Harvard University history professor and author Megan Kate Nelson talks about the battlefield photography and illustrations made in the wake of the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862. Many of the images feature dead soldiers, and Ms. Nelson discusses the impact of those images both during the war and today. This talk is from the 2012 Civil War Institute Conference at Gettysburg College. It contains graphic content and images.

More Info »

Two historians discuss Robert E. Lee’s leadership during the Civil War. They consider Lee’s education, his work as a general, and his ability to maintain troop morale under challenging circumstances. This is the second in a series of sessions we’re airing 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 »

Two historians discuss the wartime leadership styles of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. This is the first 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 event took place at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia.

More Info »

Arizona State University history professor Brooks Simpson talks about the Lieutenant General Act of 1864. The act made Ulysses S. Grant a lieutenant general and gave him command of the Union Army. Professor Simpson spoke at the U.S. Capitol Historical Society’s 2012 Civil War Symposium.
 

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 »

Time Magazine Editor-at-Large David Von Drehle talks about 1862 and the 37th U.S. Congress.  While the Civil War was being fought, the 37th Congress passed the Homestead Act, the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act, the Pacific Railway Act, the Revenue Acts, and established the U.S. Agriculture Department. The University of Nebraska in Lincoln hosted this event.

More Info »

U.S. Naval Academy History Professor Wayne Hsieh examines the Generalship of Robert E. Lee.  This class is part of a course called, "The American Way of War."

More Info »

Mary Elizabeth Bowser was a former slave who became a Union spy in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. She was part of a pro-Union underground spy ring run by Elizabeth Van Lew, the daughter of a prominent Richmond citizen. In this program, authors Elizabeth Varon and Lois Leveen talk about the life and story of Ms. Bowser, as well as her relationship with Ms. Van Lew. The two authors also discuss how they wrote and researched their books. The event took place at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.

More Info »

The Catoctin Center for Regional Studies hosted a two-day conference on African Americans and the Civil War at Frederick Community College in Maryland. In this program, you'll hear first from historian James McPherson, who examines the reasons for recruiting black soldiers for the war effort. He also discusses the shift from fighting to preserve the Union to fighting to end slavery. Then, Columbia University history professor Barbara Fields looks at racism and slavery during the Civil War era and the motives behind emancipation.
 

More Info »

The National Park Service rededicates Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. As the nation marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and after a six-year restoration effort, Americans can once again see the house much as Lee knew it.

More Info »