Videos

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…

In 1956, while working as a historian at Vicksburg National Military Park, Edwin Bearss set out to recover and preserve the USS Cairo, a Union warship sunk in 1862 during the Civil War. Mr.…

Jake Wynn is the director of interpretation at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum in Washington, D.C. He talked about the life of Clara Barton, whose work as a field nurse during the Civil War…

Historical interpreters told stories of some of the women who disguised themselves as young men and fought in the Civil War. They outlined how and why these women disguised themselves, the…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Jake Wynn talked about the life of Clara Barton, whose work as a field nurse during the Civil War earned her the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield.” Mr. Wynn also discussed Barton’s…

Stephen Recker is creator of the book, Rare Images of Antietam - And the Photographers Who Took Them. Mr. Recker talked about how he became interested in collecting photographs of the…

Rhodes College Professor Timothy Huebner described how Abraham Lincoln changed the Supreme Court during his presidency. He also analyzed the question of whether Lincoln “packed the court.”…

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…

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…

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…

Justin Martin recounted the Battle of Antietam, which took place on September 17, 1862. It was the first Civil War conflict to take place in Union territory and resulted in the deaths of…

Author Margaret Creighton talked about women and African Americans at Battle of Gettysburg and how their contributions are often overlooked in the memorial landscape. She described women…

Historian Catherine Clinton talked about the wide range of roles women took on during the Civil War. She also addressed what aspects of women’s lives during this era have been researched by…

Military history Professor Harry Laver argued that the 1856 battles in Kansas between abolitionists and pro-slavery forces marked the true beginning of the American Civil War. Professor…