| Abatis | One of the oldest forms of defense. Usually, fell trees, sharpened at one end and facing towards the enemies front. |
| Adjutant | A staff officer who transmits orders, details, and mounts guards, etc. The Adjutant-General is the principal staff officer of the army; he supervises the camp, and is the organ of the general commanding. |
| Aide-de-Camp | Attendant of a general officer who receives and bears orders, etc. |
| Artillary | Large guns such as mortars and cannons; the word "artillery" is also the name of the units armed with these guns. |
| Assembly | Signal to form by company. |
| Barbette | A raised wooden platform, normally found in permanent fortifications, that allowed an artillery piece to be fired over a wall without exposing its gun crew. Mound or earthen dirt often took its place. |
| Barricade | To block up, obstruct. |
| Bastion | A work at one of the angles of a fortification, consisting of two faces and two flanks. |
| Battalion | Operational unit composed of two or more companies or (in the case of of an artillery battalion) batteries. |
| Battery | The basic unit of organization in the artillery, typically consisting of four or six guns and the accompanying personnel and materiel. |
| Bayonet | A knife fixed to the front of a musket or rifle. |
| Berm | A narrow space between parapet and ditch. |
| Bivouac | A temporary encampment without the shelter of tents. |
| Blockade | The closing of an area to keep people and/or supplies from going in and out. |
| Bounties | A monetary sum of money, sometimes $500 for short term enlistment and $1500 for a three year enlistment to augment the armies of both the North and South. |
| Breastworks | Chest-high fortifications made of dirt and wood. |
| Brevet rank | Brevet Rank was different from a commission, officers were often awarded a higher rank due to meritorious service in combat or to allow them to serve on staff positions. The rank also allowed volunteers to be promoted. |
| Brigade | In the Civil War, an operational unit consisting of two or more regiments. Union brigades average about 2,000 men and Confederate brigades averaged about 1,850 men. |
| Cadence | Uniform time and step in marching. |
| Caisson | The ammunition wagon accompanying a cannon. |
| Calibre | Diameter of the bore of a piece. |
| Canister shot | A type of artillery shell designed to explode upon firing, spraying out the lead or iron shot that was packed within the canister. It was a cruelly effective antipersonnel weapon, generally used at close range. |
| Cantonments | Soldier's quarters in towns and villages. |
| Capitulate | To surrender on conditions. |
| Cascabel | The large round knob found near the breech of a cannon. |
| Cavalry | Sword-carrying troops who rode horses into battle. |
| Colors | The flag of a country or of a military unit. |
| Color-bearer | The soldier assigned to carry a unit's flag. |
| Company | The basic operational unit in the Civil War-era army. In the Union army it consisted of 30 to 60 officers and men, including one captain, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, four sargents, eight corporals, two musicians, and one wagoner. The remaining men were privates. |
| Convoy | A detached guard to accompany supplies. |
| Corps | In the Civil War, an operational unit consisting of two or more divisions and commanded by a major general. |
| Deploy | To spread troops out to form a battle line. |
| Division | In the Civil War, an operational unit consisting of two or more brigades and consisting of, on average, 6,200 officers and men, in the Union army, and 8,700 officers and men in the Confederate army. |
| Draft | To draw forth an army from the population of people where you live. |
| Dragoons | Cavalry who sometimes serve on foot. |
| Echelon | An arrangement of troops, by which front and flanks are alike protected. |
| Emancipate | To free from bondage or involuntary servitude. |
| Embrasure | An opening in a wall or defense, through which to fire guns. |
| Engagement | Term used to employ combat of different scales: a full scale battle or limited action in advance of a full scale battle. In descending order: battle, engagement, skirmish, action and affairs. |
| Enlist | To sign up for service. |
| Escalade | An asault with scaling ladders. |
| Field Officers | Colonel, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Major |
| File | A line of men one behind the other. |
| Flanks | The left or right side of an army's line; a "flankattack" is a side attack; "to flank" an enemy is to get around or in back of that enemy. |
| Forage | Oats, hay, and straw for the horses. |
| Foraging | Civil war term meaning to "live off the land." |
| Fuse | The means by which a shell is exploded. |
| Furlough | Any leave granted to a soldier by his superior. A soldier on furlough left his arms and accoutrements behind. He carried furlough papers detailing his leave dates, assignment and return to duty date. |
