Explore the timeline of American wars and conflicts from the American Revolutionary War to current global conflicts.
This day honors those veterans who have served their country while being held captive in enemy territory. The day also honors the family of the prisoners of war and their long and anxious wait to see their family again. Visit the collection.
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May-June 1864: In the Battle of the Wilderness, both sides fight in the dense forest West of Fredericksburg. The South’s army is battered under constant attacks from Grant’s forces. General Grant then...
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In this segment, Dr. Tracy Morgan sets the stage for the 1864 campaign in Virginia, and outlines the operational statuses for both the South’s Army of Northern Virginia (commanded by General Robert E...
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The Battle of Cold Harbor takes place mere days after the Spotsylvania campaign. With The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, they cause almost thirty days of continuous combat combined. Dr...
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In this section of Gettysburg, Dr. Mark Smith analyzes how Gettysburg was not just the turning point of the war itself, but how things changed politically and diplomatically between the Confederacy...
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July 2013 marked the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War battle of Gettysburg. Dr. Mark Smith, Carolina Distinguished Professor of History at USC, joined Dr. Edgar for one of a series of...
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In the final section, Dr. Smith details what it must have been like for civilians living in Gettysburg, experiencing the battle first-hand, and the battle's horrific aftermath.
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In this section, Dr. Mark Smith first details the Conscription Act of 1863. He then analyzes how some historians misconstrue the cause of the entire war, and then discusses how Great Britain almost...
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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.
