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American Civil War

Series: American Civil War

4.6

(18)

Episodes

Rating

TVPG

Year

2021

Language

English

Publisher

The Great Courses

About

In 48 masterful episodes, leading Civil War historian Professor Gary W. Gallagher explains both the strategy and battles of the war as well as its effects on all Americans. You'll learn how armies were recruited, equipped, and trained. You'll learn about the hard lot of prisoners. And you'll hear how soldiers on both sides dealt with the rigors of camp life, campaigns, and the terror of combat.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1. Prelude to War

32m

This introductory episode explains the sectional controversies and clashes that set the stage for secession and war.

2. The Election of 1860

30m

The presidential canvass of 1860 was the most important in US history. It resulted in Abraham Lincoln's election as the first Republican to occupy the White House and brought sectional tensions to a head.

3. The Lower South Secedes

30m

Beginning with South Carolina in December 1860, all of the Lower South states seceded by the first week of February 1861. They sent delegates to a convention in Montgomery, Alabama, that established the Confederate States of America.

4. The Crisis at Fort Sumter

30m

From February through April 1861, the United States and the Confederacy eyed each other warily and vied for the support of eight slave states that remained in the Union. As various compromise proposals fell short, United States-held Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor came to be a flash point.

5. The Opposing Sides, I

31m

Was the South fated to lose, as many people think? If the Confederate States of America could have won, when did it come closest to doing so? As fighting began, each side had important advantages. Take a close look at these.

6. The Opposing Sides, II

31m

Did the Confederacy have better generals? Which side had the edge in strategic and political leadership? What were the attitudes of England and France toward the conflict? Which side marshaled its resources and exploited its advantages more effectively?

7. The Common Soldier

31m

Why did young men join the colors of the North or the South? What made them bear the war's awful dangers and hardships? What was it like to be a soldier in the ranks?

8. First Manassas or Bull Run

31m

Following the Upper South's secession and the move of the Confederate capital to Richmond, Virginia, both sides geared up for war. Learn the details of General Winfield Scott's brilliant "Anaconda Plan" and the factors that led to the Battle of First Manassas or Bull Run (July 21, 1861), the first big clash of the war.

9. Contending for the Border States

30m

The loyalty of slaveholding states Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and Delaware was an object of intense competition in the summer and autumn of 1861. What, in the end, kept those states in the Union?

10. Early Union Triumphs in the West

30m

Most people looked to Virginia to be the critical military arena, but many leaders on both sides believed the war would be decided in the vast area between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River.

Extended Details

SeriesAmerican Civil War

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Gary W. GallagherActor

Similar Artists

William C. Davis