Suggested Films

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Suggested Films Suggested Films Documentaries The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns, 1990 (680 min) (TV-PG) This TV miniseries documentary from PBS traces the course of the Civil War from the abolitionist movement through all of the major battles to the beginnings of Reconstruction. Civil War Combat: America’s Bloodiest Battles, 2011 (200 min) (NR) This series explores four particularly harrowing battles of the Civil War: Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Cold Harbor. Filmed on location, the Civil War reenactments provide insight into how the war might have looked to the soldiers who fought it. Gettysburg and Stories of Valor: Civil War Minutes III, 2004 (180 min) (NR) This documentary covers the Gettysburg battlefield, examines rare Civil War artifacts, and tells the personal stories of the men who fought in the war. Civil War Minutes: Confederate, 2007 (75 min) (NR) These episodes feature the rarely told stories and artifacts of Confederate soldiers. Civil War Minutes: Union, 2011 (180 min) (NR) This series examines the lives of Union soldiers throughout the Civil War. The Underground Railroad, 1999 (95 min) (NR) This TV documentary tells the story of the Underground Railroad, an informal network of people and hiding places that helped African American slaves escape the American South. Dramas Gone with the Wind, 1939 (238 min) (PG) Set during the Civil War and Reconstruction, this American classic examines the tensions that underlay the conflict through the lens of a love story. Gettysburg, 1993 (271 min) (PG) This film walks through the battle of Gettysburg focusing on Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant General James Longstreet, and Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. It explores not only the battle itself but also the historical context surrounding the war. Gods and Generals, 2003 (219 min) (PG-13) This film follows the rise and fall of legendary Confederate war hero Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson from 1861 to 1863. Prequel to Gettsyburg. Glory, 1989 (122 min) (R) This film tells the story of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an all-African American unit comprised of Northern freemen and escaped slaves. It focuses on their brave assault on the Confederate Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863. Cold Mountain, 2003 (154 min) (R) This Civil War love story follows the perilous journey of a wounded Confederate soldier trying to return home to his sweetheart in North Carolina. Ride with the Devil, 1999, (138 min) (R) This drama, taking place in divided Missouri, follows the “irregular” warfare that was fought during the Civil War. It explores the division between the bushwhackers and the jayhawkers and the tension between those who participated in the Civil War outside of the context of the Northern-Southern division. Andersonville, 1996 (167 min) (NR) This TV movie tells the story of the most notorious Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the Civil War. .
Recommended publications
  • The Knight in Shining Armor Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the American Civil War
    The Knight in Shining Armor Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the American Civil War Kalon Tsang The lion of Little Round Top ducked as another shell screamed by overhead, fired by one of the Confederate batteries nestled atop an advanced artillery position. At a distance, he saw his Corps Commander, General Warren riding up towards him. Euphemistically stating that the artillery fire was “very annoying,” Warren instructed Colonel Chamberlain to move forward and carry the position, so that the Union advance could proceed peacefully. Directing some of the men in his 1st Brigade to provide ample distraction, Chamberlain led the bulk of his force across a railroad and flanked the position, forcing the Rebels to retreat to the safety of their fortifications atop Rives Salient. No sooner had Chamberlain and his men seized the forward artillery post than a hailstorm of shells came raining down on their new position, this time from the big guns behind the enemy’s main entrenchments. Ushering his men behind the cover of the crest, Chamberlain calmly prepared his men for a possible Confederate counterattack, hoping the rest of the V. Corps would march up in support of his brigade. The Day was June 18th, 1864.1 Out of the Virginia dust galloped a lone horse bearing a messenger with an order from General of the Army of the Potomac, George Meade, to press the attack and take Rives Salient with the 1st Brigade, alone. Chamberlain heard the orders with disbelieving ears – how could the 1st Brigade take on the strongly fortified Confederate position across the ravine by itself? Kneeling down, he scribbled frantically, “I have here a veteran brigade of six regiments, and my responsibility for the welfare of these men seem to warrant me in wishing assurance that no mistake in communicating orders compels me to sacrifice them.” Sure that an assault on the 1 Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, "Bayonet! Forward" My Civil War Reminiscences, (Gettysburg, Pa: Stan Clark Military Books, 1994), 47.
