| ACW: |
Nickname for the American Civil War. |
| Abatis: |
An entrenchment of
felled trees, with their
branches sharpened so as to present a wall of pointed stakes to the
enemy. |
| Adjutant: |
A staff officer who
transmits orders,
details and mounts guards, &c. 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, &c. |
| Alarm
Post: |
Place of assembly in
case of alarm. |
| Alignment: |
Placing in line. |
| Approaches: |
Trenches by which
besiegers approach a
fortified place; they are opposed by counter-approaches. |
| Apron: |
The piece of leather or
sheet lead which
covers the vent of a cannon. |
| Assembly: |
Signal to form by
company. |
| Authentic: |
Can
be backed up by documentation, an item or portrayal that was in use at
the time of the Civil War. |
| Banquette: |
An elevation of earth
within a fort, three
or four feet wide, and less than five feet from the top of the parapet,
to enable short men to fire over. |
| Barbette: |
Guns stand on raised
platforms and fire
over the parapet, thus having a free range. |
| Barricade: |
To block up, obstruct. |
| Bastion: |
A work at one of the
angles of a
fortification, consisting of two faces and two flanks. |
| Berm: |
A narrow space between
parapet and ditch. |
| Bivouac: |
To camp round fires
without the shelter of
tents. |
| Black Powder Enthusiasts: |
Generally
refers to the folks who do Mountain Man Rendezvous and black powder
shooting contests with live rounds. |
| CAS: |
Cowboy
Action Shooting is competition shooting done with live rounds usually
representing the later 19th Century. |
| Cadence: |
Uniform time and step
in marching. |
| Caisson: |
The ammunition wagon
accompanying a cannon.
|
| Calibre: |
Diameter of the bore of
a piece. |
| Camp
Colors: |
Flags eighteen inches
square, to mark
evolutions |
| Cantonments: |
Soldiers' quarters in
towns and villages. |
| Capitulate: |
To surrender on
conditions. |
| Cartel: |
Agreement for an
exchange of prisoners. |
| Casoable: |
The knob at the breech
of a gun. |
| Casemate: |
Bomb-proof chambers in
fortifications from
which guns are fired through windows, called embrasures. |
| Cashier: |
To dismiss
ignominiously. |
| Cavalier: |
A work in the interior
of a bastion. |
| Character (Persona): |
The
Civil War era persona you portray at reenactments. |
| Chase
of a Gun: |
Its length from
trunnions to muzzle. |
| Cheek: |
The timber side of a
gun-carriage. |
| Chevaux-de-frise:
|
Square beams, 6 to 9
feet long, from which
pointed stakes project at right angles; used to stop breaches,
&c. |
| Circumvallation,
Line of: |
A low parapet
and trench of
earthwork encircling a besieged place. |
| Commissary: |
Provision purchaser. |
| Convoy: |
A detached guard to
accompany supplies. |
| Corps: |
A body of troops under
one commander. |
| Counterscarp: |
Outer wall or slope of
the ditch of a fort.
|
| Countersign: |
Password. |
| Cuirassiers:
|
Heavy cavalry with
breastplates or
cuirasses. |
| Curtain: |
The line of flat wall
between two bastions.
|
| De-FARB: |
To
remove or conceal any modern items in an encampment. This is an order
called out about 1/2 hour before camps open to the public. Also
associated with removal of modern stamp and markings on muskets, and
must be done by a gunsmith as the numbers must be relocated to an area
that is out of view. |
| Deploy: |
To manoeuvre troops
from column into line
of battle. |
| Documentary Interpretation: |
Portraying
a known historical character from the times. Being Lincoln, Grant, or
Lee, are examples and are usually done by someone who resembles the
character and has done extensive research on that person. |
| Dragoons: |
Cavalry who sometimes
serve on foot. |
| Echelon: |
An arrangement of
troops, by which front
and flanks are alike protected. |
| Embrasure: |
An opening in a wall or
defense, through
which to fire guns. |
| Enfilade: |
To rake the whole
length of a work or line.
