Civil War Stories and Secret Codes
Book One: The Soldier's Road

Across

1 DENNISON: Great Ohio training camp near Cincinnati.

5 STEEL: Hard metal a bayonet blade was made from.

8 ENFIELD: British rifle issued to the flanking companies.

10 SCABBARD: Sheath for a sword or a bayonet.

12 HEM: Folded edge of a garment, stitched down.

13 TINTYPE: Cheap photograph made on a thin iron plate.

15 BREASTPLATE: Round brass plate worn on the chest strap.

17 RYE: Grain also used to make a whiskey.

20 GUARDHOUSE: Building where offenders were held under guard.

21 JEWSHARP: Twanging little instrument that played for a barefoot camp dance.

23 BRIDE: Woman newly married before her husband marched away.

27 RIFLE: Firearm with grooves inside the barrel to spin the ball.

28 GINGERCAKE: Sweet treat recruits carried out of the town groceries.

30 TOP: Spinning toy a boy wound with string.

32 BLACKSMITH: Man who shod the horses and mended iron.

33 TEA: Drink brewed from dried leaves, less common than coffee in camp.

34 ALLY: Friend who fights on the same side.

35 SATCHEL: Bag the recruits carried before knapsacks were issued.

36 BUN: Small sweet roll sold by a baker.

37 STOVE: Iron box that warmed a winter hut.

38 PERCUSSIONCAP: Tiny copper cup that fired the powder charge.

41 RECRUIT: New soldier just joined the regiment.

44 EWE: Female sheep that gave the farmer her wool.

47 COLORBEARER: Brave man who carried the regiment's flag into battle.

48 GUMBLANKET: Rubber sheet that kept a sleeper off wet ground.

49 FREMONT: Ohio town on the Sandusky River, a railroad stop in 1861.

Down

1 DRESS: Gown worn by a lady at a ball or at church.

2 SABBATH: Day of rest that the army did not always keep.

3 MEDAL: Award given for bravery.

4 KEPI: Low French style cap with a flat top worn by many soldiers.

6 ETHER: Gas breathed in so a man would feel no pain.

7 LUMBER: Sawn boards that came out of a country mill.

9 DOT: Short click on the telegraph, shorter than a dash.

11 CARTRIDGEBOX: Leather case on the belt holding forty rounds.

13 TELEGRAPH: Wire that carried orders in minutes from city to camp.

14 NEWS: What every soldier hoped the papers would bring.

16 POSTAGESTAMP: Gummed paper square paid for sending a letter.

18 QUARTERMASTER: Officer who supplied tents, clothing and wagons.

19 PATRIOTICCOVER: Envelope printed with a flag or a slogan.

22 CELLAR: Room under a house where food was stored.

24 CINCINNATI: Ohio River city, the Queen City of the West.

25 ARTILLERY: The branch of the army that served the cannon.

26 GENERALS: Officers who commanded armies, more than one.

29 COT: Narrow folding bed in a field hospital ward.

31 STRETCHER: Litter for carrying a wounded man.

36 BEDROLL: Blankets rolled up and slung for the march.

39 STABLE: Building where horses were kept.

40 PICKET: Soldier on outpost duty watching for the enemy.

42 COAT: Wool garment that kept a soldier warm on picket.

43 HOOF: Hard foot of a horse that a smith shod.

45 WEST: Direction of the setting sun, and the frontier.

46 PEG: Wooden pin driven into the ground to hold a tent.

Across

1 NELSON: Navy officer turned general who led the Big Sandy expedition.

3 FORAGECAP: Soft blue army cap with a short visor.

9 SALTPORK: Barrel meat cured in brine, a common ration.

11 RAM: Male sheep with curling horns on a farm.

12 REGIMENT: Ten companies of volunteers under a single colonel.

13 APPLE: Orchard fruit soldiers were glad to buy along the road.

14 PLATE: Flat dish a soldier ate from or wrote upon.

15 DRILL: Hours of marching practice on the parade ground each day.

