What do you call them?

[Bee]

For purely lazy reasons, I use USA and CSA. -- less letters to type

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

No problem for me to use Rebs or Yankees.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

I know "Federals" gets a fair amount of use, but I don't care for it. Mostly an aesthetics thing. Probably because unlike most of the other terms it's still in frequently use today, but specifically a level of government (nobody calls the US Army the Federal Army). Besides, most of the Union soldiers were in state regiments not national ones and the Confederates were likewise in state regiments with a federal i.e. national government.

I prefer Union and Confederate.

 

[jackt62]

In his memoirs, US Grant referred to northern forces as the "national" army. I tend to like that term for the north even though it is not normally in use as far as I can tell.

 

[E_just_E]

When discussing individual battles and armies, I usually use "Union" and "Confederate" or US/A and CS/A. On occasion I use the term "federal" to describe Union politics. When I use the term South, I mean it to describe the States south of the Mason Dixon line, including US States like MD and DE and, of course, DC.

 

[unionblue]

Slaveholding South and the Free North at times, but mainly Union and Confederate.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Slaveholding South and the Free North at times

Where does that leave the Border States?

 

[Reb]

In my family, the term "Union" was verboten. When referring to the Northern Army it was always "Federals". As it was told to me, it wasn't a Union, it was half a Union.

 

[Borderruffian]

Reb's and Blue Bellies

 

[WilliamH]

Slaveholding South and the Free North at times,

I don't like North and South because the terms can have different meaning to different people. I for example, when put into the context of the Civil War assume South = CSA/Confederate and North = USA/Union. States like KY and MD I assume to be part of the North, thus I might make the statement the North had slavery too (thinking of KY and MD). However, someone else who assumes those states to be part of the South would immediately disagree and be confused by my statement.

 

[Eagle eye]

I go by the soldiers belt buckles:
US or CS
If it was good enough for them it's good enough for me.

 

[damYankee]

My g dad called rebs "Johnnys" short for Johnny Rebs

 

[Patrick H]

I call them "Yankees" and "Us".

This really amused me!