315F Fall 2025 The Civil War Beyond the Battles, Part 1

Each of the three lectures will cover a different aspect of the American Civil War. We will avoid the usual focus on military campaigns or individual battles in favor of topics tangentially related to the fighting, but rarely covered in the usual survey course.

The Provost Marshal: Many Hats, Many Roles. The focus will be on Marsena Patrick, provost marshal or military “policeman,” of the 130,000-man U.S. Army of the Potomac. 

Faith in the Fight: Civil War Chaplains. This session will examine the roles and duties of members of the faith community who volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army of the Potomac and Confederate armies.

Against All Odds: Civil War Medicine. We will discuss the treatment and impact of battlefield wounds and disease, as well as the medical advances made during the war.

Jim Anderson served three years in the Air Force and 27 years in the CIA. In retirement, he has conducted leadership seminars at Civil War battlefields. He holds an MA in History from the University of Memphis. Since 2009, he has taught classes and conducted tours at OLLI on the Civil War and the American Frontier.