Gary W. Gallagher
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
Both Lincoln and Davis cast anxious eyes toward Europe, thinking of the decisive French aid to the colonies during the American Revolution. Why, despite several flare-ups with England and France, did the Lincoln administration finally prevail in the diplomatic arena?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
Did the Confederacy have better generals? Which side had the edge in strategic and political leadership? What were the attitudes of England and France toward the conflict? Which side marshaled its resources and exploited its advantages more effectively?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
Despite slavery's role in causing the conflict, for at least the first year it remained in the background. As long as restoring the Union remained the sole war aim, there was remarkable unity among Northerners. But what type of Union were they fighting for?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
By March 1865, the Federals had restricted Lee's supply lines and forced him to extend his lines. Lee failed to break the siege and headed west. Grant blocked the way at Appomattox, where Lee surrendered his 28,000 starving men on April 9. CSA forces elsewhere quickly surrendered.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
After Atlanta fell, Hood tried to draw Sherman northward. Sherman followed briefly before deciding to cut loose from his supply lines on his famous March to the Sea, implementing the "strategy of exhaustion" in the Confederate interior.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
Lincoln came to see emancipation as necessary to victory. But he understood that he lacked the authority to end slavery in loyal areas, and his famous proclamation deliberately casts emancipation as a war measure. What did most Northerners think of it?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
The Confederacy faced a difficult strategic situation in July 1862. Jefferson Davis and his generals responded by sending armies into Kentucky and Maryland in the most impressive Confederate strategic offensive of the war. Operations in Kentucky between August and October 1862 culminated in a confused battle at Perryville.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
The US Navy played a major, often overlooked, role in defeating the CSA. Starting the war with just 42 ships, the Navy would have nearly 700 by 1865. Northern naval strategy focused on supporting ground operations along Southern rivers and coasts, and above all, on the blockade. With nothing like the North's industrial base, how did the Confederate Navy perform?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
During the conflict, thousands of slaves made their way to Union lines. Their plight was often hard and uncertain. Nearly 180,000 black men, most of them former slaves, wore Union blue. The "US Colored Troops" faced obstacles and injustices, yet their solid service made a strong case for full citizenship.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
In addition to slaves who fled to Union lines, many Southern whites became refugees as they fled from Union armies. Among those who did not become refugees, increasing hardship and a demanding central government caused distress and anger as the war progressed. Did the resulting internal dissension kill the Confederacy?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
Even as war raged, Lincoln and Congress debated what would happen after it was won. In December 1863, Lincoln offered a simple, lenient reconstruction plan. Radical Republicans in Congress objected and offered their own blueprint. The debate was continuing even as an assassin cut short Lincoln's part in it.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
In the North, blacks were at the center of a debate over war aims. The 13th Amendment and various other new laws marked progress toward fairer treatment. Slave labor vastly aided Southern mobilization and the CSA's economy. There were no major slave revolts, but black and white Southerners found their social and economic relations changing amid the dislocations of war.