The Civil War Flashcards
First Battle of Bull Run (1861)
Early Civil War engagement ending in defeat for the Union army; this battle convinced many in the North that victory over the Confederacy would not be as easy as they had first thought it would be
Emancipation Proclamation
January 1, 1863, proclamation that freed slaves in Southern territories controlled by the Union Army (not border states)
Battle of Gettysburg (1863)
Bloodiest overall battle of the Civil War; many historians claim that the Southern defeat in this battle was the beginning of the end for the Confederacy
Appomattox
Virginia courthouse where General Robert E. Lee surrendered Confederate forces on April 9, 1865
Battle at Antietam
A bottle with Confederate battle plans is discovered by Union Troops, who then meet Confederate troops for the bloodiest day of fighting on September 17, 1862
Battle of Vicksburg
Battle that finishes Civil War in the West and gives the Union full control of the Mississippi River. This battle was also considered a turning point of the Civil War
Military Draft
- 1863: the 2 year deals expire and soldiers aren’t signing up for the war
- People are then automatically signed up unless they could pay their way out.
- The lower class doesn’t care about the freedom of slaves - They riot and lynch many African Americans
Total War
Military strategy that Sherman takes place in, burning and destroying everything in his path in his “March to the Sea”
13th Amendment
Amendment that abolished slavery throughout the US, including the border states
Legal Tender Act
Created a national paper currency (the “greenback”) in February 1862
Morrill Tariff Act
An act that raised tariffs to more than double their prewar rate
Homestead Act
Law passed by Congress in MAy 1862 providing homesteads with 160 acres of land in exchange for improving the land within five years of the grant
Morrill Land Grant Act
Law passed by Congress in July 1862 granting
public lands to the states for the establishment of agricultural and mechanical colleges
Peninsular Campaign
Union offensive led by McClellan with the objective of recapturing Richmond
Copperheads
A term Republicans applied to Northern war dissenters and those suspected of aiding the Confederate cause during the Civil War