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  • Disregarded Hero of the Battle of Gettysburg
    Southern New Hampshire University Dan Sickles: Disregarded Hero of The Battle of Gettysburg A Capstone Project Submitted to the College of Online and Continuing Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Master of Arts in History By James Robert Gray Sr. Athens, Georgia July, 2018 Copyright © 2018 by James Robert Gray Sr. All Rights Reserved ii Student: James Robert Gray Sr. I certify that this student has met the requirements for formatting the capstone project and that this project is suitable for preservation in the University Archive. July 16, 2018 __________________________________________ _______________ Southern New Hampshire University Date College of Online and Continuing Education iii Abstract Dan Sickles has been regarded by many historians as a political general who was a buffoon and led his troops into harm’s way at Gettysburg for personal glory. This paper examines Sickles’ early personal history, why that history has led historians to examine Sickles in a critical fashion with a historical lens, and why Sickles has been disregarded as the true hero of Gettysburg. Sickles was a lover of women causing him to perhaps have an affair with his mother-in- law, visit prostitutes, introduce one prostitute to the Queen of England, and ultimate to murder his wife’s lover in a rage that allowed him to be acquitted on an insanity defense. Sickles entered the Civil War looking to redeem his reputation and develop a military hero role for himself. Gettysburg would allow him the opportunity for that role, but events and his own future behaviors would prevent historians to view him in the role of hero.
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  • 2012 Gdg Muster Schedule
    2014 GDG MUSTER SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014 12:00 P.M. Jack Kelly “Take That Position and Hold it Any Cost' - The 16th Maine on July 1st" The regiment chosen to hold off two Confederate divisions, the 16th Maine was the “Forlorn Hope of the First Corps”. The tour will start on Oak Ridge and end at the railroad cut desecrated by Gettysburg College in 1990. LOCATION: Meet at the observation tower on Oak/Seminary Ridge on Doubleday Avenue 3:00 P.M. John Rudy "Gettysburg in 1864 - Remembering a Battle" With the focus on 1864 John will explain how the aftermath of battle effected Gettysburg’s civilian’s, long-term. LOCATION: Meet at Pennsylvania Hall 5:30 P.M. Cocktail Hour & Registration LOCATION: 1863 Inn of Gettysburg 516 Baltimore Street 6:00 P.M. State of the Park Address 6:30 P.M. George Franks “The Battle of Falling Waters” Many historians agree that the Gettysburg campaign ended with the Battle of Falling Waters. Although not the climactic battle that Lincoln had hoped for, it remains a story of miscalculation, bravery, larger than life personalities, tragedy and cover up. George Franks, through extensive use of first-hand accounts, detailed maps and period drawings, breathes life into the little remembered, yet crucial, end to the Gettysburg Campaign. 8:15 P.M. Italian Dinner - Optional Hosted by Sal Prezioso LOCATION: Mama Venturas - 13 Chambersburg Street Contact Sal for Reservations: [email protected] SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2014 8:30 A.M. Chuck Teague The Gap on Cemetery Ridge: “How What Was a Strong Union Position Was Penetrated" Since the demolishment of the Cyclorama Center, this part of the action is now more understandable, but rarely interpreted.
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  • Battle of Gettysburg Day 2 Reading Comprehension Name: ______
    Battle of Gettysburg Day 2 Reading Comprehension Name: _________________________ Read the passage and answer the questions. The Fishhook During the night of July 1st, most of the remaining Union and Confederate forces arrived in Gettysburg. The Union army was able to establish a strong line in the shape of a fishhook running over two miles from Cemetery Hill, along Cemetery Ridge and terminating at Culp's Hill. Confederate lines ran the length of Seminary Ridge, through the town of Gettysburg and terminated at a location opposite of Culp's Hill. In all, Confederate lines stretched for more than five miles. The stage was set for a massive battle. Missing Intelligence Without intelligence from J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry, however, Lee could not be certain of the exact positioning of Union forces, thus, his battle strategy for the second day of Gettysburg was somewhat flawed. Lee planned to launch a series of successive attacks with Longstreet's Corps on the Union left flank. The series of attacks and the diagonal formation of the attackers, would, theoretically, prevent the shifting of Union troops to reinforce the left flank. Meanwhile, other divisions would attack Union positions at Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Lee did not know, however, that Union Major General Daniel Sickels and his troops were positioned in between Confederate forces and the Union left flank. Attacks on Devil's Den and Little Round Top On the sweltering afternoon of July 2nd, General Longstreet's soldiers engaged Sickels' III Union Corps, driving them back and forcing Union Commander Meade to send 20,000 reinforcements.
