The American Civil War

By: Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Gary W. Gallagher

Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

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 the War of Northern Aggression

Learned a lot; the instructor was clear and interesting. Slightly biased toward the North but still very informative.

Comprehensive and insightful

Despite its length, I'm left wanting an untold amount of more content about the civil war. For a novice like myself, this was a very organized and comprehensive account of the civil war, giving appropriate balance to all major events and factors. There isn't any revisionist history here, nor an attempt to apply modern morality or politicize the war. Dr. Gallagher does his best to identify and recognize the perspective of all the players in the war, and the result is a complex narrative that gives understanding to the generations of debate about the conflict. Thank you for the excellent course.

Even Handed, Outstanding Summary of the Civil War

He explored the key elements of the important battles but also discussed other very important and interesting aspects of why these things were taking place and how various populations were affected.

Educational AND Entertaining

Both the battles & the politics that caused them. By an outstanding author/presenter. Very worthwhile!

Still very relevant!

Excellent and very thorough. This history explains much of the current political chaos. It is useful to supplement the Audio book with some free YouTube videos.

Everything I could have hoped

I often can’t get through a course even once, depending on lecturer and approach. This course is so good I’ve just finished listening for the third time, and at some point am sure I’ll listen again. One of the best lecturers I’ve ever heard

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.

"A Series of Riveting Lectures Told Very Well!"

This was an outstanding series of lectures given by a historian with an obvious passion for his topic. I enjoyed each of the 48 lectures very much. Gary Gallagher covers all aspects of the war for both sides including the causes, the military campaigns, the political maneuvering, the effects on the home front, the cost, and the eventual defeat of the Confederacy. I found it to be very worthy of binge-listening.