Civil War 101: Understand America’s Greatest Conflict Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It

Podcast-style audio course - 24 Topics
Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
Gettysburg College
(1 customer review)
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Includes Free Study Guide
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Audio Sample:

Join one of the Civil War’s greatest living historians in exploring this monumental event through the eyes of those who lived it.

Imagine yourself living amid the bloodiest conflict on American soil. An infantry soldier marching into the Gettysburg battlefield in the front lines. A Minnesotan mother whose son responds to Lincoln’s call for volunteers. A slave working the fields of a Mississippi plantation when rumors of Emancipation arrive.

Drawing on the letters and records of individual soldiers, this compelling audio course invites you to explore the relationship between events on the battlefield and life on the home front. With more than 600,000 casualties, the Civil War cannot be understood by looking exclusively at famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Ulysses S. Grant. As you’ll see, ordinary people—volunteer soldiers, runaway slaves, civilians in both the North and South—shaped the course of history. Hearing their stories illuminates the causes, consequences, and course of the war.

Your guide is Peter S. Carmichael, Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College and aut

Join one of the Civil War’s greatest living historians in exploring this monumental event through the eyes of those who lived it.

Imagine yourself living amid the bloodiest conflict on American soil. An infantry soldier marching into the Gettysburg battlefield in the front lines. A Minnesotan mother whose son responds to Lincoln’s call for volunteers. A slave working the fields of a Mississippi plantation when rumors of Emancipation arrive.

Drawing on the letters and records of individual soldiers, this compelling audio course invites you to explore the relationship between events on the battlefield and life on the home front. With more than 600,000 casualties, the Civil War cannot be understood by looking exclusively at famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Ulysses S. Grant. As you’ll see, ordinary people—volunteer soldiers, runaway slaves, civilians in both the North and South—shaped the course of history. Hearing their stories illuminates the causes, consequences, and course of the war.

Your guide is Peter S. Carmichael, Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College and author of The War for the Common Soldier (2018).

Throughout, you’ll pay special attention to the men who served in the ranks on both sides. You’ll conclude by looking at the diverse ways that Americans continue to find political relevance in their Civil War past.

This course is part of the Learn25 collection.

This course was previously published as Civil War: Meet the People Who Shaped America’s Greatest Conflict

Learn about downloadable programs.

$25.99

Frequently Bought Together

  • American Revolution: The War for Independence and the Birth of the United States

    American Revolution: The War for Independence and the Birth of the United States

    $21.99
    Select options
  • An Exceptional History: The Birth of American Democracy

    An Exceptional History: The Birth of American Democracy

    $19.99
    Select options

Peter S. Carmichael is the Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and the Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. He is an expert on 19th-century US history, Civil War and Reconstruction, southern history, public history, and cultural history.

Prof. Carmichael is the author of Lee’s Young Artillerist: William R. J. Pegram (1995), The Last Generation: Young Virginians in Peace, War, and Reunion (2005) and The War for the Common Soldier (2018), which was published as part of the Littlefield History of the Civil War Era series.

Prof. Carmichael also writes articles and gives talks for both scholarly and popular audiences. He has recently appeared on PBS’s Robert E. Lee documentary (part of the American Experience series) as well as on the Emmy-nominated TV show Who Do You Think You Are?

Praise for Peter Carmichael:

“Peter Carmichael is one of the country’s leading Civil War historians.  He knows the conflict – from the landscape of the battlefields to the politics that governed it – better than anyone and he conveys history with an infectious enthusiasm.  Listeners will be richly rewarded by time spent with him.”
– Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Chair of the History Department at Louisiana State University

“Peter Carmichael has made a significant mark in the field of Civil War studies. His splendid body of published work, extensive experience with non-academic audiences of various kinds, and editorial role with other scholars’ books all speak to his influence and reach. His course should find a wide and appreciative audience.”
– Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia

“Peter Carmichael is one of the nation’s most distinguished teachers and scholars of the Civil War era. His depth of knowledge is extraordinary–and his passion for the subject is infectious. He is a uniquely spellbinding writer and speaker who leaves his audiences with little doubt about the importance of learning about this tumultuous era in our nation’s history.”
– Amy Murrell Taylor, Professor of History, University of Kentucky

“Peter Carmichael is one of the leading scholars of the Civil War. The director of Gettysburg College’s Civil War Institute, he is beloved by students and popular audiences alike for his ability to convey even the war’s harshest topics in the most compelling ways. He is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and engaging – a true gem among Civil War historians.”
– Caroline E. Janney, Professor in the History of the American Civil War, University of Virginia

“Peter Carmichael is one of the most engaging and inventive historians of the American Civil War, full of energy and insight.  He’s a wonderful speaker and teacher.”
– Edward L. Ayers, President Emeritus University of Richmond

“Pete Carmichael is an exemplary Civil War historian.  He possesses a combination of wide-ranging knowledge and research, original thinking, clear writing, charismatic teaching, and the ability to bring together academic and public historians.  His work –  in the form of scholarly books and visionary conferences – is well-known among Civil War experts and enthusiasts across the United States.”
– Dr. Lorien Foote, Patricia & Bookman Peters Professor in History at Texas A&M University

  • The Civil War: a Great Tragedy?
  • Northern Society before the War
  • Southern Society before the War
  • Political Crisis of the 1850s
  • Abraham Lincoln and the Secession Crisis
  • Mobilizing for War
  • Running at Bull Run
  • The Bloody Awakening of Shiloh
  • The Seven Days Saves the Confederacy
  • Will the Real Common Soldier Stand Up?
  • Courage and Cowardice
  • Antietam and Photographing the Dead
  • The Road to Emancipation
  • The Winter of Northern Discontent
  • Chancellorsville and the Death of Stonewall Jackson
  • Gettysburg
  • Vicksburg and Desertion
  • Black Glory
  • The Spring and Summer Campaigns of 1864
  • Lincoln’s Re-election
  • Sherman: A War Hero or War Criminal?
  • Did Civil War Soldiers suffer from PTSD?
  • The Collapse of the Confederacy
  • A Revolutionary Conflict?

1 review for Civil War 101: Understand America’s Greatest Conflict Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It

  1. jddoog (verified owner)

    Having met Dr. Carmichael at the Civil War Institute’s annual Conference, I was happy to see this offering from Learn25.
    In these lectures, he is as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as he is when I see him give a presentation in person.
    Lacking the opportunity to be able to attend one of his classes, this is the next best thing.

Add a review

Stay in the know.

Enter your email address for a free coupon, and to find out about future specials and promotions. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Now You Know Media is now Learn25

In an effort to provide our customers the best possible experience, we have created a new website for you at Learn25.com to browse our selection of over 400 audio and video courses by top professors.