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  • Joshua L. Chamberlain: a Life in Letters
    Civil War Book Review Summer 2013 Article 11 Joshua L. Chamberlain: A Life in Letters Judkin Browning Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr Recommended Citation Browning, Judkin (2013) "Joshua L. Chamberlain: A Life in Letters," Civil War Book Review: Vol. 15 : Iss. 3 . DOI: 10.31390/cwbr.15.3.12 Available at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr/vol15/iss3/11 Browning: Joshua L. Chamberlain: A Life in Letters Review Browning, Judkin Summer 2013 Desjardin, Thomas Joshua L. Chamberlain: A Life in Letters. Osprey Publishing, $25.95 ISBN 978-1-84908-559-5 New Insight into a Well Known Figure Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is well known to historians and Civil War enthusiasts as the man who ably led the 20th Maine Regiment at Little Round Top on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg. Several years ago, a collection of letters pertaining to Chamberlain came into the possession of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania through the auspices of the artist Don Troiani, who had acquired them from Chamberlain’s descendants. Though not a comprehensive collection of correspondence, most of these letters had never been seen by historians or cited in any published work about Chamberlain. Historian Thomas Desjardin, who has written excellent works on Chamberlain and the battle of Gettysburg, has a performed a useful service to historians of the Civil War by editing these letters. The approximately 250 letters include love letters from Joshua’s courtship with his wife Fannie in the 1850s, Civil War letters, and correspondence relating to his postwar activities governor of Maine, commander of the state militia, and president of Bowdoin.
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  • Military Service Records at the National Archives Military Service Records at the National Archives
    R E F E R E N C E I N F O R M A T I O N P A P E R 1 0 9 Military Service Records at the national archives Military Service Records at the National Archives REFERENCE INFORMATION PAPER 1 0 9 National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC Compiled by Trevor K. Plante Revised 2009 Plante, Trevor K. Military service records at the National Archives, Washington, DC / compiled by Trevor K. Plante.— Washington, DC : National Archives and Records Administration, revised 2009. p. ; cm.— (Reference information paper ; 109) 1. United States. National Archives and Records Administration —Catalogs. 2. United States — Armed Forces — History — Sources. 3. United States — History, Military — Sources. I. United States. National Archives and Records Administration. II. Title. Front cover images: Bottom: Members of Company G, 30th U.S. Volunteer Infantry, at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, August 1899. The regiment arrived in Manila at the end of October to take part in the Philippine Insurrection. (111­SC­98361) Background: Fitzhugh Lee’s oath of allegiance for amnesty and pardon following the Civil War. Lee was Robert E. Lee’s nephew and went on to serve in the Spanish­ American War as a major general of the United States Volunteers. (RG 94) Top left: Group of soldiers from the 71st New York Infantry Regiment in camp in 1861. (111­B­90) Top middle: Compiled military service record envelope for John A. McIlhenny who served with the Rough Riders during the Spanish­American War. He was the son of Edmund McIlhenny, inventor of Tabasco sauce.
