Historian and author Craig Symonds talks about the various naval aspects of the war – from technological developments, to the battles themselves; from the Union blockade, to the rivers of the Western Theater. Symonds is history professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval Academy, and the author of “The Civil War at Sea.” He presented this talk at the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center, on the National Mall.

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Two scholars at the American Enterprise Institute discuss Steven Spielberg’s film “Lincoln.” They also talk about the former president’s Gettysburg Address and answer questions from students.

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Historians Craig Symonds, James McPherson and Harold Holzer discuss the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The three-day battle fought in Pennsylvania from July 1st through 3rd, 1863, was the bloodiest of the war, resulting in an estimated 51 thousand total casualties. This is the first in a two-part series on the battle, hosted by the New-York Historical Society.

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Historians consider several developments in naval technology over the course of the war. They discuss ironclad gunboats, Confederate efforts to break the Union Blockade, and spar torpedo boats. This event was part of a symposium on Technology and the Civil War hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

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Historians consider the developments in battlefield and command communications over the course of the war. They discuss the portable printing press and the telegraph, and explain how these devices were used by Union and Confederate leadership. This event was part of a symposium on Technology and the Civil War hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

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Historians and professors discuss developments in weaponry and tactics that played an instrumental role in the fighting between Union and Confederate forces. This event was part of a symposium on Technology and the Civil War hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

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Author William Styple discusses Gen. George McClellan’s working relationship with staff officer, Col. Thomas Key. Styple says Col. Key exercised unique influence over McClellan, often to a detrimental effect. The Library of the Chathams in Chatham, New Jersey hosts this talk.

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In this discussion from the 2012 Civil War Institute Conference at Gettysburg College, history professors and bloggers talk about the debates and controversies of emancipation – its timing, its initial results, and its post-war effects into the 20th century.

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This program includes portions from a symposium marking the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Stones River, which was fought near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from December 31st, 1862 through January 2nd, 1863. First, Lincoln Memorial University history professor Earl Hess talks about Confederate commanding general Braxton Bragg’s role in the battle. Then, author and historian Richard McMurry discusses Jefferson Davis and the Confederate strategy carried out in the Stones River campaign. Later, a civilian perspective on the battle and its outcome, from Stones River National Battlefield park ranger Jim Lewis and Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area historian Antoinette van Zelm.

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Craig Symonds of the U.S. Naval Academy talks about the war’s Western Theater river operations in 1862. Symonds details the strategies employed by the Union to win several key battles, and credits those victories to the cooperation and combined tactics of General Ulysses S. Grant and Naval Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote. The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College hosted this event.

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