Civil War ABCs

Andersonville Prison

In November of 1863, Confederate Captain W. Sidney Winder was sent to Andersonville in Sumter County, Georgia to assess its capability of holding a prison for captured Union soldiers. Since it was close to fresh water and a railroad, it was a

favorable location. It was roughly 16.5 acres. Most of the Union prisoners were transferred to other camps in Georgia and South Carolina because of threats of

Union raids. All but 1,500 prisoners were shipped out. After the threat was nearly gone, the number of prisoners once again slowly increased. During the 15 months

Andersonville was open, almost 13,000 Union prisoners died of malnutrition, exposure, and disease.

Information from http://www.nps.gov/seac/histback.htm

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Battle of Big Bethel

The Battle of Big Bethel was the first battle fought in Virginia. Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler sent forces against advanced Confederate outposts at Little and Big Bethel.

Confederates abandoned Little Bethel and fell back to a place near Big Bethel Church. The Federals pursued and were repulsed. Unit commander Col. T. Winthrop

was killed. The Union forces were disorganized and returned to Hampton and Newport News. There were seven Confederates wounded and one killed.

CONFEDERATE VICTORY.

Information from http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va003.htm

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Cold Harbor

On May 31, Sheridan’s cavalry seized the crossroads of Old Cold Harbor. On June 1, Sheridan’s troopers threw back an attack by the Confederate infantry. Confederate reinforcements arrived from Richmond. By June 2, both armies were on the field,

forming on a seven-mile front. The armies attacked each other on these lines until the night of June 12, when Grant moved to James River. He eventually abandoned the

dangerous approaches to Richmond and decided to shift his army south of the river to threaten Petersburg.

CONFEDERATE VICTORY.

Information from http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarbattles/p/cwbattle_coldh.htm

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David G. Farragut

David Farragut is nicknamed “Old Salamander.” He was the “foster brother” of a famous Civil War admiral, David Dixon Porter. Despite the fact that he was a born and raised

southerner, he chose to side with the Union. In July 1862 he passed the batteries defending Vicksburg, but was unsuccessful there and was forced to withdraw his fleet of boats. In 1863, he seriously messed up his role at the Siege of Port Hudson. This siege

did not end until July 9, 1863. With the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, the Confederacy lost the vital Mississippi River. He became famous from the August 5, 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay. In the outcome, Farragut’s fleet defeated the Confederate’s, and the

last open seaport on the Gulf of Mexico came into the hands of the Union.

Information from http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/david-farragut.html

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Emancipation Proclamation

Abraham Lincoln issued it on January 1, 1863. It declared that “all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in

rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." It did not end slavery but changed the basic character of the Civil War. The North was now

fighting to make a Union without slavery. It was also important because it allowed African Americans to become Union soldiers. By the time the Civil war was finished,

approximately 198,000 African Americans had served for the Union.

Information from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/EmanProc.html

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Folck’s Mill

On August 1, 1864 in Evitts Creek Valley, Confederate cavalry brigades under command of General McCausland and Johnson were returning from burning Chambersburg. They were ambushed by General Kelley’s Union troops (which were from Cumberland). The

Confederates were repulsed and retreated across the Potomac. There were about 38 casualties.

INCONCLUSIVE.

Information from http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/md008.htmand http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=17903

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Martin Witherspoon Gary

Martin W. Gary was a Civil War Confederate. As a Brigadier General, he had to take command of Hampton’s Legion after Colonel Wade Hampton was injured at First Bull Run. He was in charge of the last Confederate troops to leave Richmond in April 1865.

He also helped escort the president of the CSA in their flight south.

Information from http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9067

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Hampton Roads

The Battle of Hampton Roads is the same thing as Monitor vs. Merrimack. It was one of the most important naval battles because it influenced the development of other navies.

This battle was fought on March 8 and 9, 1862 in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The Confederates were battling to try and break the blockade the Union had (which stopped

international trade). The Union’s ship was the Monitor, while the Confederate’s was Merrimack (later named the Virginia). These ships were clad in iron (thus called

ironclads) to help penetrate other ships. Neither side was able to win.INCONCLUSIVE.

