Walter Edgar's Journal

From books to barbecue, from current events to colonial history, Walter Edgar's Journal delves into the arts, culture, history of South Carolina and the American South. (A production of South Carolina Public Radio.)

Title:
A Giant Puzzle | Walter Edgar's Journal
A Giant Puzzle | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this first segment on the Confederate submarine C.S.S. Hunley, Walter Edgar and Senator Glenn McConnell discuss how finding the submarine disproved all pre-conceived notions about its design...
A Shift In Sentiment | Walter Edgar's Journal
A Shift In Sentiment | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this first segment, Dr. Melissa Walker discusses the increasing civilian distaste for the war, as observed in letters written to soldiers out in the field. Dr. Walker also notes how civilians...
Andrew Pickens
Andrew Pickens
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this segment, Dr. Rod Andrew, Jr. talks with Dr. Edgar about writing his biography of Revolutionary War hero Col. Andrew Pickens: who he was, his life, and sources about him. Dr. Andrew also...
Introduction | Walter Edgar's Journal
Introduction | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Walter Edgar and John Slaughter discuss the national park service’s efforts in creating their “Southern Campaign of the American Revolution” park grouping.
South Carolina's Economy In 1763 | Walter Edgar's Journal
South Carolina's Economy In 1763 | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this first segment on ‘The Importance of Cotton,’ Dr. Peter Coclanis gives us a brief overview of South Carolina’s economic landscape, pre-Revolutionary War (1763). Before the American Revolution...
The Beginning of 1863 | Walter Edgar's Journal
The Beginning of 1863 | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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...
The Campaign | Walter Edgar's Journal
The Campaign | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this first segment on President Abraham Lincoln’s re-election in 1864, Dr. John C. “Jack” Waugh discusses Lincoln’s campaign, and the deep divisions within the Republican Party, despite their...
The Cause | Walter Edgar's Journal
The Cause | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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...
The Early Days of Photography | Walter Edgar's Journal
The Early Days of Photography | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In the first segment on Mary Chesnut’s photo album, Harvey Teal details the earliest days of photography, and describes the various types of photographs: daguerreotype, amber type, Carte de Visite...
The Early Days Of Vicksburg | Walter Edgar's Journal
The Early Days Of Vicksburg | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In the first segment on the Vicksburg campaign, Winston Groom sets the stage on events leading up to this crucial battle. He explains why Vicksburg is valuable to the Confederacy, and why the Union...
The Emancipation Proclamation | Walter Edgar's Journal
The Emancipation Proclamation | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This is an excerpt from the University of South Carolina public series, Conversations on the Civil War - 1863. Dr. Walter Edgar speaks to Dr. Thavolia Gylmph, Duke University, about President Lincoln...
The War In Virginia | Walter Edgar's Journal
The War In Virginia | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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...
The War On The Coast | Walter Edgar's Journal
The War On The Coast | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this first segment on the war at sea, Dr. Craig L. Symonds outlines the war on the coast in four parts: the legality of the blockade, whether or not the blockade worked, how effective it was in...
Thomas
Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this first segment on Civil War piano music, Dr. David B. Thompson briefly discusses the life of African American composer Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins, and plays one of his works.
Why We Fight | Walter Edgar's Journal
Why We Fight | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Dr. James McPherson discusses the reasons and motivations behind what made common soldiers ("Billy Yank" and "Johnny Reb") go fight in the Civil War.
Andrew Pickens
Andrew Pickens
Episode 2

Audio

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Dr. Rod Andrew, Jr. discusses the Pickens family’s early history, their Scots-Irish roots, and their transition from Northern Ireland to settling in the back country of colonial South Carolina. Dr...
Fairs Before The Civil War | Walter Edgar's Journal
Fairs Before The Civil War | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 2

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The fairs of yester-year were far different from the fairs we know today. Dr. Stroup discusses what fairs were like before The Civil War. In this time period, fairs were held locally, and each county...