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  • “Sharpshooters Made a Grand Record This Day” Combat on the Skirmish Line at Gettysburg on July 3
    “Sharpshooters Made a Grand Record This Day” Combat on the Skirmish Line at Gettysburg on July 3 Timothy J. Orr On the morning of July 3, 1863, Corporal Eugene B. Kelleran, a soldier in Company I, 20th Maine Infantry, descended the slopes of Big Round Top, a rocky eminence where his regiment had spent the previous evening. Near dark on July 2, the fatigued Maine regiment scaled the wooded heights, drove off an enemy brigade, and took possession of the summit. As per standard procedure, the 20th Maine’s commander, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, deployed skirmishers to determine the layout of the Confederate line and to make certain that his regiment truly held the hill. Midway down the southwestern slope, Kelleran and his comrades collided with skirmishers from Colonel James Sheffield’s Alabama brigade. A short fight ensued, lasting only a few minutes. The Maine regiment lost Lieutenant Arad Linscott, who had seized an abandoned musket so he could get a shot at the gray-coats himself. A ball struck Linscott in the thigh, and he died several hours later at the Jacob Weikert farm.1 During this engagement, a Confederate skirmisher kneeling behind a rock took aim at Corporal Kelleran, who also lowered his own rifle and fired. Kelleran got off his shot, which passed through the Alabamian’s mouth and came out the back of his head. When the shooting subsided, Kelleran went to the blood-spattered boulder and noticed that the man’s hat had been left untouched by both the bullet and the resulting gore. Kelleran had long wanted a new hat, so he took this one from his fallen adversary.
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  • Don Kadar at 61895 Fairland Drive, South Lyon, MI 48178-8966
    VOL. LII, NO. 4 Michigan Regimental Round Table Newsletter—Page 1 April 2012 You do not want to miss this month’s meeting. First, we have John Michael Priest (he goes by Mike) visiting with us from Maryland as our keynote speaker. Mike is a widely published Civil War author and his subject is Gettysburg. This is can’t miss stuff. Secondly, no more guessing about where we go for our field trip this year. By majority vote, the MRRT will visit the Manassas I & II battlefields. For further information, check out the attached flier and the Trip Report section. Last call on 2012 ANNUAL DUES. Thanks to all that have now paid up their annual dues but there are still 2011 members that have not. It’s surprising how easy small things like this slip by unnoticed but if you are one of those individuals and you place value on your membership and time with the MRRT, it’s a great time to get it behind you by bringing cash or a check (payable to Don Kadar) to the April 30 meeting and giving it to either Don Kadar (Treasurer) or Jeanie Graham (Assistant Treasurer). Alternatively, you can mail a check to: Don Kadar at 61895 Fairland Drive, South Lyon, MI 48178-8966 Last pitch---for at least the next several months---but we’d like to encourage members receiving the hardcopy newsletter to consider a switch to getting it by EMAIL. This saves the MRRT approximately $7 per year per member! If you’re willing and able to make that switch, simply send a note to [email protected].
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  • Episode 143: Gettysburg and Vicksburg
    Episode 143: Gettysburg and Vicksburg http://civilwar150.longwood.edu This week provided some of the greatest action of the entire Civil War and in many ways represented the moment when the tide finally turned against the Confederacy. From this point on, the Confederacy would be largely on the defensive as Union forces began to close in from all sides. In Pennsylvania, Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee were wreaking havoc across the state but Lee was uneasy because the eyes of his army, the cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart, were still far from where Lee wanted them. Lee sent orders requesting his scattered troops to come together at a small town called Gettysburg. As Lee’s men moved toward the town on July 1, skirmishers under Confederate general A.P. Hill encountered Union troops west of town that they believed to be Pennsylvania militia. They were surprised when they could not dislodge them, not knowing that these were dismounted Union cavalry under John Buford, some of the best in the entire army. Buford’s men were able to hold off the Confederates long enough for troops under the command of John Reynolds to reach the town and join in the fighting. Chaotic fighting ensued north and west of Gettysburg. By the end of the day, the Union troops had withdrawn to high ground behind the town on Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill. Lee was very disappointed that his men had not pursued the enemy more aggressively and had allowed them to secure the heights. There was an underlying sentiment among the Confederates that had Stonewall Jackson, who had recently died from his Chancellorsville wounds, been there that the Union would have been pushed off the heights.