17 WOOL: Fleece spun into the cloth of blue uniforms.

18 COVINGTON: Kentucky city across the river from Cincinnati.

19 EGGS: Farm food soldiers bought by the dozen when they could.

20 RIFLEMUSKET: Muzzle loading shoulder arm with a grooved barrel.

22 CABIN: Small house of logs on the frontier.

23 SLATE: Small board a schoolboy wrote his lessons on.

25 ALARM: Sudden warning that roused a sleeping camp.

26 ENTRENCHMENT: Ditch and bank dug to shelter troops.

29 BLUEGRASS: Rich rolling country of horse farms around Lexington.

32 REDOUBT: Small closed fort in a line of works.

34 RUBBERBLANKET: Waterproof ground sheet, also called a gum one.

36 REST: Short break a marching column was given beside the road.

37 STEREOSCOPE: Viewer that made two photographs look like one solid scene.

39 CLAY: Kentucky statesman whose monument stood at Lexington.

41 CHECKERS: Game played on a board with red and black squares.

42 EARTHWORK: Wall of dirt thrown up for protection.

43 SPY: Person who gathered secrets inside enemy lines.

Down

2 STRIPE: Mark on a sleeve that showed a soldier's rank.

3 FOAL: Horse born only weeks ago, still at its mother's side.

4 GREATCOAT: Long army coat with a large cape that came below the knee.

5 COIN: Silver or gold piece that grew scarce in wartime.

6 PRESTONSBURG: Town on the Big Sandy where sick men stayed behind in November 1861.

7 BATTALION: Part of a regiment, or a small force of a few companies.

8 PLAYINGCARDS: Pack of fifty two thrown away before a battle.

9 SOLDIERSLETTER: Words written on an envelope so it went without a stamp.

10 PSALM: Song from the Bible read at a camp meeting.

14 PANTS: Short name for the soldier's trousers.

16 IVYMOUNTAIN: Fight in the Kentucky hills on November 8, 1861.

18 COLLAR: Band around the neck of a shirt or coat.

20 REVEILLE: Morning call that woke the camp.

21 EMBER: Glowing coal from a dying fire.

24 CATLETTSBURG: Kentucky town where the Big Sandy meets the Ohio.

27 POT: Deep vessel for boiling over a fire.

28 NOTE: Piece of paper money issued by a bank.

30 GALLOP: Fastest pace of a horse.

31 STEEPLE: Tall spire of a church that showed a town from afar.

33 BIGSANDY: River on the Kentucky border followed by Nelson's expedition.

35 BUTTER: Churned from cream and sent in a box from home.

38 COCK: Rooster that woke the farm at dawn.

40 FEE: Small charge paid to a clerk for a service.

Across

2 MAGICLANTERN: Lamp that threw painted pictures onto a sheet.

9 VERSE: Lines of a hymn or a song.

10 MUNFORDVILLE: Kentucky town on the Green River crossing.

11 BRIDGE: What the rebels burned to slow the advance.

13 GREENRIVER: Kentucky river whose burned railroad bridge held up the army.

16 PLAY: Stage piece acted by soldiers in winter quarters.

19 HOSPITAL: Where the sick of the regiment were sent.

22 OIL: What burned in the lamps of the day.

23 FIELDHOSPITAL: Tents and barns near a battle where surgeons worked.

25 SPICE: Pepper or cinnamon used to season food.

27 LOUISVILLE: Ohio River city where Union regiments gathered in late 1861.

28 COW: Farm animal a soldier bought fresh milk from.

29 NATION: The whole country.

30 RAMROD: Steel rod that pushed the ball down the barrel.

31 CARTEDEVISITE: Small photograph on a card, traded among friends.

32 ASH: Tree whose tough wood made tool handles and oars.

34 WAGONTRAIN: Long line of supply wagons following an army.

36 TATTOO: Evening call to quarters before lights out.

37 BEAN: Dried seed boiled for hours in the camp kettle.

40 COMPANY: About a hundred men under a captain.

43 STAR: Light in the night sky a lost scout steered by.

