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Trench Warfare (1:14)

Although best known for its role in the long slog of World War I, trench warfare actually got its start on the battlefields of the American Civil War. Find out how new weapons and technology played a part in both its development and destruction.

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Videos (16)

  • Trench Warfare
    Trench Warfare

    Video Clip (1:14)

    Although best known for its role in the long slog of World War I, trench warfare actually got its start on the battlefields of the American Civil War. Find out how new weapons and technology played a part in both its development and destruction.

    Video Clip (1:14)
  • Grant or Lee?
    Grant or Lee?

    Video Clip (2:19)

    Which of the admired Civil War generals would you want to lead your country?

    Video Clip (2:19)
  • Confederate vs. Union Soldiers
    Confederate vs. Union Soldiers

    Video Clip (2:39)

    Find out what divided the men of the Civil War, and how in many ways they were more alike than different.

    Video Clip (2:39)
  • Civil War in One Word
    Civil War in One Word

    Video Clip (1:13)

    If you had just one word to describe the Civil War, what would it be?

    Video Clip (1:13)
  • Lincoln's War Machine
    Lincoln's War Machine

    Video Clip (3:01)

    Twenty-four thousand miles of railroad replenishes troops and supplies for the North and delivers disaster to the South.

    Video Clip (3:01)
  • America and the Civil War
    America and the Civil War

    Video Clip (4:04)

    Discover how the bloodiest war in American history transformed the face of the nation.

    Video Clip (4:04)
  • Civil War Tech
    Civil War Tech

    Video Clip (2:17)

    The Civil War saw the rise of major technological advances in warfare.

    Video Clip (2:17)
  • Abraham Lincoln
    Abraham Lincoln

    Video Clip (3:48)

    Today he is known as one of the greatest American presidents, but at the time of his election no one would have predicted Lincoln's success.

    Video Clip (3:48)
  • Impact of the Civil War
    Impact of the Civil War

    Video Clip (3:27)

    The Civil War was a long and gruesome conflict that claimed more than 620,000 lives and had lasting effects on military and civilian survivors.

    Video Clip (3:27)
  • Massachusetts 54th Regiment
    Massachusetts 54th Regiment

    Video Clip (2:48)

    The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was one of the first official black units in the U.S. armed forces. Their courageous assault on Fort Wagner played a key role in bringing about an end to slavery.

    Video Clip (2:48)
  • Blacks in the Military
    Blacks in the Military

    Video Clip (3:12)

    Learn how blacks serving in WWII helped forward the Civil Rights Movement.

    Video Clip (3:12)
  • Legacy of the Civil War
    Legacy of the Civil War

    Video Clip (1:22)

    One hundred and fifty years after it began, the Civil War is still an important component of our national character.

    Video Clip (1:22)
  • Civil War's Greatest Myth
    Civil War's Greatest Myth

    Video Clip (2:41)

    What you think you know about the Civil War may not be the whole truth.

    Video Clip (2:41)
  • Civil War Turning Point
    Civil War Turning Point

    Video Clip (3:08)

    Find out what event turned the tide of the Civil War.

    Video Clip (3:08)
  • Last Stand of the Confederacy
    Last Stand of the Confederacy

    Video Clip (3:21)

    In march of 1865, Confederate forces made a valiant last stand against General Sherman's advancing troops, but were undone by the most unlikely of errors

    Video Clip (3:21)
  • The Confederate Capital Falls
    The Confederate Capital Falls

    Video Clip (2:55)

    In the last days of the Civil War, the Confederate capital of Richmond falls after nine months under siege. General Lee and President Jefferson Davis flee the city as Union forces advance to reclaim Virginia.

    Video Clip (2:55)

Photo Galleries (3)

  • Faces of the Civil War
    Faces of the Civil War

    28 Photos

    The Library of Congress recently acquired a rare collection of nearly 700 Civil War-era ambrotype and tintype photographs, donated by the Liljenquist family.

    (28 Photos)
  • Civil War: Confederate Leaders
    Civil War: Confederate Leaders

    13 Photos

    View images of Confederate leaders from the Civil War, like Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson, and learn more about the roles they played protecting the southern states.

    (13 Photos)
  • Civil War: Union Military Leaders
    Civil War: Union Military Leaders

    13 Photos

    View images of Union leaders from the Civil War, like Abraham Linoln and Ulysses S. Grant, and learn more about the roles they played in this bloody engagment.

    (13 Photos)

Interactives (1)

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Read More about Petersburg Campaign

The Petersburg Campaign (June 1864-March 1865) was a climactic series of battles in southern Virginia during the American Civil War (1861-65), in which Union General Ulysses S. Grant faced off against Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

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