Information from http://blog.aurorahistoryboutique.com/uss-monitor-vs-css-virginia-merrimack-the-battle-of-hampton-roads/

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Irvin McDowell

Irvin McDowell was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General as a result of political connections to the Union’s Secretary of Treasury. Facing extreme pressure, he attacked

Confederate forces at the First Battle of Bull Run, where he was defeated. After the major defeat, he was detached from the army in order to help protect Washington, D.C. He later commanded a corps at the Second Battle of Bull Run, where he was defeated again. He

was relatively inactive for the rest of the war.

Information from http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/irvin-mcdowell.html

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John LaMountain

John LaMountain, as well as Thaddeus Lowe, carried out reconnaissance activities for the Union army. He also tried to provide balloon services for the Union. LaMountain made

the first aerial reconnaissance of the Civil War, and also was the first to gather knowledge by free balloon flight instead of a tethered balloon. However, he had a hard time getting equipment. In addition, rivalry grew between LaMountain and Lowe. After accusations and aggression from both sides, McClellan banned LaMountain from any future service

in the army/military.

Information from http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Lighter_than_air/Civil_War_balloons/LTA5.htm

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Kady Brownell

Kady Southwell got married (either legally or by common law arrangement) to a divorced man named Robert Brownell. When the Civil War began, Robert enlisted in the

1st Rhode Island Infantry. Kady was determined to do the same. Once in Washington, Kady was made into a Daughter of the Regiment and a Color Bearer. She was an active

participant in the First Battle of Bull Run. The Brownells re-enlisted in the 5th Rhode Island Battalion. She saved the soldiers from an incident of friendly fire during the Battle

of New Bern.

Information from http://www.sethkaller.com/item/486-Union-Color-Bearer-Kady-Brownell,-Who-Fought-at-First-Bull-Run-and-Displayed-Incredible-Bravery-at-the-Battle-of-New-Bern&from=7

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Battle of Lookout Mountain

For almost two months after the Battle of Chickamauga, the Confederates had trapped the Union army inside Chattanooga. They could not stay in the city and instead occupied

Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. On November 23, Ulysses S. Grant attacked the center of the lines around the city. Another Union General, Joseph Hooker, led his

men toward the fog-covered peak of Lookout Mountain. The Confederates had overestimated the advantages the mountain gave them, and 1,200 Confederates faced

almost 12,000 Union soldiers. The Confederates abandoned the mountain in the afternoon.

UNION VICTORY.

Information from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/-battle-of-lookout-mountain

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Battle of Memphis

Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard directed troops out of Fort Pillow and Memphis on June 4, 1862 after he learned that a Union General occupied Corinth, Mississippi.

Flag-Officer Charles H. Davis and Col. Charles Ellet brought a naval attack on Memphis on June 6. The battle began. In the short hour and a half of the battle, the Union ships sank or took into custody all except for one Confederate vessel. Later, the mayor of

Memphis surrendered. This opened another section of the Mississippi River to Union shipping.

UNION VICTORY.

Information from http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarbattles/p/cwbattle_memp2.htm

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James S. Negley

James Negley commanded the 7th Brigade in the Department of the Ohio. During the first battle of Chattanooga, he led the raid. When he found out that there were Confederates

fixed on the other side of the river, he told his artillery to open fire. The strategic win was to display Union strength in Confederate territory. This earned him the position as major

general.

Information from http://voices.yahoo.com/pittsburgh-icons-james-s-negley-8534317.html

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Rose O’Neal Greenhow

Rose was a Confederate spy. She once sent a ten-word secret message to General Pierre G.T. Beauregard, which helped him to win the Battle of Bull Run. Though she was imprisoned a few times, Rose kept sending messages to the Confederacy through

mysterious notes that traveled to them in ordinary places, like the inside of a woman’s hair. When in Europe attempting to raise support for the South’s cause, she published

memoirs.

Information from http://americancivilwar.com/women/rg.html

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Pickett’s Charge

Pickett’s Charge was an assault structured by General Robert E. Lee (Confederate) against Major General George Meade’s Union positions. This was on July 3, 1863, the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg and help on Cemetery Ridge. It was a preventable

mistake. After this, the southern war effort never fully healed.UNION VICTORY.

