The Civil War (1861-1865): A History Podcast

In which we continue with our discussion of the First Battle of Manassas (July 21, 1861), looking at how McDowell failed to maintain the initiative after he seized Matthews Hill, and as a result the Confederates had time to forge a defensive line on Henry Hill.

Direct download: CivilWar56.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:10pm MDT

In which we cover the start of the First Battle of Manassas (July 21, 1861)- including the Federals' flanking march to Sudley Ford and the fight for Matthews Hill.

Direct download: CivilWar55b.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 2:59pm MDT

In which we cover the affair at Blackburn's Ford on July 18, 1861. Plus, we look at McDowell's decision to change his plan and attempt to turn the Confederate left flank. 

Direct download: CivilWar54.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 2:06pm MDT

In which we look at the start of the campaign that culminates with the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861.

Direct download: CivilWar53.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:21pm MDT

In which we set the stage for the beginning of the campaign that culminates with the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861.

Direct download: CivilWar52b.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 12:24pm MDT

In which we look at why Northern & Southern men signed up to fight at the beginning of the Civil War.

Direct download: CivilWar51.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 12:20pm MDT

In which we look at the importance of horses & mules to Civil War armies. Plus, we talk about Robert E Lee's horse- Traveller.

Direct download: HorsesMules.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:33pm MDT

In which we discuss the decision to declare runaway slaves "contraband of war," and then we look at the Battle of Big Bethel which took place on June 10, 1861.

Direct download: CivilWar50.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 5:30pm MDT

In which we cover the third Civil War combat arm: the artillery.

Direct download: CivilWar49.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:04pm MDT

In which we give some book and other recommendations for the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln giving Gettysburg Address.

Direct download: GettysburgAdd.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:10pm MDT

In which we look at another one of the three Civil War combat arms: the cavalry.

Direct download: CivilWar48.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:05pm MDT

In which we conclude our discussion of Civil War infantry.

Direct download: CivilWar47.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 11:29am MDT

In which we discuss the principal shoulder arm used by Union & Confederate infantrymen during the Civil War: the rifle-musket.

Direct download: CivilWar46.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:04pm MDT

In which we use several episodes to talk about the three combat arms of the Civil War- the infantry, cavalry, & artillery.

Direct download: CivilWar45.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 11:37am MDT

In which we start off with a short bio of George McClellan, and then get to the continuation of the action in northwest Virginia with the Battle of Rich Mountain (July 11, 1861).

Direct download: CivilWar44.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:04pm MDT

In which we look at the clash between Union & Confederate forces at Fairfax Court House in northeast Virginia on June 1, 1861... and the Union surprise attack at Philippi in northwest Virginia on June 3. 

Direct download: CivilWar43.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:12pm MDT

In which we look at the fate that befell Arlington, the mansion and estate that was the home of Robert E. Lee and his family before the start of the Civil War.

Direct download: CivilWar42.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:22pm MDT

In which we discuss the Confederate and Union war aims & strategy at the beginning of the Civil War. Plus, we look at the Union's move in May 1861 to seize Alexandria, Virginia- just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

Direct download: CivilWar41.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 3:32pm MDT

In which we use this episode to give a short biography of Robert E Lee's life, up to April 1861 when he resigned his commision in the U.S. Army and took command of Virginia's military forces.

Direct download: CivilWar40.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:20pm MDT

In which we discuss the April 19, 1861 proclamation by which Abraham Lincoln declared a blockade of the Confederacy. And we also look at the Confederate seizure of the important Gosport navy yard a few days later.

Direct download: CivilWar39.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 3:58pm MDT

In which we wrap up our discussion of the dark days in April 1861 when Washington, DC was cut off from the North and in danger from Confederate invasion. 

Direct download: CivilWar38.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:54pm MDT

In which we relate the events in the dark days of April 1861, when Washington DC was cut off from the loyal states of the North.

Direct download: CivilWar37.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 1:36pm MDT

In which we talk about Abraham Lincoln's April 15th call for 75,000 militia to suppress the rebellion, and the subsequent secession of Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, & North Carolina.

Direct download: CivilWar36.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:49pm MDT

In which we discuss the bombardment of Sumter by the Confederate artillery batteries, and then the fort's evacuation by Major Robert Anderson & his men on April 14, 1861. Before the conclusion of the episode, we also tackle the questions: "What caused secession?" and "What caused the war?"

Direct download: CivilWar35.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 4:11pm MDT

In which we discuss Lincoln's relief expedition to Fort Sumter, the Confederate government's decision to reduce the fort, and the opening shot of the bombardment on April 12, 1861. 

Direct download: CivilWar34.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 5:24pm MDT

In which we continue our discussion of the escalating crisis over the possession of Fort Sumter.

Direct download: CivilWar33.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 5:17pm MDT

In which we look at Abraham Lincoln's inaugural journey from Illinois to Washington, D.C. and then his inauguration as the sixteenth President of the United States on March 4, 1861. 

Direct download: CivilWar32.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:03pm MDT

In which we continue our discussion of the events surrounding the growing crisis over the possession of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor.

