The 1864 Project
The 1864 Project is a podcast about one consequential year in the American Civil War—1864. In this limited series, we’ll talk to leading historians about the year 1864 and why it was so important and transformative. They’ll help us put the events of that year in perspective and link them to our current-day culture and politics.
Published: 1/3/25
Episode 6: The Prisoner Experience
Historian Evan Kutzler discusses the state of Civil War prisons in 1864, from the POW experience to how the breakdown of the formal prisoner exchange system affected conditions.Published: 12/19/24
Episode 5: Meade, Grant, and the Army of the Potomac
Historian Jennifer M. Murray talks about how the relationship between Union generals George Meade and Ulysses S. Grant operated during the Army of the Potomac's pivotal 1864 campaigns against Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.Published: 12/5/24
Episode 4: The Women’s War
Historian Stephanie M. McCurry discusses the great diversity in women’s experiences—northern and southern, white and black—during the conflict.Published: 11/21/24
Episode 3: The Western War
Historian Steven E. Woodworth talks about the war’s oft-overlooked western theater in 1864, with a focus on how the decisions made by Union and Confederate leadership affected outcomes on the battlefield.Published: 11/7/24
Episode 2: Grant vs. Lee
Historian Cecily Zander discusses the challenges Robert E. Lee and his vaunted Army of Northern Virginia encountered when facing a new opponent in Ulysses S. Grant during the summer of 1864.Published: 10/22/24
Episode 1: The 1864 Presidential Election
Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer talks about the 1864 presidential election, which pitted incumbent Abraham Lincoln against his Democratic challenger, George B. McClellan.