Names of the American Civil War
The American Civil War has been known by numerous alternative names that reflect the historical, political, and cultural sensitivities of different groups and regions. Unlike some other civil wars, the conflict was not fought over control of a single government, but rather was fought to defeat a secession movement. The combatants, armies, and battles of the war also had distinctive names used at the time and historically.
The War
- Senate Joint Resolution Number 41: The Congressional Record of March 2, 1928, reports Senate joint resolution No. 41 wherein Congress recognized the title "War between the States" as proper: A war was waged from 1861-1865 between two organized governments: the United States of America, and the Confederate States of America. These were the official titles of the contending parties. It was not a "Civil War," as it was not fought between two parties within the same government. It was not a "War for Secession," for the Southern States seceded without a thought of war. The right of a State to secede had never been questioned. It was not a "War of Rebellion" for sovereign, independent States co-equal can not rebel against each other. It was a War between the States, because twenty-two non-seceding States made war upon eleven seceding States to force them back into the Union of States. It was not until after the surrender of 1865 that secession was decided to be unconstitutional.
The following names have been, or are, used to describe the conflict itself, listed roughly by frequency of use:
- Civil War: The most common term for the conflict, it has been used by the overwhelming majority of popular historians and journalists in the United States since the early 20th century. The National Park Service, the government organization entrusted by the U.S. Congress to preserve the battlefields of the war, uses this term. As the vast majority of discussion and study on this topic takes place in the United States, the internationalized/disambiguated variation American Civil War is not colloquial and is uncommon in popular or scholarly discussion unless comparisons are made with other nations.
- War Between the States: This term was never used during the war but was coined immediately afterwards by Alexander Stephens, the former Confederate Vice President. Northerners disliked the term because they rejected the idea that states were fighting states. Confederates at the time thought their new nation was fighting another nation; they certainly never thought it was a war between states while it was going on. Union Loyalists thought the United States—the nation as a whole—was putting down a rebellion. After 1890 the term seemed the least provocative one possible, and so it was common from 1900 to 1940. The USMC War Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery uses this term.
- War of the Rebellion: This was the official term used by the U.S. government until 1900. The 1880 U.S. War Department report and compilation of Union army and Confederate army records (the Official Records) was entitled The War of the Rebellion. This term is often seen on Northern war monuments. An alternative usage is War of Southern Rebellion.
- War of Southern Independence: While popular on the Confederate side during the war itself, this term's popularity fell in the immediate aftermath of the South's failure to gain independence. It made a comeback in the late 20th century among Confederate heritage groups such as the League of the South and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
- War of Northern Aggression: This term emphasizes claims by Confederate partisans that the North invaded the South.
Other terms for the war have seen much less frequent usage, particularly in modern times. In the South: War in Defense of Virginia, Mr. Lincoln's War, and War of Secession. In the North: War of the Insurrection, War to Save the Union, War for Abolition, and War to Prevent Southern Independence.
Immediately after the war, the following expressions were common: The War, The Late Unpleasantness, and The Lost Cause.
Combatants
U.S. forces were popularly referred to as "the Union,", Federals, "the North," or "Yankees"; their Confederate counterparts were commonly referred to as "the Confederacy," "the South," "Rebels," or "Dixie." Soldiers who fought for the North were referred to as "Billy Yanks"; those who fought for the South were called "Johnny Rebs."
Battles and armies
In addition to differences in naming the war between North and South, there is a curious disparity between the sides in naming some of the battles of the war. In the North, battles were frequently named for rivers or creeks that were prominent on or near the battlefield; in the South, the nearest town was used. Not all of the disparities are based on this land-versus-water conflict. Some examples of well-known battles that have two common names:
| Northern name | Southern name |
|---|---|
| First Battle of Bull Run | First Battle of Manassas |
| Battle of Antietam | Battle of Sharpsburg |
| Battle of Shiloh | Battle of Pittsburg Landing |
| Battle of Seven Pines | Battle of Fair Oaks |
Most modern accounts of Civil War battles use the names established by the victorious North. The National Park Service frequently uses the southern names for their battlefield parks located in the south, presumably in deference to local sensibilities or because the town names are more frequently found on maps accessible to tourists than river names are.
Civil War armies were also named in a manner reminiscent of the battlefields: Northern armies were frequently named for major rivers (Army of the Potomac, Army of the Tennessee, Army of the Mississippi, etc.), Southern armies for states or geographic regions (Army of Northern Virginia, Army of Tennessee, Army of Mississippi).
External links
- National Park Service
- U.S. War Dept., The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.