Antiques & Collectibles Civil War Acronyms

Often, when researching civil war militaria, you'll run across acronyms that are extremely cryptic. Here is a list of common civil war acronyms for your use.

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A

ACW -American Civil War

Adj. or Adjt. -Adjutant

AIG - Adjutant and Inspector General

AMM - Acting Master's Mate

AoC -Army of the Cumberland (US)

AoP -Army of the Potomac(US)

AoT -Army of Tennessee

AotT -Army of THE Tennessee (US) (seldom used)

AoO -Army of the Ohio

AoV -Army of Virginia (US-short lived)

AAG -Assistant Adjutant General

ADC -Aide de camp

ANV -Army of Northern Virginia

AWOL -Absent Without Leave, a serious offense.

B

B&G -Blue & Gray (magazine)

B&O -Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

BCoF -"Battle Cry of Freedom" (Book)

BDE.or BRIG. -Brigade

BGen. or Br.Gen. --Brigadier General

BRT -Big Round Top (Gettysburg)

B&L -Battles & Leaders, compilation of battle reports by participants

BRVT.- Brevet - as in rank.

C

(c) -captured. Seen on casualty reports

Capt. -Captain

CAV. -Cavalry

CC -Christian Commission, private organization to benefit soldiers. Union.

CCG -Camp Chase Gazette

CDV -Carte de visite, a small photograph of a person or family

CitA -Confederates in the Attic (popular book by Tony Horwitz)

Cmdr. -Commander, a naval rank

Co. - Company

Col. -Colonel

CoS -Chief of Staff (fairly rare)

Cpl. -Corporal

CS -Captain of Subsistence, a supply officer. Rare but documented

CSA -Confederate States of America or Confederate States Army

CSN -Confederate States Navy

CSS -Confederate States Ship

CWH -Confederate White House

D

Div .-Division

DUV -Daughters of Union Veterans

Dyer's - short for Dyer's Compendium, a 3 volume listing of civil war regiments

E

ECF -East Cavalry Field (Gettysburg)

EP -Emancipation Proclamation

F

FFV -First Families of Virginia.

FNP - Friends of the National Parks. Usually followed by park abbreviations ( such as FNPG = Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg)

Fox's - Short for Fox's regimental losses

Fr. -Father, title for a Catholic or Episcopal priest

G

GAR. -Grand Army of the Republic

GB -Gettysburg

GEN. -General

GO -General Order (large numbers issued by commanders of both sides)

GSW - Gunshot Wound

H

HQ or H'd-Qrts - Headquarters

HUG -Hiram Ulysses Grant (his name at birth)

I

Inf. -Infantry

J

JEB -James Ewell Brown (Stuart), initials of Confederate cavalry commander, commonly used as his first name.

Jno. -an abbreviation for the name John, as for example "Jno. Buford".

JO - Joseph Orville (Shelby)

K

(k) -killed. Seen on casualty reports and monuments.

KGC -Knights of the Golden Circle, semi-secret organization of pro-slavery/anti-war Northerners

L

LoC - Library of Congress

LRT -Little Round Top (Gettysburg)

Lt. - Lieutenant

Lt. Col. -Lieutenant Colonel

LtGen -Lieutenant General

M

M. Meridian, or noon. Means the time the sun is directly overhead, useful in days before accurate wristwatches.

Mac -Nickname for US Gen. George McClellan. Also seen as "Little Mac"

Maj. -Major, army rank between captain and colonel

Maj.Gen or M.Gen -Major General

MM - Master's Mate

M.O. -Mustered Out, or date soldier was discharged from the service.

MoC -Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond

MOLLUS - Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States

MOSB -Military Order of the Stars and Bars, Confederate descendants & heritage group

M.R. -Mounted Rifles

MS (or m.s.) -Medical Staff

MSG -Missouri State Guard

MVI - Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

N

N&S -North & South (magazine)

NARA - National Archives and Records Administration

NBF - Nathan Bedford Forrest

NPS - National Park Service

NYSM -New York State Militia

NYSM -New York State Volunteers

O

Obdt. Srvt. - Obedient Servant. Polite way to sign a letter, see "YOS"

OD -Officer of the Day

OG -Officer of the Guard

OS -Officer of the Sword

OR -the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion

OVI -Ohio Volunteer Infantry (US Federal troops)

OVM -Ohio Volunteer Militia (Ohio state militia troops)

OVVI -Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, regiments made up of re-enlistees, frequently those disabled from earlier service.

P

P.A.C.S. -Provisional Army of the Confederate States. Very early war term.

Pdr. - Pound or Pounder, a classification of size of artillery (indicating the weight of the projectile thrown, as in "12-pdr Napoleon")

P.R.MD.H. B. - Potomac River Maryland Home Brigrade

Pte. -Private (variation of the usual Pvt.)

PVI -Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

Pvt. -Private. Lowest Army rank.

Q

QM -quartermaster officer or department

R

RC -Roman Catholic

Reg. -Regiment

REL -Robert E. Lee

RF&P - Richmond,Fredricksburg and Potomac

RRC -Red River Campaign (see RRE)

RRE -Red River Expedition. Same as RRC

RT - Round Table (same as CWRT)

R.V.C -Reserve Veteran Corps

Rt. Rev. -Right Reverend, an ecclesiastical title

S

SC -Sanitary Commission, private group providing medical and other supplies to Union troops

Sch. -Schooner. A type of naval vessel.

Sgt. -Sergeant, Army rank between corporal and lieutenant

S.O. - Special Orders

SoL -Sons of Liberty, a later name for Knights of the Golden Circle

SSgt. - Staff sergeant

Str. -Steamer. A steam-powered propeller-driven ship.

SUV -Sons of Union Veterans

SCV -Sons of Confederate Veterans

SC -Signal Corps (both sides had one)

Sc. -Screw, the propeller of a ship, or referring to a steam rather than sail-powered vessel

SW -Side wheeler, a paddle-driven ship. Think of the movie "Show Boat".

T

TMT - Trans-Mississippi Theater

U

UDC -United Daughters of the Confederacy, Confederate veterans descendants group

USA -United States of America OR United States Army

U.S.C.H.A. - United States Colored Troops Heavy Artillery

USCC -United States Colored Cavalry

USCT - United States Colored Troops

USG -Ulysses S. Grant

USN -United States Navy

USS -United States Ship

USSS -United States Sharpshooters

V

VI -Volunteer Infantry - usually preceded by state initial (ex. PVI, NYVI)

VMI -Virginia Military Institute

W

(w) -wounded. Seen on casualty reports

WIB -Wounded in battle.

WBTS -War Between the States

WFSI -War for Southern Independence

WP -West Point, US military academy

WTS - William Tecumseh Sherman

X-Y-Z

YOS -Your Obedient Servant (closing of a letter or post)

ZU-ZU -a soldier in a Zouave regiment, noted for flashy red-trousered uniforms.

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Civil War Acronyms

Often, when researching civil war militaria, you'll run across acronyms that are extremely cryptic. Here is a list of common civil war acronyms for your use.