2 (U.S. history) the war fought from 1861 to 1865 between the North and the South, sparked off by Lincoln's election as president but with deep-rooted political and economic causes, exacerbated by the slavery issue.
A barrage is a term used to describe extensive artillery fire against enemy positions. Barrages were classified as light, moderate or heavy. A light barrage amounted to six or seven shells every ten minutes. A moderate barrage was thirty shells a minute and a heavy one, fifty to sixty shells a minute.
Military. a heavy barrier of artillery fire to protect one's own advancing or retreating troops or to stop the advance of enemy troops. 2. an overwhelming quantity or explosion, as of words, blows, or criticisms: a barrage of questions.