Civil War Facts

By 1861 the United States had lived under the Constitution for 72 years. Forty-nine of those years—two thirds of the time—a Southern slaveholder had served as President of the United States.

After the Civil War, 99 years passed before another Southerner was elected President.

Before the Civil War, 23 of the 36 Speakers of the House and 24 of the Presidents Pro Tem of the Senate represented Southern States.

After the Civil War, there were no Southern Speakers or Presidents Pro Tem for 50 years.

Before the Civil War, 20 of the 35 U.S. Supreme Court Justices had been Southerners.

After the Civil War, in 50 years, 5 of 26 new Justices appointed were from the South.

Before the Civil War, the Federal Government had touched the general public only through the Post Office.

The United States Government changed as a direct result of the Civil War. The government

• Taxed the people directly.
• Created the Internal Revenue Bureau to collect taxes.
• Drafted men into the U.S. Army.
• Expanded the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts.
• Created a national greenback paper currency.
• Launched a national banking system.

Washington City

The Good

If you walked across Lafayette Park in 1860, you would notice the mansions of the rich in close proximity to the White House. Fine mansions ran along the northern edge of the park on H Street. There were also fine homes in nearby Georgetown. Georgetown was incorporated in 1789. Although it was included in the Federal District, Georgetown was a separate entity until the U.S. Congress made Georgetown a part of Washington, DC in 1871. Georgetown had both a large free black as well as a pro southern white population during the Civil War.

The people who lived in these homes were for the most part very rich and very social, as was typical in high Victorian society. They attended dances or hops during the winter season. These dances were held at hotels or large halls. Those who were members of high society held small private parties at their homes. These parties offered meals and entertainment such as dancing, music recitals, card games and charades. There were several theaters in the city where people could attend a play, a show, or view burlesque acts. The White House offered weekly parties, called levee's, where the social elite could mix with diplomats, military officers, congressmen, and cabinet officers as well as the President of the United States. When the weather turned warm, the citizens of Washington, DC would attend weekly concerts given by the President's own Marine Band on the West Lawn of the White House. If you were a sportsman or simply in need of food, you could hunt pheasant or fish for shad on the banks of the Potomac River not too far from the White House. Those citizens who endeavored to enjoy a nice spring day outside would hire a carriage and take a ride in the nearby countryside. Or they might plan a visit to see George Washington's old home at nearby Mount Vernon, VA. Another fun option would be to pack a picnic basket and take a boat ride over to Mason's Island (now known as Theodore Roosevelt Island) on the Potomac River. When it became too hot, most people who could afford to would leave the city for cooler areas, like the blue ridge mountains of Virginia or the seashore.

The Bad

Even though Washington, DC was the capital of the United States, it was still a dusty southern town when the Civil War began. It was a city of mostly incomplete monumental buildings and small residences separated by unpaved streets that stretched out to end abruptly in woodlands or farms.

The city canal, which ran through the center of town, held stagnant waters that teemed with garbage—among many other nasty items. A city newspaper estimated that one could smell some 70 different “stinks” emanating from the canal. Not only was this overpowering during the hot and steamy summers, but it also brought forth swarms of flies and mosquitoes to make life miserable for the local inhabitants. In addition, the bad water mixed with contaminated wells was the source of many diseases. The citizens were often at the mercy of malaria, dysentery, and cholera epidemics.

The streets were, for the most part, not paved. They were deep in mud when the weather was wet and windblown with dirt when the weather was dry. One wag joked that when it was hot and dry in Washington, the real estate was about a foot higher than normal. One could also find cows wandering the streets and pigs lying in the deep mud at Washington street corners.

The Ugly

From 1800 to 1861, there were both free black and slave populations in Washington, DC. There were many free black men who made a good living in the city. But there were just as many who scraped out a living under oppressive laws. The city government enacted a series of codes that prevented free black men and women from enjoying the same rights as the white population. Most free black men and women were required to be off the streets of Washington after 10 p.m., unless their business was to drive carriages or wagons. Even though legally free, black men and women would travel the streets of Washington guardedly as they were prone to being kidnapped by slave hunters intent on making money by selling them back into slavery. Slavery existed in the States all around Washington. Slaves were living and working in the city when Abraham Lincoln arrived in 1861.

Thus was the city of Washington when its 63,000 inhabitants saw the dawning of the Civil War. Within four years, the population would soar to as many as 200,000 people. The military buildup would bring soldiers, government workers, salesmen, doctors, nurses, swindlers, prostitutes, undertakers, and human beings from every other walk of life to a city where a profit might be found.

Medical Cures

Washington, DC, during the 1860s, was not a great time for public health. Since the medical profession was not yet aware of germs, most medical remedies for illnesses concentrated on purgatives. Purgatives were used to empty from your system anything that ailed you. This was accomplished by inducing the patient to vomit or to have a bowel movement.

One remedy for diarrhea, or loose bowels, consisted of the following ingredients:

• Rhubarb (too much rhubarb would also cause diarrhea)
• Spirits of camphor
• Tincture of cayenne
• Peppermint essence
• Laudanum

Laudanum is a liquid made from opium and alcohol. It was used as a common sleeping medicine. The drug also acted as a painkiller and cough suppressant. It prevented loose bowels or diarrhea. It was an opiate, so it was addictive. Laudanum was given to babies to quiet them.

These drugs were easy to acquire. They could be purchased at the local grocer or a pharmacy. One could also purchase the drugs through the mail. No one needed a doctor’s prescription.

Those who were ill usually fell back on family remedies or stayed in bed until the illness ran its course.

 

Civil War Slang

Bully for you: Well done! Good for you!

Catarrh: A generic term for any inflammation of the nose or throat.

Dashing: Showy; elegant; spirited, especially in dress or appearance.

Gallinipper: A large insect. In most cases, a mosquito.

Galoot: A rookie recruit, new to battle. A replacement who is considered worthless in battle.

Gump: A fool or a dolt.

Hay foot! Straw foot!: A camp command that frustrated sergeants used when confronted with teaching recruits the difference between their right and left.

Maundering: Begging.

Peaked: Refers usually to someone who looks thin, pale, or sickly in appearance. Not well.

Pitch a fit: To have a temper tantrum, or simply to be upset.

Pucker: Someone who is in a state of anger or highly irritated.

Rodomontade: Empty bluster or vain talk. Sometimes spelled rhodomontade.

Sacred Dust: A dead body.

Secessia: Northern term for the Confederacy. Secesh would be singular, referring to a single Confederate soldier or loyalist.

Settle one’s hash: To take care of or settle one’s personal business.

Shebang: A temporary structure, shelter, or hut.

Sin to Moses, Sin to Crockett: An action or behavior that would be shameful to Moses or the American hero Davy Crockett.

Slow Bear: Yankee term for a pig.

Sockdolager: A powerful punch or blow. A word used in the line that was delivered onstage at Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC, during the performance of Our American Cousin on Friday, April 14, 1865. This brought forth a great laugh from the audience. The laugh was followed by the sound of a gunshot from the President’s Box.

Wake Snakes: Raise a ruckus; make a tremendous amount of noise.