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.

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Following the defeat of Union forces at the Battle of Bull Run, Abraham Lincoln summoned Major General George B. McClellan to replace Irvin McDowell as commander of the Army of the Potomac.  He would soon rise to the level of General-in-Chief of the Federal armies. 

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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.

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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."

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Iver Bernstein discusses the causes and consequences of the New York City Draft Riots of mid-July 1863, that resulted from the federal draft for additional troops to fight in the war. Mr. Bernstein spoke at the U.S. Capitol Historical Society’s 2012 Civil War Symposium.

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Two speakers make presentations at the U.S. Capitol Historical Society’s 2012 Civil War Symposium. First, author Nikki Taylor addresses the issue of citizenship among free African Americans, and the story of Cincinnati’s Black Brigade. Then, history professor Diane Barnes talks about the abolition movement.

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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.

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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.
 

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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.

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Historian Frank O’Reilly of the National Park Service discusses the Battle of Chancellorsville, which was fought from April 30th to May 6th, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The fighting resulted in more than 30 thousand total causalities. Historians widely consider the Battle of Chancellorsville to be Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory.

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