Direct download: CivilWar31.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 5:55pm MDT

In which we discuss the dramatic events surrounding the growing crisis over the possession of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor.

Direct download: CivilWar30.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:07pm MDT

In which we look at how Abraham Lincoln used the time between his election victory and his inauguration as president to build his celebrated "team of rivals."

Direct download: CivilWar29.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:49pm MDT

In which we head back north of the Mason-Dixon Line to see what was going on with Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois and with the powers-that-be in Washington, D.C. during the steady escalation of the secession crisis.

Direct download: CivilWar28.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 1:21pm MDT

In which we continue the biographical sketch of Jefferson Davis's life in order to bring him up to speed with where we are on the podcast timeline, the year 1861. We end this episode by taking a look at the formation of the Confederate cabinet.

Direct download: CivilWar27.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:02pm MDT

In which we use a special two-part biography of Jefferson Davis to bring his life up to speed with where we currently are on the podcast timeline, the year 1861.

Direct download: CivilWar26.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:28pm MDT

In which we take a look at some of the major differences between North & South on the eve of the Civil War.

Direct download: CivilWarBonus.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 5:00am MDT

In which we discuss the birth of the Confederate States of America at Montgomery, Alabama in February 1861.

Direct download: CivilWar25.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:48am MDT

In which we continue our discussion by asking if the southern states had a right to secede, or if secession was rebellion. Then, we look at the message the secession commissioners spread throughout the South in late 1860/early 1861. Our book recommendation for this episode is "Apostles of Disunion" by Charles B. Dew.

Direct download: CivilWar24.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:05am MDT

In which we look at how seven southern states withdrew from the Union between Abraham Lincoln's election and his inauguration.  We answer the question: What was behind the secession of these states?

Direct download: CivilWar23.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:49pm MDT

In which we discuss the reasons behind the collapse of the Democratic Party, the resulting four-way contest for the presidency, and Abraham Lincoln's victory on Election Day, November 6, 1860.

Direct download: CivilWar22.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 11:49am MDT

In which we take a look at the important February 1860 speech in New York City that helped catapult Abraham Lincoln to the White House.

Direct download: CivilWar21b.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:18pm MDT

In which we look at John Brown's assault on Harper's Ferry in October 1859.

Direct download: CivilWar20.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:19pm MDT

In which we continue our coverage of the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates in 1858.

Direct download: CivilWar19.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:26pm MDT

In which we give the background to the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, and then we start in on the debates themselves.

Direct download: CivilWar18.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:31pm MDT

In which we continue the biographical sketch of Abraham Lincoln's life in order to bring him up to speed with where we are on the podcast timeline, the year 1858.  In this episode we break the discussion up into three sections: Lincoln the Lawyer, Lincoln Gets Married, and Lincoln the Politician.

Direct download: CivilWar17.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 10:57am MDT

In which we use a special two-part biography of Abraham Lincoln to bring his life up to speed with where we currently are on the podcast timeline, the year 1858.

Direct download: CivilWar16.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:10pm MDT

In which we take a look at the Dred Scott case and the fiasco over the Lecompton Constitution, and show how the snowballing negative consequences from those events finally caused the Democratic Party to, once & for all, split along sectional lines. A unified Republican Party will take advantage of that split & win the presidency in 1860.

Direct download: CivilWar15.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 10:40am MDT

In which we discuss the three-way presidential contest of 1856 and its importance to the rise of the Republican Party. Plus, we see Abraham Lincoln start to position himself to be a leading national figure in the party.

Direct download: Civil_War_14.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:35pm MDT

In which we look at the brutal caning of Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts by Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina in May, 1856.

Direct download: CivilWar13.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:27pm MDT

In which we talk about Stephen Douglas's sponsorship of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the ensuing violence in "Bleeding Kansas," & the rise of the Republican Party as a direct result of Northern outrage over the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Direct download: CivilWar12.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:38pm MDT

In which we discuss the Northern reaction to the new Fugitive Slave Law that was part of the Compromise of 1850.  Plus, we look at the significant impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Direct download: CivilWar11.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:31pm MDT

In which we take a fast pass through the abolitionist movement in the U.S., and show how it made a significant contribution to the sectional unraveling that led to the Civil War. 

Direct download: Civil_War_Episode10.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:33pm MDT

In which we take a look at some pro-slavery arguments to see why Seward's "Higher Law" speech in March 1850 made Southerners so very very angry.

Direct download: CivilWar09.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:53pm MDT

In which we look at the Presidential Election of 1848, the crisis over the admission of California as a free state, & how Henry Clay laid the groundwork for Stephen Douglas to sweep in and save the day with the Compromise of 1850.

Direct download: CivilWar8.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:54pm MDT

In which we follow along as Winfield Scott marches on Mexico City & captures it in September 1847.  We continue spotlighting some of the American officers, almost all West Point graduates, who fight in Mexico and then go on to some measure of fame in the Civil War.

 

Direct download: CivilWar07.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 11:04am MDT

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