached to the end of a rifle and used as a spear.
bivouac	Hastily made shelters of plants or branches.
blockade	An effort to keep ships from entering or leaving ports.
border states	Maryland, Kentucky, Delaware and Missouri.
bounty	A sum of money paid to enlist in the military.
breech-loading	Rifles that were loaded in the middle, between the barrel and the stock, instead of from the end.
brevet	An honorary field promotion.
brigade	A unit of soldiers consisting of four or five regiments.
bummers	Soldiers who foraged for supplies.
caisson	A two-wheeled cart used to carry ammunition. A single cannon usually had two caissons, each with 150 projectiles.
caliber	The distance around the inside of a gun barrel measured in thousandths of an inch.
campaign	A series of military operations forming a particular phase of the war.
canister	A projectile fired from a cannon that is filled with 35 iron balls that scatter like pellets.
cap	a tiny brass shell that ignites the gunpowder in a percussion rifle or musket.
carbine	A breech-loading, single-shot rifle.
carpetbagger	A Northerner who gained political control in the South with the black vote.
cartridge	This was loaded into the rifle or musket to be fired. It included a bullet or projectile and wrapped paper containing gunpowder.
cascabel	The large round knob on a cannon.
casualty	A soldier who is wounded, killed, captured or missing in action.
cavalry	A branch of the military trained to fight on horses.
colors	A flag with the name and insignia of a specific military unit.
commissioned officer	An officer holding a certificate giving military rank.
commutation	$500 paid to avoid military service. 87,000 men avoided the draft this way.
company	A group of 50 to 100 soldiers led by a captain.
confederacy	Another name for the Confederate States of America or the South.
confederate	Someone loyal to the South during the war.
corps	A large group of soldiers led by a general. Usually made up of two or more divisions.
draft	A forced induction into military service.
earthwork	A trench or mound made of earth.
emancipation	Freedom from slavery.
enfilade	To fire along the length of the enemy line.
engagement	A battle.
enlist	To willingly join the military.
federal	Another name for the Union or Northern government.
foraging	To live off the land by stealing.
formation	Arrangment of troops for battle or marching.
fortification	Something that slows an enemy charge or makes a defensive position stronger.
furlough	A temporary leave.
garrison	A group of soldiers stationed at a military post.
goober pea	Southern term for peanut.
hardtack	A hard, and often worm-infested biscuit used as a source of food.
howitzer	A long-range piece of artillery.
infantry	Soldiers trained to fight on foot.
ironclad	A ship protected by armor, usually made of iron.
lunette	A two or three sided fort.
mason-dixon line	A symbolic boundary between free and slave states. It was originally from a survey line around 1760.
militia	Troops, similar to the National Guard, who are only called on in an emergency.
minie ball	An elongated lead projectile designed by French Captain Claude-Etienne Minie.
mortar	A large artillery piece, with a short barrel, designed to throw heavy projectiles at high angles.
musket	A gun with a long, smooth barrel.
muster	To enlist a group of soldiers into military service.
muzzle-loading	A gun that is loaded from the end by putting the gunpowder and projectile down the barrel.
navy	The branch of the military that fought on ships, either on rivers or at sea.
north	Another name for the Union or the United States of America.
officer	A ranking soldier able to issue commands.
ordnance	A group of guns, ammunition, vehicles and equipment used in combat.
peculiar institution	Southern nickname for slavery.
percussion arm	A musket that requires a small cap to fire.
perish	To die or cease to exist.
picket	Soldiers posted on guard duty to warn the main force of attack.
pontoon	Connected, flat-bottomed wooden boats used to form a temporary bridge across rivers.
private	The lowest rank in the army.
rations	Food provided to the soldiers.
rebel	Someone loyal to the South during the war.
reconstruction	The period from 1865 to 1877, where the Southern states were rebuilt and brought back into the Union.
recruit	A person who enlists in the military.
regiment	A unit of the military made up of about 1,000 men.
revolver	A small gun, with a revolving chamber, holding about six bullets able to be fired rapidly without reloading.
rifle-musket	A gun with a long grooved barrel.
rout	A crushing defeat.
secession	The act of the Southern states withdrawing from the United States of America.
sentry	A soldier on guard duty.
shell	A hollow metal case containing an explosive charge.
siege	Blocking the supply lines and escape routes of a city to force it to surrender.
skirmish	A minor fight.
slavery	When African-Americans were owned and forced into labor.
small arms	A weapon carried and fired by hand, like a rifle or pistol.
smoothbore	A type of musket with a smooth barrel that fired round lead balls. They were not very accurate.
south	Another name for the Confederate States of America.
surrender	To give up and admit defeat.
sutler	Civilian merchants licensed to sell supplies and food to soldiers.
sympathizer	Someone who supports a cause.
tariff	Taxes placed on imported goods.
theater	An area where fighting takes place.
torpedo	Referred to today as mines, either floating in the path of a ship or buried in the ground.
total war	The act of destroying homes and crops of civilians in enemy territory.
union	Another name for the United States of America or the North.
veteran	A former member of the military.
volunteer	Someone who voluntarily enlists in the military.
west point	A famous military academy that many Civil War officers, in both the North and South, graduated.
yankee	Someone loyal to the North.
zouave	A special unit of soldiers known for their colorful costumes and fierce fighting style.