Extra Credit Questions

[Steve]

"Galvanized Yankees" were former Confederate soldiers who switched sides and joined the Union army after becoming POWs. They were mostly sent to units out west to deal with Indians during the war, away from other Confederate units.

The term is also sometimes, confusingly, used for Union soldiers who joined the Confederate army while POWs. "Galvanized Confederates" might be a better term for them.

I should also point out there is a group of former Confederate soldiers who joined the Union army, where the term "Galvanized Yankees" is less used - Confederates, usually conscripts, who deserted their units and subsequently enlisted in Union regiments. Here's an article from 12 years ago about the fight over the grave marker over one such soldier:

https://web.archive.org/web/200807050335...staff.html