John David Smith of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte considers Abraham Lincoln's reasons for allowing black troops to fight in the Civil War and for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

This audio tour follows the opening attack on the Confederate right flank during the Battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862. The focal point of the attack and the tour is the Burnside Bridge, one of the most famous Civil War landmarks. The Confederate defenders managed to hold out here for more than four hours against repeated Union assaults.

After more than nine months of trench warfare around Petersburg, VA, Union commander U.S. Grant ordered an all-out attack against Robert E. Lee's lines at dawn April 2, 1865. This audio tour of Pamplin Historical Park's Breakthrough Trail covers a critical area of that assault, and offers a good look at part of the well-preserved Confederate defensive line.

The Union soldiers defending this pile of giant boulders just west of Little Round Top found themselves on the far left flank of the Federal line July 2, 1863. They were the first to take on Confederate Gen. James Longstreet's assault that day. This audio tour covers the fight for Devil's Den and the true story behind one of the Civil War's most famous photographs.

This podcast provides a self-guided tour of Battleground National Cemetery. According to the Battle Creek Park website, ". . . Battleground National Cemetery is one of nine Civil War installations under the stewardship of Rock Creek Park and serves as the final resting place for the majority of Union Civil War soldiers who perished while defending Washington, D.C. during a Confederate attack on July 11th and 12th, 1864."

To listen to this tour, select "podcast" under "Battleground National Cemetery."

Author Robert Kaplan discusses his experiences while writing his book Imperial Grunts, focusing on his impressions on the identity of soldiers. He looks particularly at the representation of the working class in the field and the ways in which warfare and the military are changing today.

Video and audio options are available.

Sherwood Goldberg, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for D.C., considers the identity and duties of the modern-day U.S. soldier, considering possible changes and incentives that can allow the Army to attract and maintain soldiers today.

Audio and video options are available.

Deborah Avant, Director of the Institute for Global International Studies, discusses the move towards employing private security companies in global conflicts, examining the benefits and costs and risks this practice introduces.

Audio and video options are available.