American Civil War — 100 People

Leading politician known for his oratory who strongly opposed nullification but emphasized good relations with the South over anti-slavery

Confederate cavalry commander mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern

Abolitionist, sometimes known as Moses, who led the Raid on Combahee Ferry and freed around 800 slaves in the process

Union spy who claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln and later founded a detective agency bearing his name

Commander of the Siege of Corinth and General in Chief of the Armies

Minister and abolitionist murdered by a pro-slavery mob

Pro-Slavery northerner and supporter of a "Northwestern Confederacy"; died after accidentally shooting himself to prove the victim in a murder case could have accidentally shot himself

Confederate cavalry commander whose soldiers massacred surrendering soldiers at Fort Pillow and who became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan after the war

Widely disliked Confederate officer often considered one of the worst generals in the civil War

Radical Republican representative who was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee during the Civil War and a prominent opponent of Andrew Johnson afterwards

General who stopped Missouri from seceding despite his death early in the conflict

Senator known for proposing that the U.S. government enshrine slavery into the Constitution in order to defuse secession

Man whose houses were involved in both the Battle of First Bull Run and the Battle of Appomattox Court House

Early Fire-Eater said to have fired the first shot of the Civil War, and who committed suicide upon hearing the news of Confederate Surrender

Radical abolitionist who led the Sacking of Osceola in 1861

General who pioneered total war in his "March to the Sea"

First female surgeon in the U.S. army and only female recipient of the Medal of Honor

Inventor of the cotton gin, which made growing cotton with slave labor profitable

Founding father and Enlightenment thinker who advocated the abolition of slavery, as well as old-age pensions and a guaranteed income

President who expanded America's territory to the Pacific at the cost of exacerbated sectional tensions

Female Confederate spy known as the "Cleopatra of the Secession"

Episcopal bishop and slaveowner who fought for the Confederacy

Swiss-born Confederate officer and commandant of Andersonville Prison who became one of two men executed for war crimes during the Civil War

Infamously cautious Union commanding general and candidate in the 1864 Presidential Election

Confederate Secretary of State who pushed for British Recognition of the Confederacy, as well as the first Jewish senator who did not renounce his faith.

Southern Democrat nominee for President in the 1860 election, later a confederate officer and politician

Commanding General of the United States Army beginning in 1864

Ardent supporter of slavery prior to the civil war and key figure in the Nullification Crisis

Clergyman who sent rifles to abolitionists fighting in Kansas, purchased slaves from captivity, and encouraged Europe to support the Union

Louisianan Leader of the Attack on Fort Sumter and postbellum advocate of civil rights

Northern Democrat nominee for President in the 1860 election; major proponent of popular sovereignty

"Doughface" President who supported the pro-slavery ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford and failed to prepare the military for Civil War

Founder and first commander of the Iron Brigade

Colonial Judge and early critic of slavery

Confederate General killed at Shiloh; Lee saw his death as "the turning point of our fate"

Union Admiral who said "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" at the Battle of Mobile Bay

Former slave who became a leading abolitionist and renowned orator

Civil engineer who built a working train bridge in under 2 weeks with "cornstalks and beanpoles"

Southern Unionist who saved the Union army from total defeat at Chickamauga and defeated John Bell Hood at the Battle of Nashville; often considered one of the finest Union generals

Confederate commander killed at the Third Battle of Petersburg

Confederate Vice President, earlier a leading Southern Whig

Newspaper editor who helped found the Republican Party and urged Lincoln to commit to ending slavery

Confederate general with a reputation for being overly rash and consequently responsible for higher-than-necessary losses

Lincoln's Secretary of State, who worked to prevent foreign recognition of the Confederacy and later negotiated the Alaska Purchase

Union General who used scorched-earth tactics in the Shenandoah Valley

Zealous and eccentric yet renowned Confederate general killed by friendly fire in 1863

Leader of the Army of Northern Virginia who twice attempted invasions of the North

Commander of Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg

Southern-sympathetic Mayor of New York City who suggested declaring independence to continue trade with the south

Confederate general remembered for his futile charge on the third day of Gettysburg that marked the high-water point of the Confederacy

Highest-ranking U.S. Army Officer to join the Confederacy and only Confederate general to command both the Western and Eastern theaters

Confederate General who disagreed with Lee at Gettysburg and later supported Reconstruction

Abolitionist author known for "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

Union general known for his role in the victory at Gettysburg and participation in Presidential Reconstruction

Proslavery author of "The Planter's Northern Bride"

Quaker woman who played a crucial role in the defeat of Jubal Early

Explorer, General, and Politician who issued an emancipation edict in 1861

Abolitionist who raided Harper's Ferry hoping to start a slave revolt

Music teacher who hated horses, but became a renowned cavalry commander during the Vicksburg Campaign

Hospital Nurse who founded the American Red Cross

Senator who championed the Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850

Union General known for defeats at Fredericksburg and The Crater

Radical Republican who would have become acting president had Andrew Johnson been impeached

American Diplomat who successfully kept Britain neutral throughout the Civil War

Leading proslavery advocate notable for advocating slavery which crossed racial boundaries

Commander at the capture of New Orleans depicted in "The Peacemakers"

Union commander of the Tullahoma campaign, later losing the Battle of Chickamauga

General defeated at the First Battle of Bull Run

Radical Abolitionist and publisher of The Liberator

Union General defeated at Chancellorsville whose last name and reputation gave rise to a common folk etymology

Confederate general of the Valley campaigns who later played a key role in developing the "Lost Cause"

Politician who prophesized that the Missouri Compromise would lead to civil war

Unionist Governor of Maryland who kept the state from seceding

Enforced the Anaconda Plan and massively expanded the U.S. Navy; known as "Father Neptune"

Inventor and Industrialist from Connecticut who sold arms to both the Union and Confederacy

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation who was the last Confederate general to surrender

"Mad Hatter" who killed the man who killed Lincoln

Confederate guerilla leader who massacred unarmed civilians in Lawrence, Kansas

Republican senator nearly killed by Representative Preston Brooks after he delivered an anti-slavery speech which insulted Brooks' first cousin

Only President of the Confederacy

Prussian Communist of noble birth who revoked his titles and fought for the Union

Unitarian Minister whose oration was instrumental in ensuring California remained loyal to the Union

Planter who ran for President in 1860 on the "Constitutional Union" ticket, advocating preservation of the Union and continued slavery

British Chancellor of the Exchequer who advocated supporting the Confederacy

Architect of the Anaconda Plan and onetime Whig candidate for President of the United States

Pro-Confederate guerilla who became the leader of a legendary gang of outlaws after the war's end

Southern Unionist who succeeded Lincoln as President and opposed federally guaranteed rights for Black Americans

Man who escaped slavery by commandeering a Confederate ship and sailing to freedom; later a U.S. Representative

President of the United States, 1861-1865

Supreme Court Chief Justice who issued the Dred Scott decision, ruling that the Constitution did not extend American citizenship to people of African descent

Unusually named Confederate General killed at the Battle of Franklin

Union General known for his command of New Orleans; later a radical Republican

Confederate who surrendered Vicksburg to Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863

Enslaved man who led a violent slave rebellion in the 1830s

Swedish-born inventor who designed the USS Monitor

General from Maine known for his performance at Gettysburg

Quaker and early opponent of slavery who befriended Benjamin Franklin

Peddler and organizer of the "Richmond bread riot"

Abolitionist officer who led the 54th Massachusetts and demanded equal treatment for Black soldiers

Southerner who made an economic case for abolitionism