A person who willingly enlists for military service. At the beginning of the Civil War many people volunteered for service on each side because of the strong feelings surrounding the causes of the con [..]

Colorfully dressed regiments in the North and South who modeled themselves after French colonial armies of the same name.

A military unit larger than a company and smaller than a regiment.

The basic unit of artillery in the Federal and Confederate armies. Each battery consisted of from four to six guns.

The act of placing a city or fortification under siege. (See "siege" in the glossary).

A temporary military encampment or the act of camping out at night.

Laws passed by Southern Democratic state governments during the early part of Reconstruction that were designed to control and regulate the political, social, and economic lives of newly freed slaves.

The isolation of a nation, area, city, or harbor by hostile ships or forces in order to prevent the entrance and exit of traffic and commerce.

A ship or person that tries to go through or past a blockade.

A monetary incentive offered to volunteers as an incentive to get them to enlist in the military. The Union and the Confederacy each offered enlistment bounties during the Civil War. After the 1863 Co [..]