Emerging Civil War

Best known because of the movie "Glory," Col. Robert Gould Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts had a far more complicated life than Hollywood suggested. A new biography, "A Glorious Fate" by Kevin Levin, looks at the nuances of Shaw's life and legacy. Levin joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about the widely recognized but little-known officer. The Emerging Civil War P...

Looking for a great Civil War weekend getaway this fall? Jonathan Noyalas, author of the new guidebook "Winchester and the Civil War," talks about the one of Virginia's most storied Civil War towns. Noyalas offers some great tips on exploring the military, social, economic, and political history of a town that changed hands more than seventy times during the war. The Emerging Civil W...

Podcast host Chris Mackowski went to "Bleeding Kansas," Wilson's Creek, and Pea Ridge over the summer. To find out more about the places he visited, he called up Dr. Zachary Fry, another "Eastern Theater" historian who's now based in Kansas, to talk about the border war and the Trans-Mississippi. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the...

Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker operated in separate spheres early in the Civil War but, in 1862, found themselves in the Army of the Potomac on a collision course for command. Emerging Civil War’s Ryan Quint asks, “With friends like these, who needs enemies?”The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open...

Explore Burnside's Bridge and beyond with Emerging Civil War historian Bert Dunkerly, discussing his recent book "The Lower Battlefield of Antietam: The Forgotten Front of America's Bloodiest Day." The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more than 1,500 sites acr...

Jim Schmick and Don Madar, authors of Before Gettysburg , share some of the untold stories of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the Civil War. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more than 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochure at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ civilwartrails.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to s...

Join Emerging Civil War's Chris Mackowski as he chats with new ECW President Neil Chatelain about the company's new leadership transition, the work ahead, and a behind-the-scenes look. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more than 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochure at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠civilwartrails.org⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to star...

President Abraham Lincoln and Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax may not have been close pals, but as highly pragmatic politicians, they each understood the value they had to each other. Emerging Civil War's Arie DeYoung takes a closer look at this political partnership/rivalry. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, t...

"The Devil's Own Purgatory" by Robert Gudmestad is the winner of the 2026 Emerging Civil War Book Award. ECW's Chris Mackowski chats with Gudmestad about this groundbreaking new look at the Mississippi River Squadron during the Civil War. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more than 1...

Dr. Tom Clemens has been one of the most influential voices in Antietam scholarship and preservation for forty years. For that work, Emerging Civil War honored Clemens with the 2026 Emerging Civil War Award for Service in Civil War Public History. ECW's Chris Mackowski sat down with Clemens for a look back at four decades of work. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to yo...

In the midst of the Nashville campaign of 1864, Federal generals George Thomas and John Schofield went from being partners to rivals. How did it happen and what were the consequences? Historian Joe Ricci joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about the Thomas/Schofield partnership/rivalry. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil Wa...

As we continue our series on "Partnerships and Rivalries," we examine the dynamic between Robert E. Lee and two of the Confederacy's other top-ranking generals, Joseph E. Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard. Charlie Knight, author of "From Arlington to Appomatox: Robert E. Lee's Civil War Day by Day" joins Emerging Civil War's Chris Mackowski to chat about these powerful...

How did Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard balance their big egos to score a victory at First Manassas? Emerging Civil War's Kevin Pawlak and Chris Mackowski look at some surprising components of an early war partnership/rivalry. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more...

As the Federal navy sought to implement its Anaconda Plan, the multi-channeled mouth of the Mississippi posed a special challenge. A key waterway, the Head of Passes, became the focus of attention—and the scene of an ironclad "surprise" months before the battle of Hampton Roads. Emerging Civil War's Neil Chateltain shares the story in his new book, Ironclad Ambush . The Emerging Civi...

During the Atlanta Campaign, Joseph E. Johnston demonstrated at the interrelated battles of New Hope Church, Pickett's Mill, and Dallas that he knew how to fight, not just how to fall back. Historian Aaron Siever of Aaron's Civil War Travels joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to offer a closer look at the second of those fights, Pickett's Mill. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hoste...

Historian Harry Pfanz once said, "July 2nd [at Gettysburg] needed a lot of saving." Who had to save the day and where? Historians Dan Welch and Evan Portman join Chris Mackowski on the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about the second day of the battle and leaders and units who rose to the occasion at various moments of crisis. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought...

The Cheairs family of Spring Hill lived on a stately plantation called RippaVilla. Today, the Battle of Franklin Trust manages the property. Eric Jacobson, president and CEO of the Trust, has a new book about the family and the property. He joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to explain how they serve as an amazing lens for looking at the Antebellum South, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and beyon...

The 20th Maine Infantry is one of the most famous regiments of the Civil War, yet there's been surprisingly little attention devoted to unit's history. As author Jared Peatman reminds us, there's far more to the 20th Maine than Gettysburg's Little Round Top. He joins host Chris Mackowski on the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about his new book, "A Hell of a Regiment: To Ge...

Chris Mackowski, host of the Emerging Civil War Podcast, found a lot of cool reading this spring thanks to a strong line-up of releases from Savas Beatie. From U.S. Grant's trip around the world to Stonewall Jackson's frozen trip to Romney, Virginia, to a crisis in Antietam's West Woods—the spring line-up has offered a bounty for military history enthusiasts. So, Chris called up his fr...

The 1862 Valley Campaign offers plenty of history AND landscape to explore. Michael Gionfriddo, a park ranger with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Association, joins host Chris Mackowski to talk about the things that make each of the 1862 battlefields unique—and well worth visiting. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more than 1,500...

The ugly truth behind the “polite” behavior of “gentleman” in the Antebellum South. The power of rifled artillery against masonry forts. The statues in the U.S. Capitol. The Army of the Potomac as Baltimore. And more! It's time for another episode of "Three Things I've Learned"! This time, we talk with Emerging Civil War's Sam Flowers and Ryan Quint to see what new things the...

As Federal armies in the west captured huge swaths of land in the early years of the war, the front line of emancipation moved with them, presenting pressing problems for military, political, and civilian leaders alike. Historian Kristopher Teters says officers like Grant and Sherman became “PracticalLiberators” by necessity. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episod...

Stonewall Jackson’s winter operations in the earliest months of 1862 proved to be one of the most notorious low points of his entire Civil War career. Author Tim Snyder has a new, in-depth look at this overlooked period of Jackson’s service, from Bath to Romney to the rocky fallout that resulted. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil W...

Forget the Eastern, Western, and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the Civil War. The naval theaters of the war invite an entirely different way of looking at the conflict. ECW's Neil Chatelain provides an overview of the Civil War on the water. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offe...

Discussions of violence in Congress have made headlines again lately, from Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearings as secretary of Homeland Security to Heather Cox Richardson’s daily column. Dr. Paul Quigley has a new book about the most famous episode of Congressional violence, The Man Behind the Cane . He joins the Emerging Civil War podcast to talk about the infamous caning of Sen. Charles Sum...