44 REAR: Back of an army, where the wagons and stores were kept.

45 NORTH: Region of the states that stayed in the Union.

46 ORDERLY: Soldier who carried messages for an officer.

47 GAUNTLETS: Long cuffed gloves worn by cavalry riders.

Down

1 BARREN: River crossed to reach Bowling Green.

2 MAID: Young unmarried woman, in the speech of the day.

3 GAME: Contest played to pass a long afternoon in camp.

4 CENT: Copper coin, the smallest money a soldier had.

5 NURSE: Woman or soldier who cared for the sick and wounded.

6 RAILROAD: Iron road from Louisville to Nashville the army guarded.

7 TROT: Pace of a horse between a walk and a gallop.

8 REB: Union soldier's name for a Southern soldier.

9 VETERAN: Soldier who had seen long service.

12 GOLD: Precious metal that rose in price as the war went on.

14 ELIZABETHTOWN: Kentucky town near Camp Harris on the march south.

15 BOWLINGGREEN: Kentucky town the rebels gave up in February 1862.

17 STORE: Shop in town where goods were sold.

18 WHEELWRIGHT: Maker and mender of wagon wheels.

20 SKILLYGALEE: Crackers soaked in water and fried in pork fat.

21 LOBSCOUSE: Stew of crushed crackers and salt meat.

23 FROCKCOAT: Long skirted dress coat of the army uniform.

24 DRUMMERBOY: Young lad who beat the calls for a regiment.

25 STAGECOACH: Coach that carried passengers from town to town.

26 CROSSTRAP: Leather belt worn across the chest.

33 SALT: What kept meat from spoiling in the barrel.

35 INN: Roadside place where travelers ate and slept.

37 BERRY: Small wild fruit picked along the road.

38 AUNT: Sister of one's mother or father.

39 GEAR: Everything a man had to carry when the army moved.

41 MILL: Ruins of one, for grinding grain, were found inside a cave.

42 YAM: Sweet root grown in Southern gardens.

43 SON: Boy whose letters home his mother saved.

Across

2 CUMBERLAND: River that flows past the city of Nashville.

8 AXE: Tool soldiers used to cut wood for winter huts.

9 ABATIS: Felled trees with sharpened branches facing the enemy.

10 TEAMSTER: Driver of an army wagon and its team of mules.

12 BIBLE: Holy book many soldiers carried in their pocket.

15 WIRETAPPING: Later word for listening in on the enemy's telegraph.

16 OHIO: The state known as the Buckeye State.

19 LOCOMOTIVE: Steam engine that pulled the cars.

21 BRASSBAND: Group of horn players who led a regiment on parade.

23 NASHVILLE: Tennessee capital occupied in February 1862.

26 SUSPENDERS: Straps over the shoulders that held up trousers.

28 MURFREESBORO: Tennessee town on the pike south of Nashville.

30 ARMS: Muskets and rifles, as in the order to stack them.

32 PEN: Writing tool with a steel point dipped in a bottle.

33 PRISON: Place where captured soldiers were held.

34 AMBULANCE: Wagon that carried the wounded from the field.

35 SENATE: Upper house of Congress.

39 RIFLEPIT: Shallow trench dug for a few marksmen.

41 BAG: Sack of cloth or leather for carrying things.

43 ONION: Strong bulb that soldiers ate to ward off scurvy.

44 LEGALTENDER: Money the law said must be accepted for debts.

46 CLOVE: Dried flower bud used to spice a ham.

47 KEY: Brass lever an operator pressed to send a telegram.

48 BED: Straw and a blanket made one for a soldier on the ground.

49 OBERLIN: Ohio college town where young women could study.

Down

1 CAPBOX: Small leather pouch on the belt for firing caps.

2 CAPE: Short shoulder piece on a soldier's overcoat.

3 MATCH: Small stick that struck a light.

4 RUM: Strong drink officers tried to keep away from the men.

5 NIECE: Daughter of one's brother or sister.

