In The Great Tours: Civil War Battlefields, noted Civil War historians Caroline E. Janney and Peter S. Carmichael invite you to join them on the battlefield for an on-the-ground examination of how the Civil War was fought. In 15 lectures, you’ll visit 11 different sites that take you inside many of the war’s renowned campaigns, including Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Petersburg.
The Great Tours: Civil War Battlefields
Explore the Civil War—right where it was fought.
Rated 1 out of
5
by
icemanKwaj from
Worthless
This is a course where two people sit in a room and discuss battles. There is no tour at all. Very misleading title. Do NOT buy.
Date published: 2024-02-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
littleb from
evocative exploration
A splendid course. Though limited in scope geographically, the core issues of the Civil War are well represented and the conversation between the two professors is very engaging and thought provoking. Certainly the eastern theatre of the war has a concentration of important, preserved battlefields that makes concentrating the course on the mid-Atlantic states efficient, but I hope that Wondrium will do a follow-up course on Civil War battlefields elsewhere in the country. (Vicksburg alone would be worth three lectures!) I would also very much appreciate seeing a bibliography related to this course (perhaps it's here somewhere, will look.)
Date published: 2024-01-21
Rated 4 out of
5
by
James T Sparks from
An excellent course - with weaknesses
This was a very good course, with a few weaknesses.
I particularly liked the conversational tone between the two presenters. This made it feel less like a lecture and more like a group of friends meeting, talking, listening, and learning from one another.
The maps were very good, as well as the analysis of battles, movements, and motives that lay behind the battles.
They were also very realistic about "the fog of war", and the fact that once a battle starts it takes on a life of its own. This was very helpful in the interpretation and understanding of how battles progressed, and why the outcomes could change in a moment.
I have but two difficulties, which is what I call "weaknesses".
First, although they did talk about "Civil War Battlefields", this should be clarified as Battlefields of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia. Completely ignored are any and every other battlefield: Shiloh, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Vicksburg, Prairie Grove, and thousands of others, large or small, that did not happen in Virginia, Pennsylvania, or Maryland. Hopefully they will do another someday on these other significant battles and battlefields.
Second, and at times annoyingly, was their "Union" bias. That is, the letters they read were primarily from Union soldiers. The viewpoint they put was the Union viewpoint. They rarely seemed to be fully engaged with the Confederate soldier, or even to give some positive credence to Confederate actions. They go on (and on, and on) about how bad the "Lose Cause" is. They seemed to take delight, when they could, of belittling R. E. Lee.
This could be the result of the fact that they were born in the North, or as a consequence of their training, but it would have helped the course if they were less "one sided" in their appraisal, and sought to understand the Southern soldier's view, or even give the Southern soldier's view.
Now, do not let this put you off. This is an excellent course, and I am sure that I will watch it again, just as I have gone through other Civil War courses more than once. But, in my opinion, it does have its weaknesses.
Date published: 2023-11-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Sandy Titus from
Excellent, very informative
I wasn't sure when the course started that it would meet my expectations, however, the back and forth between the professors who clearly knew their history was enlightening. I have been to all the battlefields that we discussed in this course and I learned much more by listening to the lectures that I did at the actual sites. I would like to see these two professors do the same lectures on the western theatre of the war. I would recommend this course to everyone.
Date published: 2023-10-20
Rated 3 out of
5
by
jeani from
Not my favorite
I always had a hard time understanding the history of the civil war, and this course didn't really help. Bouncing ideas across two instructors isn't my favorite way to learn the material. The UVA instructors are probably great in person, but they just couldn't keep my attention.
Date published: 2023-10-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
GreatFan from
These two presenters know their stuff!
This was a different format from other courses as there is no dependence on teleprompters. They just know the subject matter! We weren't sure at first but then found it enjoyable to hear the discussions between these two presenters on the strategies of the battles from the eastern side of the war which was mostly northern Virginia. There is no way ALL the fields of battle could be presented so we understand the limitations of the 15 lectures. As for the "tours" there isn't much to see other than fields and monuments at these designated sites. The wonderful battle maps, pictures of soldiers, commanders, etc. were backed up by letters and diaries from both sides. Caroline and Peter know their subject and we were happy to listen to these presentations. We borrowed this from our library.
Date published: 2023-08-15
Rated 2 out of
5
by
Rosewood Arts from
*Not* a Tour of Civil War Battlefields At All
I bought this newly-released course expecting - as its title states - tours of Civil War battlefields. In reality, the course is an indoor studio discussion of selected battles between two excellent instructors who do a splendid job bringing the topics to life. There are rare photos and brief (seconds) videos of actual battlefields; there are no tours of battlefields: the title is misleading and false. A course of bona fide, on-site tours of civil war battlefields with these same instructors would be highly desirable. This course misses the mark established by the title. My ratings: Instructors 5 stars, Course Content / Format 2 stars, Customer Satisfaction 1 star.
Date published: 2023-08-11
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Garyst from
Sadly disappointed.
I had high expectations for this course with an interest in the Civil War. After all, the title told me that we would be touring the Civil War battlefields. However, we didn't. What we did was listen to two people discuss strategies of different battles with the ocasional photo or video snippet of the actual battleground. There was no "tour" involved at all. Granted, the strategies of Grant and Lee and their generals determined the outcome of the war, but then the title should have been "Civil War Strategies," and not Great Tours. Furthermore, only those battles that occurred in Virginia received any mention suggesting that Sherman's march to the sea and all the other historical sites have little to do with the war. Also, as the two people discussed each battle, they would state the outcome, which in their selection of sites were all Confederacy wins due to incompetence on the Union side, then with the last lecture they tell of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Without already knowing the history of the war you'd wonder how Lee could win every battle and then surrender. I highly suggest you give this course a miss if you want to know more about the Civil War.
