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Glossary
Below is a glossary of American Civil War terms.

abatis
(also abattis) - an obstacle created by felling trees in the direction of the enemy.
ambuscade
ambush.
antiscorbutics
remedies for scurvy.
brevet
the conferring of nominal military rank without corresponding pay.
buskin
a half-boot.
butternut
Confederate - pertaining to the color of some Confederate uniforms.
caisson
An ammunition wagon for artillery.
canister
type of artillery projectile consisting of a number of pellets in a cylindrical container.
cascabel
Knob at breech end of a cannon.
celerity
swiftness, speed.
chevaux-de-frise
An obstuction to attacking infantry or cavalry created by implanting sharpened stakes in a central timber.
Copperheads
Peace Democrats. A political faction opposed to Lincoln and the prosecution of the war.
corps de chasseurs
body of troops trained and equipped for rapid movement.
cottonclad
a vessel using bales of cotton placed on the deck to provide some protection from enemy fire.
coup de main
A surprise attack.
croakers
term given to Mobile citizens that in the spring of 1865 simply hoped for an end to the fighting.
debouches
openings in a fortification where troops may enter or leave.
destruction in detail
destruction of an opposing force one small part at a time.
encomium
a formal or high-flown expression of praise.
enfilade
the situation of a position that it commands a line from end to end.
epaulement
a parapet or breastwork, especially one protecting the flank.
fascine
a long bundle of sticks or twigs used to line a trench.
filibusters
private armies that menaced Central and South America. They sought the expansion of slavery.
floating battery
A battery of artillery mounted upon a barge or raft. They were towed into desired firing positions inaccessible by land.
gabion
a large open-ended wicker-work frame, filled with earth, used to protect soldiers while they were digging trenches. They served as a retaining wall or bracing to hold the sides of trenches in place and to keep breastworks from caving in.
grape
an artillery projectile consisting of small cast iron balls grouped together to make a scattering charge.
grayback
Confederate.
hard tack
A hard bread-like ration issued to troops in the field.
haversack
A leather bag used to carry rations. Also used by artillerymen to carry powder to the gun.
in defilade
shielded from observation or enemy file by natural obstacles or fortifications.
in the air
term used to describe the end of a line of troops which has no protection.
ironclad
an armored ship designed to resist cannon fire.
kepi
A hat worn by both armies, originally of French design. It had a circular flat top, sloping toward the front, and a horizontal peak.
lamp posts
ten-inch projectiles fired by Federal gunboats.
limber
A detachable forepart of a gun-carriage. It hastwo wheels on an axle, a pole for horses, and one or two ammunition boxes.
line of contravallation
the chain of redoubts and breastworks constructed by besiegers for protection against sorties of the garrison under siege.
lunette
a raised firing platform built into the perimeter of a fort to allow guns to fire directly at an attacking force.
marplot
a person who spoils a plot or hinders an undertaking.
meeting engagement
a firefight resulting from the accidental convergence of opposing forces.
plank road
a road made more passable in wet weather by planking it with trunks of saplings.
point d'appui
a fulcrum, a strategic point.
Prairie Dog Village
Derisive term coined by besieging Federal infantryman to describe Vicksburg. Many residents tunneled into the side of the bluff to escape the constant artillery and naval bombardment.
provost duty
military police duty, often in an army's camp.
Quaker guns
Dummy cannons constructed from a length of log painted black. Designed to deceive an enemy from a great distance.
ready finders
civilian scavengers who moved in the wake of a maneuvering army, gleaning for profit items left in their wake.
refuse the line
to maneuver a regiment or larger to cause the front to change direction by 90 degrees.
sap
an approach trench, dug by besieging forces, always zigzagged, which connects old and new parallel trenches.
scalawag
a Southern White who supported Reconstruction.
scaling ladders
ladders carried by infantry units to cross a wall of a position under siege.
Scott's Anaconda
plan by Union General Winfield Scott to strangle the Confederacy by blockading their ports and controlling the Mississippi River.
shabraque
a saddle cover.
straggler
A soldier who has allowed himself to be separated from his unit, either by being physically unable to keep up, or through mere shirking his duty.
sutlers
civilians who sell provisions to troops in the field or in garrison.
terminus ad quem
the finishing-point of an argument, policy, period, etc.
tête-de-pont
bridgehead
thunder barrels
Powder-filled hogsheads, fuzed at the bung and rolled downhill into enemy trenches.
tinclad
a ship with armor no more than musket-proof.
torpedoes
Land mines. Usually artillery shells buried in opportune places and fitted with pressure fuzes or concealed trip wires. First used in the Civil War by Confederate defenders at Yorktown in 1862.
vidette
a mounted sentry placed in advance of an army's position to observe enemy movements.
Whigs
Antecedents of Republicans. Believers in protective tariffs and a strong central government.


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