More than 2,500 Entries and 330 Illustrations
Based on the author's more than thirty years of research and study of
original Civil War sources, Webb Garrison's Civil War Dictionary is an
authoritative guide to the words and phrases (including nicknames and
slang) commonly used during the conflict. Where appropriate, helpful,
examples, anecdotes, and illustrations are included to clarify the
meanings of some of the terms.
What did it mean "to cross the bar"? What was a soldier's "big ticket"?
What did it mean "to see the elephant" or "to go South"? Who were the
so-called ninety-day men and hundred-day men? What was a soldier
supposed to do when his commander shouted, "Let her go, Gallagher!"? How
did a person "pay tribute to Neptune"? What was a "picket pin"? Could
you make a passable meal out of "possum beer" and "secession bread"? How
did a person "vibrate the lines," and why would anyone want to?
The American language has changed dramatically in more than 140 years
since the conflict. As the meanings of many words and phrases of that
time have become obscure or lost, links with the vibrant language of the
Civil War era have dissolved, and much of that which had meaning to our
forefathers no longer retains the same meaning to us. Thus, this
valuable reference work reconnects historians and students of the war
with the words, equipment, and organization of the three and a half
million soldiers who fought in the conflict.
