Learn the individual stories of men and women who were involved in major events leading up to, during and after the The Civil War (1861-1865).
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Dr. Mark Smith analyzes the most intense, and disastrous portion of the battle: General George Pickett’s charge. The result of this charge was a disastrous one for the South. “General Lee, I have no...
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What must it have been like to be in the battle? In this section, Dr. Mark Smith describes the intense and gruesome details of the battle of Gettysburg. Things like what one would have seen, smelled...
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It is a popular belief that circulated photographs of Gettysburg’s “Harvest of Death,” caused the draft riots in New York City, which in turn also caused an economic backlash.
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Dr. Smith outlines the decrease in morale in the South after Gettysburg. The South suffered heavy losses, and some critics made their feelings known regarding General Robert E. Lee, and Confederate...
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September 6, 1863: The final assault on Battery Wagner by Federal forces causes the Confederate troops to abandon the fort. With Battery Wagner now empty, the Union troops can now turn their guns on...
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Fort Sumter, now heavily damaged from years of attacks by the Union fleet, is a tough place for Confederate forces to live: living in trenches over-run with rats and roaches, while under constant...
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In this section, Dr. Wise discusses the grueling and harsh living conditions on Morris Island, for both Federal and Confederate forces.
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Dr. Stephen R. Wise talks more in depth about one of the first African American regiments, the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, commanded by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. The 54th suffers heavy losses during...
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Life was not much better for civilians during the siege of Charleston. Most of the civilians are allowed to be evacuated, but some if the ones left behind resort to living in tent cities, like the one...
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Dr. Stephen R. Wise discusses the early days of the Civil War, in Charleston, S.C. The war began with the firing on Fort Sumter, which painted Charleston as a prime target for the Union. Leading up to...