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  • High Water Mark Heroes, Myth, and Memory
    High Water Mark Heroes, Myth, and Memory D. Scott Hartwig In his address at the dedication of the 20th Maine monument in 1889 Joshua Chamberlain said to the gathered group: In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision- place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field, to ponder and dream, and lo! The shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.1 The power of Chamberlain’s words still echo at Gettysburg. Something does remain here on the Gettysburg battlefield. Something felt, not seen. And as Chamberlain foresaw, men and women that he and his comrades would not know have come, and continue to come, to this place in numbers that might have surprised him, to “ponder and dream,” but also to understand, and perhaps find something of themselves upon these fields. There are many evocative places on the battlefield. It is a unique landscape in its own right which the battle, with its post-war memorials and monuments, only rendered more exceptional. Yet it is one of its seemingly most unremarkable places that holds the greatest power and symbolism for those who visit the battlefield. Known variously as the High Water Mark, the Angle, the Clump of Trees, or the Copse of Trees, it is the place where the final great bid for Confederate victory at Gettysburg – Pickett’s Charge – was smashed and thrown back on the steamy afternoon of July 3, 1863.
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  • Gods and Generals, We Provide the Following Information: Robert E
    OTHER KEY FIGURES 0. OTHER KEY FIGURES - Story Preface 1. BULL RUN 2. THOMAS JONATHON ("STONEWALL") JACKSON 3. MISTAKES AT FREDERICKSBURG 4. FREDERICKSBURG: DEATH AND MERCY 5. TENDER-HEARTED WARRIOR 6. WINNING STRATEGY 7. VICTORY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE 8. THE AGONY OF DEFEAT 9. JACKSON IS SHOT 10. THE DEATH OF STONEWALL JACKSON 11. SANDIE PENDELTON 12. OTHER KEY FIGURES In this image we see some of the leading generals on both sides of the U.S. Civil War. On the left of the picture are Union generals (led by General Grant) and on the right are Confederate generals (led by General Lee). Professor James I. Robertson, Jr., America’s foremost authority on General Thomas J. Jackson, has said: One can never understand what the United States is until one understands what the Civil War was. To help readers better understand some of the other key historical characters in Gods and Generals, we provide the following information: Robert E. Lee, the man who became chief commander of all Confederate forces, tendered his resignation as Colonel of the Army of the United States on 20 April 1861. Shortly thereafter, Lee and his family abandoned their home, Arlington Mansion. Mary Randolph Custis Lee never got over the loss of her family home to Union soldiers. When Lee and his officers surrendered, on 9 April 1865, they were given amnesty by Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant, commanding officer of the Union’s forces. In October of 1865, Lee agreed to abide by all laws that had been passed by the United States during the years of "rebellion." Brig.
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  • Joshua L. Chamberlain Born September 8, 1828 Brewer, Maine Died February 24, 1914 Brunswick, Maine
    Civil War Bios- Vol. 1 10/7/03 4:17 PM Page 71 Joshua L. Chamberlain Born September 8, 1828 Brewer, Maine Died February 24, 1914 Brunswick, Maine Union general Hero at the Battle of Gettysburg oshua L. Chamberlain was one of the Union Army’s great “Out of [the] silence [of Jheroes at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania in July night] rose new sounds 1863. His brave defense of the Union’s vulnerable left flank [of wounded soldiers] . saved the North from certain defeat in the clash. Chamber- a smothered moan . lain received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor some begging for a drop at Gettysburg, and he went on to serve the Union with dis- tinction for the remainder of the war. of water, some calling on God for pity; and some on friendly hands to finish what the enemy Attends Bowdoin College had so horribly begun; Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born in 1828 in some with delirious, Brewer, Maine. He was the oldest of three boys. His parents originally named him Lawrence Joshua, but their son decided dreamy voices to reverse the order of the names when he became an adult. murmuring loved names, Chamberlain’s father, Joshua Chamberlain Jr., was a success- as if the dearest were ful farmer who also held several political offices in the com- bending over them. .” munity. He wanted Joshua to be a soldier, but his eldest son thought that he might want to be a missionary instead (a Joshua L. Chamberlain. missionary is a person who does religious or charitable work (Courtesy of the Library of in a distant or foreign territory).
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