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America and the Civil War (4:04)

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

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Videos (17)

  • 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)
  • 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 Tech
    Civil War Tech

    Video Clip (2:17)

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

    Video Clip (2:17)
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • The Plot to Kill Jefferson Davis
    The Plot to Kill Jefferson Davis

    Video Clip (3:38)

    Union leaders hatch a conspiracy to assassinate Confederate President Jefferson Davis in an attempt to bring and end to the Civil War.

    Video Clip (3:38)
  • The Path to Civil War
    The Path to Civil War

    Video Clip (2:25)

    The election of Abraham Lincoln was a tipping point on the path to Civil War. In the wake of Southern secession, would the new president defend the U.S. forts in rebel territory?

    Video Clip (2:25)
  • First Battle of Bull Run
    First Battle of Bull Run

    Video Clip (2:08)

    The first major land battle of the Civil War, near Manassas, Virginia is a decisive Confederate victory, ending hopes of a quick end to the conflict.

    Video Clip (2:08)
  • Surrender at Appomattox
    Surrender at Appomattox

    Video Clip (2:38)

    Cut off from supply lines, General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant in April, 1865 after four long years of Civil War.

    Video Clip (2:38)
  • 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 Biological Warfare
    Civil War Biological Warfare

    Video Clip (3:56)

    Confederate agents experiment with an early version of bio-warfare, attempting to spread yellow fever throughout Northern cities.

    Video Clip (3:56)
  • Confederate Bomb Plot
    Confederate Bomb Plot

    Video Clip (3:39)

    Confederate agents plot to bomb the White House with Lincoln and his cabinet inside to destabilize the Union's leadership during the Civil War.

    Video Clip (3:39)
  • 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 (5)

  • Civil War: Fort Sumter
    Civil War: Fort Sumter

    9 Photos

    Explore Fort Sumter, South Carolina, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

    (9 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)
  • 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: Battles of Bull Run
    Civil War: Battles of Bull Run

    10 Photos

    Learn about the two battles of Bull Run through paintings and photographs of the participants, the battlefield and the surrounding areas.

    (10 Photos)
  • Civil War: Artifacts
    Civil War: Artifacts

    9 Photos

    Explore Civil War artifacts, from medical kits and personal hygiene items, to carbines and currency.

    (9 Photos)

Interactives (1)

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Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a U.S. military officer who later served as a Confederate general during the Civil War.

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