Emerging Civil War

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...

The Summer of 1862 saw a huge swing in momentum for the Confederacy in the east following the rise of Robert E. Lee. Emerging Civil War's Devan Summerville followed in the footsteps of the Army of Northern Virginia this spring, and he joins podcast host Chris Mackowski to talk about his discoveries. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offeri...

Take a deep dive into the action on and around Little Round Top on July 2, 1863, during the battle of Gettysburg. In this episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast, author Joseph Boslet brings a soldier's-eye view to some of the most famous fighting of 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 lar...

The battle of Shiloh represented a whole new scale of war for North and South. Author Sean Michael Chick discusses some of the controversies, personalities, and new things to learn about one the Civil War’s most stunning contests. 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...

Was the relationship between Ulysses S. Grant and George Gordon Meade a partnership or a rivalry? In this episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast, we'll take a closer look at that relationship with historians Brad Gottfried, Will Greene, and Jennifer Murray. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest op...

Daniel Harvey Hill was one of the Confederacy's most talented and temperamental commanders. Chris Hartley joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about his new biography of this complicated officer, "D. H. Hill: A Military Life."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, of...

Before the Civil War, John Fremont made a national reputation as "The Pathfinder" for helping to open up America's west coast. Emerging Civil War contributor Tonya McQuade has been on Fremont's trail, finding him in some of the most unusual places. The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest...

The 1862 New Mexico Campaign promised huge benefits for the Confederacy if it succeeded, even while offering relatively low risks. What was there to lose? Patrick Kelly-Fischer and Phill Greenwalt join the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about their new book about the campaign, "Desert Empire." The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you...

William T. Sherman and John McClernand started off as effective partners under Ulysses S. Grant, but by the time Grant began his inland campaign against Vicksburg, Sherman considered McClernand his "demon spirit." Historian Timothy B. Smith joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to discuss the important Sherman/McClernanrd partnership/rivalry and Grant's role in managing it. The Emergi...

A military governor and his provost marshal—occupation duty in wartime Alexandria, Virginia, paired two unlikely partners, John Slough and Henry Horatio Wells. As we explore our theme of "Rivalries and Partnerships" this year, Madeline Feierstein joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to explore the highly successful working relationship between Slough and Wells and the profound impact the...

The Army of Northern Virginia was led by larger-than-life personalities. So how did the mild-mannered Lt. General Richard Anderson fit in once he rose to corps command? Edward Hagerty joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about his new biography of Anderson, Soldier of the South .The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails,...

During and in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, through the Civil War centennial, the Republican Party drew on America’s memories of the war in order to reorganize and reinvent itself. Tim Galsworthy joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to explain how the modern GOP became “the Party of Lincoln” AND “the Party of Lee.” The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski. This episode...

Today’s political polarization has had an impact on how weremember the Civil War—and how we remember the Civil War impacts how we view today’s politics. In this episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast, host Chris Mackowski speaks with historians Jennifer Murray and John Kinder about the new collection of essays they’ve edited, They Are Dead and Yet They Live: Civil War Memories in a Polarized Am...

The Emerging Civil War Podcast kicks off a new feature, “Three Things,” in which a pair of our historians each share three things they’ve learned over the last year that surprised them. This week, Kevin Donovan and Evan Portman—“Kevin and Evan”—join host Chris Mackowski to share what they’ve learned. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s...

As Emerging Civil War prepares to examine "Partnerships & Rivalries" at our 2026 Symposium, we take a look at one of the most important relationships to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Curt Fields and Melissa Winn join ECW Podcast host Chris Mackowski to talk about Grant's relationship with his chief of staff, John Rawlins.   This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is bro...