The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage: An Illustrated Compendium of the Everyday Language of Soldiers and Civilians (Hardcover)

~ Webb B. Garrison (Author), Cheryl Garrison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gumps! Wharf lice! Ditch hunters! Though it's reasonably clear that those terms are insults, few people have any idea what they mean. Like much of the language used during the Civil War, they have vanished from everyday speech. The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage: An Illustrated Compendium of the Everyday Language of Soldiers and Civilians by Webb Garrison (A Treasury of Civil War Tales; Civil War Curiosities) with Cheryl Garrison is the product of more than 30 years of research and writing, and was finished just days before Webb Garrison's death. Compiled from military and naval reports, diaries, letters, memoirs, eyewitness accounts, autobiographies, legislation and government reports, the book covers slang and standard words and phrases used in both the Union and Confederate armies. It should delight linguists amateur and professional as well as Civil War buffs and military historians.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

NOW IN PAPERBACK! There are few systematic guides to the language used by the generation that fought the American Civil War. In the 150 years since the great conflict, our language has changed, and as meanings have become obscure or lost, links with this vibrant past have dissolved and much of that which had meaning to our forefathers no longer has the same meaning to us.

What did it mean “to cross the bar”? What did it mean “to see the elephant” or “to go South”? Why did the armies have so-called ninety-day men and hundred-day men? What were soldiers supposed to do when their commander shouted, “Let her go, Gallagher”? How did one “pay tribute to Neptune”? What was a “picket pin”? Could one make a passable meal of “possum beer” and “secession bread”? How did one “vibrate the lines,” and why would anyone want to attempt such a maneuver?

To address this need, Webb Garrison has pored over his notes from more than thirty years of research and study to produce this dictionary and encyclopedia of words and phrases (including nicknames and slang) commonly used during the war. Where appropriate, examples and anecdotes are included to illustrate meanings. Often overlooked naval terms and esoteric formal and informal military expressions are addressed as well as short descriptions of oceangoing vessels and river craft.

More than 2,500 entries and 250 illustrations cover the terms, equipment, and organization of the three million soldiers who fought in the war. HISTORY; CIVIL WAR
ILLUSTRATED; PHOTOGRAPHS
7” X 9”, 288 PAGES --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 274 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581821867
• ISBN-13: 978-1581821864
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #689,725 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give'm the bulge! Bully for Garrison!, September 20, 2002

By	Todd E. Newman (Valparaiso, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage: An Illustrated Compendium of the Everyday Language of Soldiers and Civilians (Paperback)

If my above mentioned words didn't offer what this book is about I don't know what will. Cheryl and Webb Garrison have assembled a great book featuring Civil War slang, lingo and material names. Words such as chinch (bed bug), hardware (weapon), leg case (desertion) pop-skull (whiskey) and yaller dog (coward). These are just a small few of the many words in this great book on Civil War era language. This book would be great for reenactors or anyone studying the war and learning more about how people communicated or gobble talked!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Civil War Usage, September 8, 2006

By	Debbie History "history buff" (ME, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage: An Illustrated Compendium of the Everyday Language of Soldiers and Civilians (Paperback)

I purchased this book to help me understand the terms used during the Civil War for a history project I am working on. The book is easy to read and the terms that I needed where easy to find as well as suggestions for terms that went along with what I was looking for. It will be a great addition to my history part of my home library and the price was reasonable. The book has also spurred my interest in other subjects connected to some of the terms I found in the book. Great book for anyone working on the Civil War.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars CW Encyclopedia, March 21, 2006

By	Raoul F. Camus (Whitestone, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage: An Illustrated Compendium of the Everyday Language of Soldiers and Civilians (Paperback)

A helpful guide to words & phrases current in the Civil War. Entries, alphabetically arranged, are brief and concise, sometimes overly so. Military ceremonies are mainly ignored, and in one case not quite correct. Still, very useful to explain those obscure references one finds in diaries and newspaper accounts.