Information from http://www.thehistorytrekker.com/travel-photographer/mid-atlantic/picketts-charge-at-the-battle-of-gettysburg

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Quincy A. Gillmore

At the beginning of the Civil War, Gillmore was placed under Gen. Thomas W. Sherman. He became well known for participating in the Siege of Fort Pulaski. Because of this, he

was promoted to the position of Brigadier General, and then to Major General a year later. Gillmore commanded two troops while trying to recapture Fort Sumter. He served

all the way until the end of the war.

Information from http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/quincy-gillmore.html

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Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, VA was the capital of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. In the early spring of 1865, this city completely trusted Robert E. Lee to protect it. They were even calm when they heard artillery fire was only ten miles outside the city.

The day after Union sources finally managed to break through the Confederate lines surrounding Petersburg, the citizens of Richmond were evacuated.

Information from http://encyclopediavirginia.org/Richmond_During_the_Civil_Warand http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/warfare-and-logistics/warfare/richmond.html

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Simmon’s Bluff

The Federals put together a mission to split the Charleston and Savannah Railroad. On June 21, troops of the 55th Pennsylvania came from boats on the sea and landed near

Simmon’s Bluff on Wadmelaw Sound, ambushing the military camp of the 16th South Carolina Infantry. Despite this small victory, the Federals abandoned their raid on the

railroad. UNION VICTORY.

Information from http://www.civilwar.com/battles/battle-summaries/147938-simmon-s-bluff.html

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Maria Tepe

Maria Tepe traveled with the Army of the Potomac and also with her husband. She often sold tobacco, hams, and contraband whiskey to the army troops. She served with her regiment until the war ended. Maria was awarded with the medal of valor, the Kearny

Cross. Forty years after the war, in extreme pain, Marie committed suicide.

Information from http://ehistory.osu.edu/uscw/features/people/bio.cfm?PID=88

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Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses served in the Union army as the commander in chief and then was promoted to general. Some say that he was the only Union general who could outwit General Robert E. Lee. His early triumphs caught the eyes of the public. He led the army at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Shiloh, and the Overland Campaign of 1864.

Union casualties in the campaign were so high that many people called him “The Butcher.” General Robert E. Lee finally surrendered to Grant at the Appomattox Court

House in 1865.

Information from http://www.shmoop.com/civil-war/ulysses-s-grant.html

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The Battle of Vicksburg

Major General Ulysses S. Grant’s armies joined as one at Vicksburg in May and June of 1863. There, they trapped a Confederate army. Vicksburg finally surrendered a month

later. This was one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. Without the army in Vicksburg and the stronghold on the Mississippi River, Grant succeeded in splitting

the Union in half.UNION VICTORY.

Information from http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/vicksburg.html

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Battle of the Wilderness

The Battle of the Wilderness was the first battle of Ulysses S. Grant’s offensive against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. This was known as the Overland Campaign and was fought at the Wilderness, May 5-7, 1864. The fighting was extremely ferocious

but eventually inconclusive, since both sides tried to move through the thick woods. Both the Union and Confederate casualties were very heavy.

INCONCLUSIVE.

Information from http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/the-wilderness.html

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Xavier Debray

Xavier Debray was major of the Second Texas Infantry. He commanded some Confederate troops and even a brigade including the Twenty-third, Twenty-sixth, and Thirty-second Texas Cavalry regiments. He worked his way up the ranks, eventually

arriving as brigadier general, though Jefferson Davis never confirmed this. He eventually discharged his men on March 24, 1865.

Information from http://www.angelfire.com/tx/RandysTexas/page107.html

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The Battle of Yorktown

Major General George B. McClennan’s army marched from Fort Monroe and met a small Confederate army at Yorktown behind the Warwick River. Maj. Gen. John Magruder, the major general of the Confederate army, managed to convince the Federals that his works were strongly held. McClennan ordered the construction of siege defenses and brought

siege guns to the front. On April 16, Union forces broke through a weakness in the Confederate lines, causing about 309 casualties. McClennan planned for a massive fight

later on, but the Confederate army slipped away toward Williamsburg.

Information from http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/yorktown.html

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Zouaves

Gen. George McClellan described Zouaves as the "beau-ideal of a soldier". They gained a reputation of being reckless and brave on a battlefield. The term originated from the French Army, who charged into the fight and were very fierce. They wore a striking

Oriental uniform.

Information from http://www.oocities.org/Infantry8thMO/HTM2zouave.html

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