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  • The Civil War

  • Arlington House Rededication Ceremony

    Arlington House Rededication Ceremony

    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.

    Built by George Washington Parke Custis – the step-grandson of George Washington – it was originally a memorial to the first president. Lee married Custis’ daughter, Mary, who was the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington. It was at Arlington House that Lee resigned from the U.S. Army at the outset of the Civil War. Arlington House is the only national memorial to a former Confederate leader, and recognizes Lee’s post-war public efforts at reconciliation.
     

  • Recent Events: The Civil War

    Arlington House Rededication Ceremony
    Tuesday     

    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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    The Civil War: Battle of Chancellorsville
    Saturday, April 27, 2013     

    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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    The Civil War: Remembering U.S. Colored Troops
    Saturday, April 20, 2013     

    Scholars discuss the contributions of U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War and how they are remembered at various battle sites. The panel also takes a critical look at the characterization of black troops in the 1989 film “Glory,” which focuses on the 54th Massachusetts – one of the first all-black units to fight for the Union. This event was part of a conference at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

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    The Civil War: Soldiers & Battlefield Trauma
    Saturday, April 6, 2013     

    Civil War scholars give a historical perspective on the physical and mental battlefield trauma suffered by soldiers in fighting the bloodiest war in American history. More than 625,000 Americans died in the Civil War, and some historians believe the death toll exceeded 700,000. This event was part of a conference at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

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    The Civil War: Person of the Year 1863
    Saturday, March 30, 2013     

    Each year, Time magazine selects a single person who had the most influence on events during the previous twelve months. If the same question were posed in the year 1863, who would Time have selected as the Person of the Year? The Museum of the Confederacy and the Library of Virginia considered that question by inviting five historians to nominate someone for the title. Before the audience cast their votes for Person of the Year 1863, each historian presented an argument for their nominee and responded to questions from the audience. 

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    The Civil War: New York City Draft Riots
    Saturday, March 23, 2013     

    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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    The Civil War: Battlefield Medicine at Gettysburg
    Saturday, March 23, 2013     

    In this program, a look at battlefield medicine with Barbara Sanders, an education specialist at Gettysburg National Military Park. She talks about Jonathan Letterman, medical director of the Union Army of the Potomac, and how he devised systems of transport, supply and treatment that led to vast improvements in the care of wounded troops at Gettysburg - and for the remainder of the war. 

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    The Civil War: Photos of African American Soldiers
    Saturday, March 16, 2013     

    This is a look at the names, people and stories behind the photographs of black Americans who fought for the Union. Ron Coddington -- author of the book “African American Faces of the Civil War” – details their contributions to the war effort.  The New York Public Library hosted this discussion.

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    The Civil War: Lincoln, Douglass & U.S. Colored Troops
    Saturday, March 9, 2013     

    A panel of scholars talks about the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who served in the U.S. Colored Troops. This discussion also includes a look at the role abolitionist Frederick Douglass played in the recruitment of black soldiers, and their eventual acceptance into the Union Army by President Lincoln and his generals. The New-York Historical Society hosted this event.

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    The Civil War: William Henry Seward
    Saturday, March 2, 2013     

    Walter Stahr discusses William Henry Seward, who was Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State and closest adviser during the Civil War despite previously being Lincoln’s rival for the presidency. Mr. Stahr is the author of “Seward: Lincoln’s Indispensable Man.” This talk took place at the Kansas City Public Library in Missouri.

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