6 PARAPET: Top of a fort's wall over which men fired.

7 DIMENOVEL: Cheap paper story of adventure, sold for ten cents.

11 SKILLET: Iron frying pan for bacon in camp.

13 BROGANS: Rough leather shoes issued to the infantry.

14 PAYMASTER: Officer whose arrival every soldier waited for.

17 ORDER: Command handed down from a colonel or general.

18 RAIDERS: Men in civilian dress who stole a train in Georgia.

20 CANALBOAT: Long boat towed by mules along a dug waterway.

22 STEAMBOAT: Paddle wheel vessel that carried troops and wounded men on the rivers.

24 INFANTRY: Soldiers who marched and fought on foot.

25 ELLSWORTH: Name of the rebel telegrapher the men called Lightning.

26 SAW: Toothed blade for cutting logs into boards at a mill.

27 SHELBYVILLE: Tennessee town near which the locomotive raiders set out.

29 OPERATOR: Telegraph man who sent and read the clicks.

31 GREENBACK: Union paper dollar printed in green ink.

36 EAGLE: Bird on the buttons of the uniform.

37 SLEEVE: Part of a coat that covers the arm.

38 SPADE: Digging tool for throwing up earthworks.

40 HOTEL: Large house in a city where travelers took rooms.

41 BOOT: Tall leather footwear worn by officers on horseback.

42 AGUE: Chills and shaking sickness of swampy country.

45 TIN: Metal of the soldier's plate and cup.

Across

1 SAXHORN: Brass horn of the kind played in army bands.

3 VICTORY: What both sides prayed for before each battle.

5 CHESS: Board game of kings and pawns played in winter quarters.

10 FLAGOFTRUCE: White banner under which the two sides could meet.

12 RULER: Straight edge a schoolmaster kept on his desk.

13 SEED: What a farmer planted in the spring.

14 OAK: Hard wood tree whose timber built wagons and bridges.

15 EXCHANGE: Swapping of prisoners between the armies.

16 OATS: Grain fed to the horses and mules of the army.

17 HOME: Place every soldier longed to see again.

20 HUNTSVILLE: Alabama town taken by surprise on April 11, 1862.

21 CHERRY: Small red fruit that ripened in early summer.

23 FAYETTEVILLE: Tennessee town reached after a march of twenty five miles.

26 HEN: Farm bird that lays the eggs a soldier bought.

28 BEER: Brewed drink sold by the sutler when he was allowed.

29 COUNTERSIGN: Secret word a sentry demanded after dark.

31 GAP: Pass through the mountains, like Cumberland's.

32 HUT: Small log shelter built for a winter camp.

33 WOODVILLE: Alabama stop where a company loaded poles onto the cars.

38 CHLOROFORM: Liquid breathed in to put a patient to sleep.

39 LESSON: What a teacher set her pupils each day.

40 COLORS: Flag and banner a town bought for its regiment.

43 REIN: Leather strap a driver used to guide a horse.

46 LASS: Young girl, the sweetheart in many a song.

47 MARTIALLAW: Rule by the army placed over Huntsville.

48 JULIET: Romeo's sweetheart in Shakespeare's play.

Down

1 STEREOGRAPH: Card with two photographs side by side.

2 HAVERSACK: Cloth bag hung at the hip to carry rations.

4 COFFEE: Drink every soldier wanted with breakfast.

6 HOUSEWIFE: Little sewing kit a soldier carried, named for a woman.

7 SLEET: Freezing rain that rattled on the tent canvas.

8 PACKHORSE: Horse loaded with baggage instead of a rider.

9 TENNESSEE: River that winds through North Alabama.

11 RECRUITING: Duty of finding new men to fill a regiment's ranks.

18 TELEGRAPHPOLES: Cedar posts loaded onto the cars to carry the wire.

19 DECATUR: Alabama town on the Memphis and Charleston line.

22 BREASTWORK: Chest high wall of logs and earth.

24 TWENTYFIRST: One more than twentieth, written out.

25 SERGEANT: Rank with three stripes on the sleeve.

