Videos

Virginia Commonwealth University Professor Kathryn Shively discussed the role of military history in the modern study of the Civil War. She also talked about how analyzing different aspects of…

William Kurtz of the University of Virginia talked about General William Rosecrans' career, reputation, and clashes with superiors such as General Ulysses S. Grant and Secretary of War Edwin…

Paul Quigley examined the various reasons for the outbreak of the Civil War and showed artifacts from the period that represent some of the causes. Mr. Quigley is the editor of the book, The…

University of Cincinnati Professor Christopher Phillips talked about the way tactics and ideologies from the Western Theater, such as guerrilla fighting, influenced other theaters of the…

Elizabeth Cobbs talked about her book, The Tubman Command: A Novel, in which she recounted Harriet Tubman’s service as a nurse, spy, and cook, for the Union Army during the Civil War.

Elizabeth Varon, author of, Armies of Deliverance: A New History of the Civil War, talked about Southern Unionists during the Civil War. She described efforts to aid the Union by Richmond spy…

University of Virginia Professor Stephen Cushman described how the Civil War affected the life of Mark Twain. He analyzed some of Twain’s writings to look at how the author interpreted the…

African American slaves who escaped to Union Army lines during the Civil War became known as contraband. In this program, the National Library of Medicine’s Jill Newmark talked about the…

Cassandra Newby-Alexander talked about her book, “Standing on the Precipice of Change: Virginia’s African American Fighters in the Civil War.” She explained the term “contraband” - often used for…

Caroline Janney is editor of the book, Petersburg to Appomattox: The End of the War in Virginia. She talked about how the Union Army developed a parole system for Confederate General Robert E.…

Author and historian Gary Gallagher analyzed the differences between the three major Civil War theaters. He argued that the battles held in the Eastern Theater had the greatest political and…

Wellesley College Africana Studies Professor Kellie Carter Jackson provided a history of the use of violence by black abolitionists. She was joined in conversation by New York University…

Author and former jurist Frank Williams looked at the question facing Union leaders in the post-war era: Should ex-Confederates receive pardons? He discussed President Andrew Johnson’s lenient…

A group of historians discussed the different ways women experienced the Civil War, depending on class, race and geography. They examined the relationship between Union generals and their…

The dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., took place in 1922, almost 60 years after Abraham Lincoln’s death. Harold Holzer talked about his book, Monument Man: The Life and Art…

Historian Edward Ayers talked about the Battle of Gettysburg and its consequences. He described how people in the surrounding areas might have experienced the battle and the logistics of…

Gettysburg College history professor Peter Carmichael talked about Confederate soldier John Futch and why he chose to desert after the battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Carmichael is the author of…

Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Jon Meacham talked about learning from history and how it can provide context for current events. He discussed his book, The Soul of America: The…

Brandon Bies is the superintendent of Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia. He talked about the recent discovery and excavation of the remains of two Union soldiers and several…

Historian Edward Ayers analyzed the difference between history and memory and discussed the important role that scholarship plays in public history. He also examined how the American public…