Military History: The American Civil War

My name is Russell Graff. I am a former high school teacher and a student of history. Together, students and I will be covering the battles, strategies, and tactics of the American Civil War. 

Every day, we will cover a battle from the American Civil War. We will start with the brief siege of Fort Sumter, and move through major events until the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse in 1865. My hope is that students can hop in and out of the course at their leisure, or be able to join at any point and continue with the class to the end. Because of this format I've chosen to describe this class as ongoing, although students are more than welcome to start at the beginning and follow through with the entire course. 

This course is about storytelling. Every day is a new battle, a new story- with some old, and some new characters who are central players in these tales. As such I, as the instructor, will be doing much of the talking as I outline the battle in a narrative format. I will provide details and context for the battles, including who the major players are, what the stakes are, a little bit of historical context, what tactics are used, what and why certain decisions are made, and so on. 

I will invite questions throughout and at the end of the story. To answer questions, particularly if they are not quick, my hope is to turn to historical sources and demonstrate to students how historians find answers to questions- how historical knowledge is discovered and generated. 

This course is not about the politics, socioeconomics, or culture of the time. It is strictly about the military history. Some context of the time is provided merely to highlight the stakes of particular battles, and of the overall strategy in general. 

Specific battles that we will cover: 
Week 1 (Week of May 23): Build up to Civil War; Fort Sumter 
Week 2 (Week of May 30): Battle of Bull Run; Union Strategy; Western Theatre 
Week 3 (Week of June 6): Peninsula Campaign; Battle of Shiloh 
Week 4 (Week of June 13): Battle of Antietam 
Week 5 (Week of June 20): Battle of Fredericksburg; Battle of Chancellorsville 
Week 6 (Week of June 27): Gettysburg
Week 7 (Week of July 11): Siege of Vicksburg 
Week 8 (Week of July 18): Wilderness Campaign 
Week 9 (Week of July 25): Sherman's Atlanta Campaign; March to the Sea 
Week 10 (Week of August 1): Siege of Petersburg; Union Advance on Richmond 
Week 11 (Week of August 8):  Appomattox Courthouse, Surrender of Confederate Forces; Aftermath of War