The Civil War: A War of Songs
From battlefields to minstrel shows, music becomes a rallying cry of loyalty and motivation. But as deaths and hopelessness mount, the songs convey a haunting sense of loss (Volume 2, Part 2)
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Military
The Civil War: Battle of the Bands
Musicians attached to the 26th North Carolina regiment rouse patriotic spirit, bolster flagging morale in the face of gruesome casualties, and are vital to the regiment’s command and control system. (Volume 2, Part 1)
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The Civil War: Life in North Carolina
The war magnified the best and the worst of the human spirit and bequeathed us a legacy that, a century and a half later, we still ponder. In each installment, author and historian Philip Gerard explores the nuance of the Civil War and its affect on life in North Carolina.
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The Civil War: The Women’s War
With millions of young men lost in — or lost to — battle, and economic calamity a relentless opponent, women are forced into new roles: farmers, mill workers, entrepreneurs, even rioters. Daily realities of survival, fear, danger, and desperation are just some of a war’s challenges that transcend class and social status. (Volume 1, Part 8 )
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The Civil War: A Separate Peace
The war reaches North Carolina, but pacifists in the Old North State secretly oppose the Confederacy. (Volume 1, Part 7)
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The Civil War: The Dark Hole
At first, soldiers from both North and South return to their regiments in prisoner-of-war exchanges. But when officials end the old system in hopes of diminishing the slaughter, captured soldiers face death in the prison camps. (Volume 1, Part 6)
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The Civil War: Glory Bound
The captain of the Yadkin Stars is a fearless and loyal leader. But throughout his tenure and journey north as a prisoner of war, William Henry Asbury Speer remains haunted by a weary ambivalence toward the cause and this unwinnable war. (Volume 1, Part 5)
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The Civil War: River Runaways
For slaves, the struggle began long before the first shots of the Civil War. Now, the unrest and confusion of conflict open passage to freedom. (Volume 1, Part 4)
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The Civil War: Unflinching Leader
Poor leadership challenges the Confederacy from the outset of the war, but soon afterward, North Carolina has a bold and inspiring defender in Zebulon Baird Vance. (Volume 1, Part 3)
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The Civil War: Parading off to War
Confederate soldiers and their supporters herald the news of North Carolina’s secession with pageantry and pomp. soon, though, the reality of battle will break through the ranks. (Volume 1, Part 2)
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