27 EAST: Direction of sunrise and of Washington.

29 CUP: Small vessel a soldier drank his coffee from.

30 PULASKI: Tennessee town near the action on Richland Creek.

34 DOLL: Plaything sent to a little girl at home.

35 SCOUTS: Squad sent to search the countryside for a hidden rifleman.

36 FLOCK: Many sheep tended on a hill farm.

37 FIDDLE: Instrument played for a dance around the fire.

41 LOAF: Shaped mass of baked bread.

42 ROLL: List of names called out by a sergeant each morning.

44 NAIL: Iron spike driven with a hammer.

45 LAD: Young fellow, as a boy soldier was called.

Across

1 SECESH: Soldier slang for a secessionist, short and sharp.

4 AMBROTYPE: Photograph on glass, backed with black.

10 SHELL: Hollow iron ball filled with powder, fired by a cannon.

11 RECONNOISSANCE: Look at the enemy's ground, spelled the old way.

12 LAW: Rule made by a legislature.

16 DUE: Owed, as pay to soldiers months behind.

17 SLEIGHRIDING: Winter fun a wounded man dreamed of from his hospital bed.

19 LIMBER: Two wheeled cart that pulled a cannon behind it.

21 INK: Dark liquid a soldier wrote his letters with.

22 PRIVATE: Lowest rank in the army.

23 FORGE: Fire and bellows where a smith heated iron.

25 CANISTER: Tin can of iron balls fired at close range.

26 TONIC: Medicine given to build up strength.

28 CRATE: Wooden box for shipping goods.

29 STONESRIVER: Battle at Murfreesboro that opened on the last day of 1862.

31 PATROL: Squad that walked the streets of an occupied town.

33 BROWNLOW: Fiery parson from East Tennessee who spoke at Nashville.

35 REINS: Straps a rider held to steer his horse.

37 VOLLEY: Many muskets fired together on one command.

39 NIGHT: Hours of darkness when the pickets kept watch.

43 GUNBOAT: Armed river vessel that shelled the shore.

45 HARDTACK: Hard square cracker issued in place of bread.

46 BOX: What the people at home packed with good things.

47 CARTRIDGE: Paper tube holding powder and a ball.

48 BAYONET: Blade fixed to the muzzle of a musket.

49 HOE: Garden tool for chopping weeds between the rows.

Down

1 STEW: Meat and vegetables cooked slowly together in one pot.

2 CALL: Bugle signal summoning the men for a duty.

3 SHOULDER: Where a musket ball struck on the last morning of the year.

5 MOON: Night light that showed a sentry his post.

6 ROSY: Soldiers' fond name for General Rosecrans.

7 TEAM: Horses or mules harnessed together to pull.

8 PICTURES: What was lost when the company wagon burned with the knapsacks.

9 CEDARS: Thickets in which the center fought on December 31.

10 SPELL: What a pupil had to do to his words at a bee.

13 WAGONMASTER: Man in charge of a column of army wagons.

14 SLAUGHTERPEN: Name later given to the rocky ground among the cedars.

15 UNIVERSITY: Hospital Number Two in Nashville was built for one.

18 AMMUNITION: Powder, balls and shells for the fight.

19 LETTER: What every soldier waited for at mail call.

20 TOURNIQUET: Band twisted tight to stop bleeding.

24 SIGNALFLAG: Square of cloth waved to spell messages from a hill.

27 CAPITOL: Building where Congress met in Washington.

30 SURGEON: Doctor who took the ball out from under a shoulder blade.

32 FRONT: Place where the fighting was, ahead of the camp.

34 WIGWAG: Flag signaling by waves left and right.

36 SENTRY: Soldier keeping watch at his post.

38 SOUTH: Region of the states that left the Union.

40 TUB: Wooden vessel the washerwomen used for scrubbing clothes.

41 SHIP: Large vessel that sailed the sea.

42 GRUB: Soldiers' slang word for food of any kind.

44 AXLE: Bar on which the wheels of a wagon turn.