| General Officers | All above the rank of Colonel. |
| Grape/grapeshot | Cast-iron pellets packed together for cannon shot. |
| Grenade | A shell thrown from the hand. |
| Guidons | Small cavalry and light artillery flags. |
| Gunpowder | Composition of 76 parts saltpeter, 14 charcoal, and 10 sulphur. |
| Hartack | A hard biscuit made of flour, salt, and water. |
| Haversack | A cotton or linen bag for a soldier's rations. |
| Holsters | Pistol cases on cavalry saddles. |
| Howitzer | A relatively shorter-barreled cannon with a chamber at the base of the bore, designed to take a smaller charge. Its range is shorter than that of a gun, and the trajectory of the projectile shows more arc. |
| Infantry | Soldiers who fought on foot, equipped with small arms. |
| Interval | Distance between platoons, companies, regiments, etc. |
| Knapsack | Foot soldier's traveling bag, strapped onto his back to carry his clothing and necessities. |
| Light infantry | Infantry scattered as skirmishers. |
| Limber | A two-wheeled cart, bearing an ammunition chest, used for drawing a gun carriage, caisson, wagon, or forge |
| Line officers | Military field commanders who execute the orders of the overall commander in charge. |
| Links | Thongs of leather to enchain cavalry horse |
| Magazine | Chamber for arms, ammunitions, provision, etc. |
| Mine | A passage dug under military works and stocked with powder to blow them up. |
| Minie ball | A cone-shaped lead bullet designed for use in the rifle-barreled musket. |
| Mortar | A short chambered gun with a large bore for throwing shells, etc. into fortifications. |
| Muster | Parade of troops for inspection |
| Noncombatants | The Civil War term for sugeons, nurses, chaplains, sutlers and citizens travelling with the armies. |
| Orderly | A soldier who carried orders for officers. |
| Ordnance | Weapons and related supplies; ordnance is also the name of the branch of the army responsible for weapons and related supplies. |
| Outpost | A body of troops posted beyond the regular. |
| Outworks | Works outside the regular fortifications. |
| Paixhan | A large howitzer. |
| Parapet | A barrier of earth to intercept the fire of an enemy. |
| Park | A number of cannon in close order. |
| Parley | A conference |
| Parole | Early in the war, both sides of the conflict could not effectively handle the massive number of prisoners. They agreed to let the prisoners take an oath not to fight anymore and were released to their prospective commands. |
| Patrol | Small guard under a non-commissioned officer, whose duty it is to preserve order in the encampment. |
| Picket | During the Civil War, a synonym for a guard or sentry. |
| Pontoons | Small boats to aid in the formation of bridges. |
| Provost-Marshall | Army-sheriff |
| Quartermaster | Officer providing quarters and clothing. |
| Rank | A line of men side by side. (Rank and file includes privates and non-commissioned officers) |
| Ration | A soldiers daily allowance of food. |
| Reconnoiter | To survey or examine. |
| Redoubt | Works outside of the main protected area which supported cannon and infantry; a small fortification. |
| Regiment | In the Civil War, infantry regiments were units consisiting of ten companies, and cavalry (as well as heavy atillery regiments retrained as infantry) had 12 companies. |
| Reserve | Select body of troops retained in the rear. |
| Reveille | A morning bugle or drum call that let soldiers know it was time to wake up. |
| Ricochet | Rebounding of shot from the ground at a very obtuse angle. |
| Rifle | Any firearm with a curved groove in the barrel. |
| Rifle pit | A semi-shallow pit, built from earth which sheltered the common soldier against attack. |
| Roster | List of officers and men, by which to regulate their duties. |
| Round | A general discharge of cannon and musketry. |
| Sharpshooter | An especially skilled rifleman. |
| Shells | Hollow balls filled with explosive material which are fired by a fuse. |
| Shot | Solid iron balls shot from a cannon. |
| Siege | To surround a city or enemy army, cutting off supplies, in order to force surrender. |
| Skirmish | A loose, desultory kind of engagement between small detachments. |
| Squadron | Two troops of cavalry |
| Staff | Officers attached to headquarters. |
| Supply line | The route along which supplies and reinforcements come to the army, usually a road or a railroad. |
| Surgeon | Army doctor |
| Sutler | A peddler who followed the armies to sell food and supplies to the soldiers. |
| Tactics | Knowledge of the order, disposition, and formation of troops. |
| Wings | Right and left divisions of an army. |
| Zouaves | Civil war units known for their colorful uniforms and bravery, first organized in Chicago by Elmer E. Ellsworth. |
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