Emerging Civil War

The Emerging Civil War Podcast steps back in history to the Revolutionary Era for a discussion with Dr. Marianne Holdzkom about Founding Father John Adams. How do we remember a man who often worried he would not be remembered?   The Emerging Civil War Podcast is hosted by Chris Mackowski (a John Adams fanboy--ergo this week's tangent!). This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Civil Wa...

Imagine being rounded up on land or captured at sea and then being forced to work on an enemy ship. The practice was called "impressment," and as Neil Chatelain explains, navies during the Civil War—North and South—carried on the infamous tradition. 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-ai...

All bets were off and the rules of war were still being written in 1861 in the Trans-Mississippi theater of the Civil War. In this episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast, ECW contributor Devon Sommerville walks us through the perils of the wild far-west.   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 tha...

Merry "Kris"-mas from Emerging Civil War! ECW's Chief Historian Kris White decks the halls with a discussion about Christmastime 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 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochure at ⁠⁠⁠ civilwartrails.org ⁠⁠⁠ to start plan...

As the Confederate campaign into Kentucky got underway in the fall of 1862, one of the first clashes came in Richmond, Kentucky—a battle that became one of the most complete Confederate victories of the war. Historian Phil Seyfrit and preservationist George Ridings join the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about the battle and the amazing preservation successes they've had with the battlefie...

The Emerging Civil War Podcast explores "America's Buried History: Landmines in the American Civil War," with Dr. Ken Rutherford. Rutherford, himself a landmine survivor, is one of the world's leading experts on landmine nonproliferation. 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...

Proud Hoosier Arie DeYoung, one of the newest contributors to Emerging Civil War, joins the podcast to share his top five favorite stories from Civil War-era Indiana. 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 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochure at ⁠⁠⁠ civilwartrails.org⁠⁠⁠ to start pla...

A new biography on Union General Phill Sheridan by Jonathan Noyalas has ECW’s Chris Mackowski on a quest to reconsider the controversial general. In this episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast, he asks historians Kris White, Jim Lewis, and Hampton Newsome to offer their expert assessments.  This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest...

General "Little Phil" Sheridan remains a polarizing figure in Civil War history. However, a new Sheridan biography by Jonathan Noyalas of Shenandoah University invites a reconsideration. Sheridan's achievements and legacy, and the reasons we remember them the way we do, may be more complicated than we realize. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil...

Was George Washington a Federal or a Confederate? Historian Abbi Smithmyer joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about the ways Northerners and Southerners alike tried to lay claim to Washington's memory to give their side more legitimacy 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, offer...

What were the critical decisions at the battle of Chancellorsville that proved to be "moments of no return"? Historian Sarah Kay Bierle joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about her new book, "Decisions at Chancellorsville," part of the University of Tennessee Press's "Command Decisions of the Civil War" Series.   This episode of the Emerging Civil War Po...

Fr. Bob Miller has compiled the first comprehensive story of the Catholic priests who served in the Civil War—behind the scenes, in the hospitals, and sometimes even on the front lines. The result is a new book, "The Faith of the Fathers." 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 1,500 si...

The Museum of Contemporary Art and The Brick museum in Los Angeles have opened a new concurrent exhibit, "Monuments," that "considers the ways public monuments have shaped national identity, historical memory, and current events." Kevin Levin of Civil War Memory has been following the story and joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to discuss the exhibit.

Emerging Civil War's Dave Powell joins the ECW Podcast to talk about the new second volume of his ongoing study of the Atlanta Campaign, from the Etowa River to Kennesaw Mountain. 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 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochure at ⁠ civilwartrails.org ⁠ to...

Historic firearms expert John Launius joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to debunk "The Top 5 Myths About Civil War Firearms." 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 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochure at ⁠ civilwartrails.org ⁠ to start planning your trip today.

Why do so many people want to see Stonewall Jackson at Gettysburg? Is it one of the great counterfactuals of the Civil War, or is it Lost Cause porn? Or both? ECW's Chris Mackowski and Kris White discuss.  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 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochur...

Fred Grant, oldest son of Ulysses S. Grant, proved to be one of the most unique witnesses to the Civil War. As a boy, he hit the campaign trail with his father on several occasions, living the stereotypical boy’s adventure tale, which he fondly recounted in his later years. Historian Al Nofi’s new book, Fred Grant at Vicksburg , collects Fred’s tellings of the tale—and Al joins the Emerging Civil...

Emerging Civil War's newest contributor, Madeline Feierstein, talks about the Federal army's occupation of Alexandria, Virginia, beginning in 1861 and stretching through the war. The army's presence impacted civilians and the enslaved and transformed the medical field. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air mus...

George Boutwell may have been one of the most influential 19th Century politicians you've never heard of--until now. Jeffrey Boutwell, a collateral, descendent, has written a new biography of this forgotten political powerhouse, and he joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to share the story. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s large...

In the field of Civil War public history, Gettysburg exerts its own gravitational pull. As part of our "Ethics and Issues" series, ECW Chief Historian Kris White joins the podcast to talk about the outsized influence Gettysburg has and how historians deal with the elephant in the room. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s large...

What ethical challenges to Civil War historians wrestle with? John R. Heckman (The Tattooed Historian) and Jonathan Noyalas, director of Shenandoah University's McCormick Civil War Institute, join Chris Mackowski on the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about the ethics of responsible Civil War history. This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the...

Emerging Civil War's Kevin Pawlak and Kevin Donovan discuss the trials and tribulations of Federal General FitzJohn Porter, whose court-martial became one of the most enduring controversies of 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 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochur...

If you knew it was hot during the Gettysburg Campaign, a new book by meteorologist Jon Nese and historian Jeffrey Harding give "hot" a whole new meaning. "The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign" provides fascinating new detail about the weather in June and July 1863.  This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s large...

ECW Co-Founder Kris White joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to talk about the fighting at Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg. Kris and host Chris Mackowski are co-authors of the ECW Series book "Stay and Fight It Out: The Second Day at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863—Culp's Hill and the North End of the Battlefield." This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is bro...

Jonathan White, co-author of "New York City in the Civil War," discusses the myriad ways in which New York contributed to, influenced, and was impacted by the Civil War as told by his new book in the "Images of America" Series. 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 1,500 site...