Monthly Archives: October 2014
Harold Holzer on Lincoln and the Press
Harold Holzer has a new Lincoln book out. It’s called Lincoln and the Power of the Press. Here’s a video of Harold talking about the book at the National Archives: Harold also made a very short “History in Five” video discussing some of the issues from the book:
The Military Education of Robert E. Lee
Here’s Christian Keller of the Army War College speaking at Washington and Lee University on Robert E. Lee. This is a really good presentation. I note that removing the confederate flags didn’t remove history from the chapel. Hat tip to Kevin Levin.
Notes From a Colored Girl
This is about the pocket diary of Emilie Frances Davis, a woman of color living in Philadelphia, PA in the 1860s. Emilie’s is a voice we don’t often hear in our Civil War studies. She was an educated woman who was part of the African-American elite living in Philadelphia at the time. This diary was brought to light […]
Life of the Civil War Soldier
Here’s Ranger John Nicholas giving a presentation at Gettysburg National Military Park this past summer on the life of the typical Civil War soldier. The video’s description says, “Over 165,000 soldiers fought during the battle of Gettysburg. Who were they? Where did they come from? What motivated them to fight. Join Ranger John Nicholas for […]
Bullets, Ballots, and Rhetoric
This is Larry E. Nelson’s study of confederate policy to deal with the 1864 US Presidential Election. He tells us, “The Northern political situation during 1864 presented both external and internal challenges for the government of Jefferson Davis. The external problem was first of all a matter of assessing the potential of the election. From […]
Can a Distinction Be Made Between “Academic” and “Popular” History?
Originally posted on Exploring the Past:
A colleague and I recently engaged in a fascinating discussion comparing and contrasting works of “popular history” and “academic history.” Through this conversation I realized that I’m not sure how to define the proper criteria for what constitutes a work of “popular history.” Does a work of historical scholarship…
The Spotsylvania Campaign
This is another fine book of essays edited by Gary Gallagher. The first essay, by Professor Gallagher, concerns, “I Have to Make the Best of What I Have: Robert E. Lee at Spotsylvania.” He tells us, “The Spotsylvania campaign marked a crossroads for Robert E. Lee in his handling of senior subordinates in the Army […]
Point/Counterpoint: An Insidious Cycle
Gettysburg College students Bryan Caswell and Heather Clancy are discussing reenacting in a series of posts on the Gettysburg Compiler, the blog maintained by the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. In this installment they discuss reenacting as a “gateway drug” to the lost cause interpretation. In my interactions with many reenactors over the years […]
The Irish Brigade Campfire Program
Here’s Supervisory Ranger Angie Atkinson giving a terrific program on the Irish Brigade as part of the Gettysburg National Military Park’s summer campfire series of lectures. One thing, though: she needs to pronounce Col. Thomas Meagher’s name correctly. It’s pronounced, “MARR.” Other than that, a great job.
The Wartime Press
Here’s a wonderful panel put together by Matt Pinsker at Dickinson College covering the press in wartime. The panelists are talking about current events, but notice how Matt keeps interjecting points about the Civil War, showing that issues the country wrestled with during the Civil War era are alive and well today. The past is a […]
Student of the American Civil War 
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