Author and University of Alabama history professor George Rable talks about the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. He places the battle in the context of the war, and talks about its effects and impressions on soldiers, civilians, journalists and politicians of the day. Professor Rable was one of the speakers at a Battle of Fredericksburg 150^th Anniversary event co-sponsored by the National Park Service, the Fredericksburg Area Museum, and the University of Mary Washington.

More Info »

University of Mary Washington history professor Jeffrey McClurken talks about the Civil War leading up to December 1862. He discusses the political situations in the North and South, and traces changes in the Union and Confederate commands to that point in the war. Using the words of politicians, military officers, journalists, and people living in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia during that period, Professor McClurken sets the stage for the Battle of Fredericksburg, which was fought from December 11th to the 13th, 1862. 

More Info »

The New-York Historical Society hosts this discussion with historians Harold Holzer, James McPherson, and William Davis, who talk about Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis as opposing Civil War commanders-in-chief.

More Info »

Dennis Frye, author and chief historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, talks about the state of the war in early September 1862. Confederate General Robert E. Lee was poised to invade the North, causing alarm among northern government officials and citizens. General Lee’s goal was Pennsylvania, but by what route and through what cities and towns was unclear.

More Info »

Two historians talk about the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1862 and 1864, which involved some of the fiercest fighting of the War. This is the fourth in a series of sessions from a conference organized by the Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. The theme of this year’s gathering was Leadership and Generalship in the Civil War. The Virginia Military Institute hosted the conference.

More Info »

Each year, Time magazine selects a person who had the most influence on events during the previous twelve months. If the same question were posed in 1862, who would Time have selected as the Person of the Year? Five historians will ponder that question and present their candidates for Person of the Year 1862 at a forum organized by Museum of the Confederacy and hosted by the Library of Virginia.

More Info »

The Battle of Gettysburg took place July 1-3, 1863, in Pennsylvania, as Union forces turned back an invasion of the North by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The Union victory inspired President Abraham Lincoln to call for “a new birth of freedom” in his address a few months later dedicating the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg. C-SPAN's American History TV was LIVE on June 30 from Gettysburg National Military Park covering events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the battle, including remarks by scholars such as Harold Holzer, Allen Guelzo, and Doris Kearns Goodwin, as well as your calls and tweets for Civil War Institute Director Peter Carmichael and novelist Jeff Shaara.

More Info »

American History TV joined historian Carol Reardon and Col. Tom Vossler to learn the story of the three-day Battle of Gettysburg through a selection of their favorite monuments.

More Info »

The Siege of Vicksburg took place from May 18th to July 4th, 1863. After failing to take the city by force, Union General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee laid siege to the city, held by Confederate General John C. Pemberton and his forces. On July 4th, after 47 days, General Pemberton surrendered; and Vicksburg—the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River—was turned over to General Grant and the Union. In this program, we tour Vicksburg National Military Park with Tim Kavanaugh, the park's supervisory ranger for interpretation.

More Info »

Vicksburg National Military Park marks the 150th anniversary of the siege of Vicksburg with a ceremony to rededicate the Iowa State Monument, which honors the contributions of Iowa troops to the Union victory. The fall of Vicksburg - the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River – came on July 4, 1863, a day after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg. In this program, Iowa governor Terry Branstad joins former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour to commemorate the Iowa soldiers who fought and died on the Mississippi battlefield. 
 

More Info »