YouTube

History Channel Movie on Gettysburg

by fifer1863 on May 21, 2011

On Monday, May 30, 2011, the History Channel will air a new Civil War film on Gettysburg.  This film is produced by Tony and Ridley Scott.  The trailer for the movie looks good so this is something that I am looking forward to watching.  If you are teaching the Civil War at this time of year, you may want to have your students watch the movie.

Here is a summary of the movie:

Gettysburg is a 2-hour HISTORY special that kicks off a week of History programming commemorating the 150’th anniversary of the Civil War. Executive produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, this special strips away the romanticized veneer of the Civil War. It presents the pivotal battle of Gettysburg in a new light: as a visceral, terrifying and deeply personal experience, fought by men with everything on the line. Compelling CGI and powerful action footage place viewers in the midst of the fighting, delivering both an emotional cinematic experience and an information packed look at the turning points, strategic decisions, technology and little known facts surrounding the greatest engagement ever fought on American soil.

The special begins in the high stakes summer of 1863, as the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia crosses into Pennsylvania. Trailed by the Union’s Army of the Potomac, Lee’s 75,000 strong army heads towards Harrisburg, converging instead near a quiet farm town, Gettysburg. Known then only as a crossroads where ten roads running in all directions converge like a wagon wheel, this small town would become site of an epic battle between North and South. For three days, each side fought there for their vision of what America should be.

In collaboration with highly esteemed Civil War historians, HISTORY combed through hundreds of individual accounts of the battle to find the unique voices of struggle, defeat and triumph that tell the larger story of a bitterly conflicted nation.

Here is the trailer from the movie:

 

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More Videos on the Internet

by fifer1863 on March 12, 2010

Today, I am sharing some links to some additional videos available via the Internet.

Antietam – Civil War Artillery Demonstration (1:31)

Firing a Civil War Musket (:44)

Civil War Battle Reenactment, Spokane, WA (4:15)

PBS: The Civil War (5 videos of various lengths)

Shiloh Reenactment (14:08)

The Civil War (14:37)

The Civil War at Home (10 videos of various lengths)

The Civil War Experience: Gettysburg (2:02)

The Civil War Experience: Baseball (1:14)

Causes of the Civil War

Learn about the Civil War

Yale Professor Lecture Series on the Civil War (43:00)

UPDATE:  Hat tip to Harry Smeltzer over at Bull Runnings for reminding me about this video:

The Civil War in Four Minutes

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I have found a few more videos on YouTube that I would like to share with you.

The first two were done by Tapsbugler (those familiar with the hobby will know who this is) and the first video is Field Musicians of the Civil War and the second video is Brass Bands of the Civil War.

The next one is from Antietam and according to the title was recorded at the Pry Farm in October 2006. While not the best quality, it is an excellent rendition of Old Dan Tucker and if I’m not mistaken there are members of the 2nd S. Carolina String Band in the group. Here is a link to a video of the Excelsior Brigade Fifes & Drums playing Old Dan Tucker as well.

Here is one of Camp Chases Fifes and Drums playing The Minstrel Boy. Again, not the best quality but you get the idea.  You can also view a great collection of videos of Camp Chase on YouTube.

Another great band is the 2nd South Carolina String Band and you can view a great video of them singing “Dixie’s Land” from a recent Gettysburg reenactment.

Finally, the following is not Civil War music but it is one of the coolest fife and drum videos I’ve seen. The video is the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown playing at Ft. Ticonderoga. If you look closely at about 3:30 into the video, the fifers are lined up and they are using their right hand to play the fife of the person in front of them.

Until next time…

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More Gettysburg YouTube Videos

September 26, 2009

Here are a few more short videos related to the Battle of Gettysburg for you to view: Three related to the story of Wesley Culp, Jack Skelley and Ginny Wade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti2PcQR-SdU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBi_Vgt2MWs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5jaJyJKY3s Story about Spangler’s Spring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj-mWP_H8P8 Just another great way for you to bring subject matter experts into your classroom. Enjoy

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Gettysburg Done in Legos?

April 12, 2009

Well, 145 years ago the Battle of Gettysburg was raging and would become what some would call the turning point of the Civil War. Recently, I was bored and started searching around YouTube for Gettysburg related videos and came across the following video and just had to share. I present, The Civil War: Gettysburg Day [...]

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Teaching the Civil War with YouTube.

March 21, 2009

I have to admit right up front that I am not a big user of YouTube.   I have viewed some clips that people have sent me but I’m not a regular user. That being said, someone sent me a link the other evening to a video of a Civil War Fife & Drum group playing [...]

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Civil War Artillery

February 21, 2009

Park Rangers at the numerous Civil War battlefields are a wealth of information. Unfortunately, it is difficult (if not impossible) and expensive for classes of students to venture out to a Civil War battlefield. So, how about bringing a Park Ranger to your classroom? Well, here is one way to do just that. Many of [...]

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Hearing the Civil War: Music of the Civil War

December 14, 2008

Various types of music played key roles throughout the Civil War from the fife and drum to the bugle calls which rallied the soldiers and directed them on the parade ground and in battle. There were sentimental and patriotic songs which soldiers sung in camp in order to pass the time while remembering the homes [...]

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President Lincoln in Gettysburg

November 19, 2008

The following is from The Lincoln Log website and gives you an idea of what Lincoln’s day was like on November 19, 1863 prior to giving his famous speech. If you plan to have your students recite the Gettysburg Address for class, this should help provide some background information about the event.  Check out this [...]

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