Who was in the Civil War?

CivilWarTalk

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The American Civil War was fought between the rebelling Confederate States (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina), and the loyal states of the United States of America (California, Connecticut, Delaware*, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky*, Maine, Maryland*, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri*, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia*, and Wisconsin).

Answering the question "Who was in the Civil War?" is not an easy one to answer. Many individuals participated in the American Civil War, as many as 3,164,000 men (and women) played military roles during this wartime period, and the nation (U.S.A./C.S.A. combined) had a population of 31,443,321 as a whole in 1860.

Below is a listing of the most prominent individuals to participate in this struggle.

The Union (United States of America)
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[Lincoln, Johnson, McClellan, Grant, Meade]​

Civilian Leadership


Military Leadership


Other Notable Persons

  • Hiram Berdan - Inventor of the repeating rifle and received patent for musket ball
  • John Brown - Abolitionist, unsuccessfully raided Harper's Ferry in 1859
  • Samuel Colt - developed the first viable mass-produced revolvers prior to the Civil War
  • Frederick Douglass - former slave, orator, writer, and leader of the abolitionist movement
  • John Ericsson - inventor and engineer, designed the USS Monitor
  • William Lloyd Garrison - Abolitionist, editor of the newspaper, The Liberator
  • Horace Greeley - publisher and editor of the New York Tribune, opponent to slavery
  • Benjamin Tyler Henry - gunsmith and manufacturer, inventor of the Henry Rifle
  • William Mason - significant supplier of locomotives and rifles for the Union Army
  • Samuel Morse - co-inventor of the single line telegraph system and Morse Code
  • Robert Parker Parrott - soldier & inventor of military ordnance at West Point Foundry
  • Allan Pinkerton - head of the Union Intelligence Service, detective and spy
The Confederacy (Confederate States of America)
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[Davis, Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, Beauregard]​

Civilian Leadership


Military Leadership


Other Notable Persons

  • John Wilkes Booth - famous stage actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre
  • Jedediah Hotchkiss - famous cartographer and topographer
  • Jean Alexandre LeMat - New Orleans physician and inventor of the LeMat Revolver
  • Samuel A. Mudd - physician, assisted John Wilkes Booth
  • Sir Joseph Whitworth - English engineer and inventor, designed the Whitworth Rifle
Women of the Civil War
* Border states with slavery in 1861: In Kentucky and Missouri, pro-secession "governments" declared for the South but never had significant control of the states. Also, West Virginia separated from Virginia and became part of the Union during the war, on June 20, 1863. Nevada also joined the Union during the war, becoming a state on October 31, 1864.
 
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I'd include Franklin Buchanan in the Confederate military leadership and S. Phillips Lee and John A. B. Dahlgren in the Union military leadership, and Montgomery Blair in the Union civilian leadership.

(Though Blair was Postmaster General, it's clear from Gideon Welles' diary that Blair exerted more influence in the cabinet than his formal position might indicate, especially via his family contacts.)

ETA I think Gustavus V. Fox belongs in either the Union civilian leadership or "other" area also.

How about neutrals? Surely Lord Lyons, Sir Alexander Milne, Lord Palmerston and Lord Russell had significant influence...
 
Women--
Sally Thomkins, Juliet Opie Hopkins and Emma Sansom.

"If it is a crime to love the South, its cause, and its President, then I am a criminal. I would rather lie down in this prison and die than leave it owing allegiance to a government such as yours."

Belle Boyd
 
I'd include Franklin Buchanan in the Confederate military leadership and S. Phillips Lee and John A. B. Dahlgren in the Union military leadership, and Montgomery Blair in the Union civilian leadership.

(Though Blair was Postmaster General, it's clear from Gideon Welles' diary that Blair exerted more influence in the cabinet than his formal position might indicate, especially via his family contacts.)

ETA I think Gustavus V. Fox belongs in either the Union civilian leadership or "other" area also.

How about neutrals? Surely Lord Lyons, Sir Alexander Milne, Lord Palmerston and Lord Russell had significant influence...

I'll think about how I want to add neutrals...

Women--
Sally Thomkins, Juliet Opie Hopkins and Emma Sansom.

"If it is a crime to love the South, its cause, and its President, then I am a criminal. I would rather lie down in this prison and die than leave it owing allegiance to a government such as yours."

Belle Boyd
Under Confederate Military leadership I would add Wade Hampton III, Patrick R. Cleburne and Stand Watie

Great suggestions all, updated!
 
Oh... James B. Eads, certainly, as a Union civilian, and John M. Brooke as a Confederate "other" (he's one of those sort of in-between military/civilian types, but deserves mention for his ordnance).
 
Confederate Military - Leonidas Polk, A. P. Stewart, Benjamin Cheatham, William Loring
Confederate Civilian Leardership - Edmond Ruffin
 
Confederate Postmaster John H. Reagan....one of the few truly useful folks in the government.
CSA General Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross
CSA General Benjamin McCulloch
CSA General Henry McCulloch
CSA John Robert Baylor
CSA Co. John "Rip" Ford
CSA Gen. Henry Sibley

U.S. General Benjamin Grierson
Col. Ranald Mackenzie

Women: Adelicia Acklen
 
For CSA notables, Judah Benjamin
For US military, Winfield Scott Hancock

The list of women seems a bit excessive. Some were minor players. Why not Mary Chesnut? Why was Samuel Morse on the list? For the telegraph or as editor of the anti-Lincoln Journal of Commerce?
 
It seems the lists are being Constantly updated and they weren't on a list at a time I posted is what I mean
 
I just want to remind everyone that this isn't supposed to be an Ultimate listing, instead it is more of a jumping off point for new users. However, I'd be willing to consider compiling more complete lists in another article.

In that vein, I'm going to move the list of Women to it's own article and we can flesh out that list further there.

I also plan to add more "Pillar Articles" as the week goes on. Keep the suggestions coming!
 
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