|
| Eprouvette: |
A small mortar for
testing gunpowder. |
| Escalade: |
An assault with scaling
ladders. |
| FARB: |
Used
as both an adjective and a noun. Farb indicates a re-enactor, or an
item, or activity that is not an accurate portrayal of the times. This
is an anachronism for modern items. Term is usually applied to very
obviously inaccurate portrayals or items. |
| False
Attack: |
A strategic feint. |
| Fascines: |
Bound bundles of long
twigs used for
fortifications, &c. |
| Field
Officers: |
Colonel,
Lieutenant-Colonel, and Major. |
| File: |
A line of men on behind
the other. |
| First Person Interpretation: |
Assuming
the speech, attitudes and actions of the Civil War character you are
portraying. |
| Flanks: |
Sides. |
| Flying
Sap: |
A line of gabions,
behind which man
approach a defense. |
| Forage: |
Oats, hay and straw for
horses. |
| Forlorn
Hope: |
A party selected to
begin an attack. |
| Fugle-Man: |
A drilled soldier who
acts as guide in the
manual, &c. |
| Fuse: |
The means by which a
shell is exploded. |
| Gabion: |
A bottomless
cylindrical basket, used in
building entrenchments. |
| General
Officers: |
All above the rank of
colonel. |
| Glacis: |
Parapet of the covered
way of
fortifications. |
| Grape: |
Large shot packed in
bags by nines, and
used for cannon. |
| Grenade: |
A shell thrown from the
hand. |
| Guidons: |
Small cavalry and light
artillery flags. |
| Gunpowder: |
Composition of 76 parts
salt petre, 14
charcoal and 10 sulphur. |
| Haversack: |
A cotton or linen bag
for a soldier's
rations. |
| Holsters: |
Pistol cases on cavalry
saddles. |
| Howitzer: |
Chambered cannon for
firing canister,
hollow shot &c. |
| Interval: |
Distance between
platoons, companies,
regiments, &c. |
| Invest: |
To shut up within a
town or camp. |
| Knapsack: |
Foot soldier's
traveling bag, strapped on
his back, and containing clothing and necessaries. |
| Light
Infantry: |
Infantry scattered as
skirmishers. |
| Links: |
Thongs of leather to
enchain cavalry
horses. |
| Magazine: |
Chamber for arms,
ammunition, provisions,
&c. |
| Mine: |
A passage dug under
military works and
stocked with powder to blow them up. |
| Mortar: |
A short chambered gun
with large bore for
throwing shells |
| Motel Militia or Ramada Ranger:
|
Re-enactors
who retire to a motel after the day’s activities rather than
camping out. This is also used as a reference to family members of
re-enactors who do not participate but come along to the events as
spectators. |
|
Muster: |
Parade
of troops for inspection. |
| Necessary (The): |
Also
called the Comfort Station, Hooters, Irish Shanty, Officer's Quarters,
and Our Lady of the Blue Waters. Theses are as you may have guessed the
little blue port-a-potties/outhouses/chemical toilets found at
reenactments. |
|
Orderly: |
A
soldier attendant upon an officer. |
| Ordnance Corps: |
A
corps of officers in charge of arms and ammunition. |
| Out-Post: |
A
body of troops posted beyond the regular lines. |
| Out-Works: |
Works
outside the regular fortifications. |
|
Paixhan: |
A
large howitzer. |
|
Parallels: |
The
lines or trenches by which besiegers approach a fort. |
|
Parapet: |
A
barrier of earth to intercept the fire of an enemy. |
| Park: |
A
number of cannon in close order. |
| Parley: |
Conference. |
| Parole: |
Word
of honor given by a prisoner to his captor. |
| Patrol: |
Small
guard under a non-commissioned officer, whose duty it is to preserve
order in the encampment. |
|
Period Correct: |
An
item or portrayal that would have been right at home during the Civil
War era. |
| Ration: |
Daily
allowance of food. |
| Reconnoiter: |
To
survey, examine. |
| Redoubt: |
A
small fortification. |
| Relief: |
One-third
of a guard. Each third is on duty two hours and off four. |
| Reserve: |
Select
body of troops retained in the rear. |
| Reveille: |
Beat
of the drum at daybreak. |
| Ricochet: |
Rebounding
of shot from the ground at a very obtuse angle. |
| Rifle: |
Any
fire-arm with a curved groove in the barrel. |
| Roster: |
List
of officers and men, by which to regulate their duties. |
| Round: |
A
general discharge of cannon and musketry. |
| Rounds: |
Visiting
or personal inspection of the guards and sentries. |
| Safeguard: |
A
passport. |
| Salient: |
An
advanced angle. |
| Sally-port: |
Chief
entrance to a fort. |
| Sap: |
An
excavation by which to approach a fort or between trenches. |
| Shells: |
Hollow
balls filled with explosive material, fired by a fuse. |
| Skirmish: |
A
loose, desultory kind of engagement between small detachments. |
| Sorties: |
Sally
parties. |
| Spherical-Case Shot: |
Thin
shells, loaded with musket-balls, for a howitzer. |
| Squadron: |
Two
troops of cavalry. |
| Staff: |
Officers
attached to headquarters. |
| Subaltern: |
Any
commissioned officer below a captain. |
| Surgeon: |
Army
doctor. |
| Tactics: |
Knowledge
of the order, disposition and formation of troops. |
| Tattoo: |
Drum
beat at 9 1/2 P.M., for retiring. |
| Thread Nazi: |
Also
called thread Counters, Authenticity Nazi's, or Fashion Police. Those
individuals who feel that it is their life calling is to point out the
perceived inaccuracies in other's costumes. Although any well meaning
re-enactor will tactfully and helpfully inform you of mistakes you
might be making while you are starting out, this term is often applied
to folks who go a tad overboard or are plain rude and nasty when making
their comments on your garb. |
| Tin Tepee: |
This
is a RV, camper, or travel trailer. |
| Traverses: |
Parapets
of earth thrown up as a protection against ricochet shots. |
| Trenches: |
Ditches. |
| Troop: |
Company
of cavalry. |
| Videttes: |
Out-post
sentries on horseback. |
| Vent: |
The
passage of a gun or cannon which connects with the charges, and through
which the spark passes to discharge it. |
| Windage: |
Difference
between the diameter of the shot and bore. |
| Wings: |
Right
and left divisions of an army. |
| Your Time/My Time: |
Used
to refer to a type of reenacting where the character has been "time
transported" into the modern day. The re-enactor portrays a historic
character whom has knowledge of modern times, as in "Well, in my day we
didn't have electric lights..." Often this is a useful ploy when doing
presentations to children's groups, or conversing with visitors who
have trouble playing along with a first person character. |
| Yuppie Larva: |
Used
to refer to peevish children at events, specifically those who already
know everything about history cuz' they saw it on TV. |
|
Zouave: |
Light
infantry, originally Arabs and Moors. |