Date published: 2023-05-05
Overview
About
Caroline Janney is the John L. Nau III Professor in History of the American Civil War and director of the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History at the University of Virginia, where she received a PhD in History. She won the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize for her book Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox.
Peter Carmichael is the Robert C. Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. He received a PhD in History from the Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of three books, including The War for the Common Soldier: How Men Thought, Fought, and Survived in Civil War Armies.
Trailer
01: The Power of Place: The Civil War in Context
Start your journey with a closer look at why battlefields matter. Turn next to how soldiers fought. How did the rifled musket limit tactical choices on the battlefield? What was the purpose of artillery? Why did Civil War officers persist in launching frontal attacks?
27 min
02: Manassas: The First Battle of Bull Run
Examine the first Union advance from Washington under General Irvin McDowell, whose troops were stopped short by Confederate forces under P. G. T. Beauregard at a small stream in Virginia called Bull Run. Take a tour of Henry House Hill, where the Union line collapsed, then follow the Union retreat across the Stone Bridge.
27 min
03: The Seven Days’ Battles
On June 25, 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s newly christened Army of Northern Virginia launched a series of battles that sent General George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac reeling away from Richmond. Go inside this campaign, known as the Seven Days’ Battles, and discover how the bloodiest week in American history changed the course of the Civil War.
31 min
04: A Return to Manassas: The Second Battle of Bull Run
Go back to Bull Run for a second battle that saw the dazzling movements of Lee’s lieutenants, James Longstreet and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. On the field, you’ll stop at Brawner Farm, where fighting first erupted. Then, you’ll go to Deep Cut, a critical portion of railroad bed, and Chinn Ridge, where Union army officer Fletcher Webster met his end.
26 min
05: Antietam: America’s Bloodiest Day
Go inside the bloodiest day of the Civil War at the battlefield at Antietam. Here, you’ll learn how the terrain—cornfields, woods, farm lanes, and creeks—obscured troop formation and left soldiers vulnerable to assault. Look back and consider the ferocity of the fighting, including the wounding of Oliver Wendell Holmes, and more.
27 min
06: After Antietam: Photography and Medicine
Examine the aftermath of Antietam, by following in the footsteps of the war’s first photographers. You’ll explore the physical and emotional trauma the battle inflicted on the men who fought there, as well as how surgeons and nurses, including Clara Barton, cared for the wounded.
27 min
07: The Battle of Fredericksburg
Discover how the fiasco at Fredericksburg proved what many soldiers feared when President Lincoln replaced George B. McClellan with Ambrose Burnside: They would have to pay in blood for a purely political decision. Also, consider why General Robert E. Lee was frustrated in the wake of his lopsided victory.
31 min
08: The Battle of Chancellorsville
Explore the Battle of Chancellorsville, where an audacious Lee divided his army three times against a more numerous Army of the Potomac. Despite the Army of Northern Virginia’s victory, Lee’s losses at Chancellorsville were staggering: nearly 13,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing—and among the dead, the irreplaceable Stonewall Jackson.
35 min
09: Gettysburg: Day One
Turn now to Lee’s second raid into the North, which resulted in the Battle of Gettysburg—perhaps the most well-known battle and battlefield of the Civil War. On the field, you will stop at McPherson’s Woods and Willoughby Run; Barlow’s Knoll; and Cemetery Hill, where the first day’s fighting ended with the arrival of more troops.
32 min
10: Gettysburg: Days Two and Three
Continue your look at the Battle of Gettysburg with the significant moments of July 2nd and 3rd in 1863, including the battle’s most famous attack, Pickett’s Charge. You’ll spend time exploring locations like Peach Orchard; Little Round Top, and Chamberlain’s memories of its defense; and Culp’s Hill.
31 min
11: Remembering Gettysburg
How does a killing ground become a healing ground? Close out your time at Gettysburg with a focus on the aftermath of the battle. You’ll learn how the Union victory became a moment of redemption for the Army of the Potomac. You’ll learn about how burials were conducted and about the creation of a national cemetery to commemorate such sacrifice of life lost.
38 min
12: The Wilderness
After the Battle of Gettysburg, there would be no major military action in Virginia until the following spring, when Ulysses S. Grant joined the Army of the Potomac in the campaign that began in an area of Spotsylvania County and resulted in the Battle of the Wilderness. Explore Saunders Field and witness the disintegration of the Confederate line at Widow Tapp’s Field.
30 min
13: Spotsylvania Court House
First, stop at Laurel Hill, where a Union charge dissolved into a rout and the death of Union commander John Sedgewick. Then, explore the Mule Shoe, where federal troops fought to capture a formidable series of earthworks. Lastly, visit a bend in those earthworks that came to be known as the “Bloody Angle.”
29 min
14: Petersburg: The Crater
Plunge into one of the most shocking events of the entire Civil War. To break a stalemate during the siege of Petersburg, some Union soldiers dug a tunnel under Confederate lines and detonated four tons of powder. The explosion created a giant crater in Lee’s lines, but a bungled Union attack meant the siege would continue for months to come.
27 min
15: Lee’s Surrender: Appomattox Court House
Conclude the series with a discussion of Lee’s surrender to Grant at the Appomattox Court House. Consider why the way the war ended was impactful then and now, and continues to resonate with Americans.
37 min
