The American Civil War Podcast

In early 1862 General Samuel Curtis began a march on Confederate Arkansas. With ten thousand he drove Sterling Price’s eight thousand out of Missouri; but he then had to face a much larger combined army under Earl Van Dorn. General Van Dorn arrived on March 2nd and immediately went on the offensive. The resulting clash at Pea Ridge would shape the situation in Missouri and Arkansas for the rest of...

In early 1862, the Confederacy advanced into the New Mexico territory with a new force and fresh leadership. Brigadier General Henry Sibley wanted to make his mark by claiming all New Mexico (including modern Arizona) for the rebel cause. The problem, he would soon discover, was that to win battles was not the same thing as to establish control. Opposing him was a friend and comrade of several yea...

Forts Henry and Donelson were not the only Confederate strongholds under assault in the early days of February. On the east coast, General Ambrose Burnside took the fight and delivered a severe blow to the Confederacy ambitions at Roanoke Island. Jefferson Davis’s rebels could only hope to hold the island with a great struggle. The complete failure at Roanoke stemmed directly from increasing power...

In February of 1862, a Confederate force held out against a much larger Union army under General John Pope. The place? Island Number 10 in the Mississippi River. Although they prevented his Union forces, as well as Admiral Foote’s gunboat fleet, from advancing any further, the Confederates ultimately faced a crushing defeat. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other su...

Today we present an hour-long episode on the life and times of William Tecumseh “Cump” Sherman, up to the time when he really becomes important in our ongoing story of the Civil War. Sherman was a rather unique individual who experienced nearly everything our country had to offer in his time, from great success to crushing failure. A study in paradoxes, we have a banker who hated bankers, a lawyer...

When Albert Sidney Johnston accepted a commission in the Confederacy from his old friend, Jefferson Davis, he did not expect to immediately face so desperate a crisis. Pressured by four separate Union forces of considerable size on the Tennessee-Kentucky front, Johnston took as many chances as he dared. Yet it was not enough to prevent the fall of Nashville. This is a public episode. If you would...

At Fort Henry, General Grant still fought with a little of the amateur soldier in him. At Fort Donelson, he learned what it meant to command, and what it meant to create victory in the face of seeming disaster. Though Confederacy put up a stern defence of the last link in their strategic lines, U. S. Grant earned a new nickname on a snowswept winter morning: Unconditional Surrender. This is a publ...

In February of 1862, Ulysses S. Grant led a lightning strike into Tennessee, resulting in the first successful Union advance into Confederate territory. It all happened because Henry Halleck became jealous of General Buell’s success at Mill Springs. Also appearing in this episode: submarine fortresses and the world's first floating tanks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this...

In early January of 1862, General George Thomas marched on an advance Confederate position in Kentucky at Mill Springs. Confederate General Felix Zollicoffer unwisely placed his command in a trap formed by the curve of the Cumberland River, forcing him to fight where Thomas wanted. However, it would fall to Confederate General Crittenden to try the fortunes of war and face the consequences. Note:...

As we end our exploration of 1861, let us take a moment to look at the conflict brewing within the Indian Territory, land given over to tribes expelled from their homes east of the Mississippi. Although we can only cover just two specific examples of the tribal conflicts here, these events would affect the war in Missouri and beyond in the war years. Their consequences would live on for decades af...

Who were the Knights of the Golden Circle, and what was their ultimate importance? And also, how did a conman create them, and then go on to become a Confederate General after failing to launch an invasion of Mexico? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uscivilwar.substack.com

Cavalry played a massive role in the Civil War, frequently depicted in art yet often forgotten in the accounts of great battles between infantry and artillery. However, cavalry performed their difficult duty daily across the country, from the coast of Virginia into the midwest and even to the far-flung southwestern deserts. In this episode we explore the elements which defined this branch of the m...

Today’s episode is a short explanation of the strategic layer of the Civil War, breaking down many of the basic challenges that the Union and Confederacy faced. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uscivilwar.substack.com

General McClellan managed to blame all his woes on General-in-Chief Winfield Scott, leading to his swift takeover of that very rank. Yet when given a chance to lead, McClellan quickly proved unequal to the task. Of the course, the task would have tested the mettle of even the greatest of men, but McClellan’s behavior in the fall and winter of 1861 raise serious questions about his ability and char...

Tennessee politician John Bell opposed Secession until he didn’t. He discovered, however, that other men were made of sterner stuff. And also, his old friend William “Parson” Brownlow was evidently made from spite and vinegar. Secession and the summer of 1861 divided the two, as it divided Tennessee. And no matter what happened in politics or the papers, other men quietly gathered guns and torches...

In the span of a few months, Ulysses S. Grant went from the Colonel of a regiment marching after shadows to a General launching an attack of his own design against a powerful Confederate fortress. It would take time to grow into the role of the Union’s premier general, but at Belmont, he proved the potential was there. This remarkably change came due to the support of Major General John C. Fremont...

In July of 1861, a small detachment of Texans decided to conquer half of the New Mexico territory… on paper, anyway. They did manage to conquer the town of Mesilla and defeat a larger Union force in an embarassingly one-sided fight. Lieutenant Colonel John Baylor got to declare the creation of the Confederate Territory of Arizona. Yet he failed to also create the foundation of future success, and...

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln declared a blockade against the Confederacy. This was extremely simple in concept and far more difficult in practice. To explain the blockade and blockade-runners, we need to explore law, history, international politics, and even economics. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uscivilwar.s...

In 1861 Confederates believed, as an article of faith, that if cotton did not flow across the Atlantic then Great Britain would rush to their aid. As it turned out, the British government disagreed. Confederate envoys could get no more than brief, private hearings. While William Seward and Lord Palmerston fumed at one another, the Confederacy ultimately gained little from its diplomatic efforts. E...

Join us as we explore the economics of slaveholding. Although the matter of money might seem trivial compared to moral questions, the economic view of slavery helps explain many of the choices and problems of Southern society in the Antebellum era. This episode also helps setup our next major topic, the Confederacy’s Cotton Diplomacy strategy, and the Union blockade. Show notes: I apologize as my...

From 1852 to 1861, Ulysses Grant experienced near-constant failure and hardship. Even his limited successes seemed to be allowed only so that he would have something more to lose. He saw friends and fellow officers, women and children die in Panama. He lost his money in California, then his Army commission, and perhaps even his self-respect. Yet he never gave up, never quit, and did whatever he fo...

Lieutenant Grant accompanied Winfield Scott’s invasion of Veracruz. In the following year he found himself doing every job imaginable except fighting, until the battles at Molino del Rey and Garita de San Cosme. For his effective and inventive decisions under pressure, he received two promotions. Upon returning to the United States, Ulysses rushed off to get married - and that was only the beginni...

In 1846, young Acting Second Lieutenant Grant found himself swept up in the great war of American expansion with Mexico. The boy, who never meant to become a soldier, became a man who never meant to become a fighter. Yet in the early battles under General Taylor, Grant found himself in the thick of the fight more than once. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other sub...

This is part 1 of a three-part series on the life of Ulysses S. Grant. Hiram Grant didn’t start life with his more famous name. And unlike many other famous commanders from the war, he found himself driven by events rather than driving them. Join us as we explore the humble origins of a legendary leader. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...

The ever-erratic John C. Fremont, Pathfinder of the West, created for himself one of the wildest careers in American history. When he came to lead the Union efforts in the key theater of Missouri in 1861, he changed not one bit. The result was an intricate story of political tennis culminating in another strange episode of a life filled with strange episodes. This is a public episode. If you would...