Webb Garrison's Civil War Dictionary

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.