The American Civil War

Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood - and the United States was truly born.

If you've ever wanted to understand the Civil War, this series of 48 startlingly evocative lectures by a leading Civil War historian can serve as both an ideal single course or a solid starting point for further exploration - a richly detailed examination of how this great conflict affected every person in America. For you'll gain not only a deep knowledge of what happened, but new insights into why.

You'll learn how both sides' armies were recruited, equipped, and trained, and about the hard lot of those they took prisoner. You'll hear how soldiers on each of those sides dealt with the rigors of camp life, campaigns, and the terror of combat. And you'll understand how slaves and their falling masters responded to the advancing war, as well as the desperate price paid by the families so many left behind.

Though this series of lectures goes far beyond a simple examination of battles and generals, it also offers detailed analyses of the strategic and tactical dimensions of the Civil War's most important campaigns. At the same time, it never forgets that the conflict involved far more than pins on a map - and indeed claimed a greater cost in human lives than all other American wars combined.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2000 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2000 The Great Courses

Good overview of a complex subject

As a Civil War buff, I have a fairly good background with the subject. This was an interesting addition to my collection of books, which includes the Time-Life set, McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom and Shelby Foote's 3-volume narrative. It took a little while to become accustomed to the professor's voice, but once past that hurdle, I found him to be very interesting. He seems to speak from knowledge rather than a script, which I can respect. Also, he makes it a point to get the listener to think in terms of the 19th Century rather than projecting our views on historical events and figures. It's easy to forget how very different people were then. Definitely worth more than one listen!

Overall A Good Review Of The Civil War

Prof. Gallagher gives a good, comprehensive overview of the American Civil War. He explains how the war developed, what people were thinking during the conflict, and offers some alternative view points to popular opinions.

Amazing

Probably the best great course I have done out of about 30. So much detail but still exciting and does not feel overwhelming. Absolutely fantastic.

one of the best history Great Courses

This Great Course is simply amazing and reminds me what they were like in their heyday.
- Professor gives well-organized, thoughtful, impartial lectures. This is not an audio book being read; these are live lectures which add to the immediacy for me. I enjoyed his speaking voice and looked forward to when I could listen next.
- Outstanding in its balance between military and social/political aspects. While I loved Ken Burns' series when it was on, it increased my understanding much more on the social history, but I didn't retain much understanding on the military side. This was very helpful on the military side without being a pure military history.
- The American Civil War still has so many echoes today. The obvious ones are the racial issues and echoes of slavery, but I found the discussion of interior lines and logistics relevant to the current conflict in Ukraine. And the way in which technological advances change warfare in ways that the leaders may not understand or anticipate.
- Although this was an audiobook, when I needed maps it was easy to look online and find what I need.

Overall, can't recommend more. Wish the GC team was still doing more of these classic lectures.

Informative, with good energy.

Just finished this course up for the 4th of July. It was really interesting and the professor was good at explaining the facts in a fun way. I wish he had gone into the Lost Cause myth and the Reconstructed period more, but he fairly pointed out that those topic deserve their own in-depth courses.