updates | April 01, 2026

What was a common name for a Confederate soldier?

Johnny reb
In the actual armed conflicts of the Civil War, the two sides had numerous nicknames for themselves and each other as a group and individuals, e.g., for Union troops “Federals” and for the Confederates “rebels,” “rebs” or “Johnny reb” for an individual Confederate soldier.

How do I find the name of a Confederate soldier?

To find an ancestor’s card, open Fold3 to the Civil War Service Records > Confederate Records page, select the ancestors state, and then select his military unit within that state. You can then find the alphabetical list of soldiers’ service record cards, and view individual cards.

What are the names of the Confederate soldiers?

List of Confederate Regular Army officers

NameACSA Rank
William Walter LeakeCaptain
George Right SmithFirst Lieutenant
William Elam TannerLieutenant Colonel
James Augustus WashingtonColonel

What did Confederates call Union soldiers?

Confederates had their own colorful names for Union soldiers, calling them bluebellies or Billy Yank.

What did Confederate soldiers fight for?

Common sentiments for supporting the Confederate cause during the Civil War were slavery and states’ rights. The largest motivation to fight, according to McPherson, was that Confederate soldiers fought against a tyrannical government, the Union, to preserve independence and liberty (McPherson 1994, 7).

What is a Confederate soldier?

Definitions of Confederate soldier. a soldier in the Army of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. types: bushwhacker. a Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War. Johnny, Johnny Reb, Reb, Rebel, greyback.

What was the Confederate government called?

Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America, also called Confederacy, in the American Civil War, the government of 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860–61, carrying on all the affairs of a separate government and conducting a major war until defeated in the spring of 1865.

Who started the Confederacy?

The Confederate States of America was a collection of 11 states that seceded from the United States in 1860 following the election of President Abraham Lincoln. Led by Jefferson Davis and existing from 1861 to 1865, the Confederacy struggled for legitimacy and was never recognized as a sovereign nation.

What was the Confederacy fighting for?

The American Civil War was fought between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, a collection of eleven southern states that left the Union in 1860 and 1861. The conflict began primarily as a result of the long-standing disagreement over the institution of slavery.

What was the worst war in American history?

The Civil War
The Civil War was America’s bloodiest conflict. The unprecedented violence of battles such as Shiloh, Antietam, Stones River, and Gettysburg shocked citizens and international observers alike.

What were Confederate soldiers fighting for?

Common sentiments for supporting the Confederate cause during the Civil War were slavery and states’ rights. These motivations played a part in the lives of Confederate soldiers and the South’s decision to withdraw from the Union. Many were motivated to fight in order to preserve the institution of slavery.