Author Archives: Rich & Tracy Y

What Four Books Are Rich & Tracy Taking To Gettysburg?

The Maps of Gettysburg: An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3-July 13, 1863 by Bradley M. Gottfried

Rich is a huge, HUGE map geek so it’s no surprise he loves this book like a fat kid loves cake. Make sure you get the revised, full color edition.

Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage by Noah Andre Trudeau

We had a tough time choosing between this book and Edwin B. Coddington’s “The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command,” but Tracy is a big fan of Trudeau’s riveting narrative, so “Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage” won out. (Although, Rich says he may still sneak Coddington into the suitcase.)

The Complete Gettysburg Guide by J. David Petruzzi, maps & photography by Steven Stanley

Our choice of this book has nothing, NOTHING!, to do with the fact that Mr. Petruzzi and Rich’s dad happen to be from the same small town in north-central Pennsylvania.

The Gettysburg Companion: The Complete Guide to America’s Most Famous Battle by Mark Adkin

“This is the Gettysburg book that students and aficionados of the battle have dreamed about… The Gettysburg Companion is quite simply an absolute gem.” ~ D. Scott Hartwig, Civil War historian, Gettysburg, PA

Civil War Podcast, Episode 29

LINCOLN BUILDS A CABINET

In which we look at how Abraham Lincoln took the time between his election & his inauguration to build his celebrated “team of rivals.”

Our book recommendation for this episode is Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

“This, then, is a story of Lincoln’s political genius revealed through his extraordinary array of personal qualities that enabled him to form friendships with men who had previously opposed him; to repair injured feelings that, left untended, might have escalated into permanent hostility; to assume responsibility for the failures of subordinates; to share credit with ease; and to learn from mistakes… His success in dealing with the strong egos of the men in his cabinet suggests that in the hands of a truly great politician the qualities we generally associate with decency and morality- kindness, sensitivity, compassion, honesty, and empathy- can also be impressive political resources.”

Listen to Episode 30: LincolnBuildsCabinet

Civil War Podcast, Episode 28

ESCALATING CRISIS

James Buchanan (1791-1868)

In which we head back north of the Mason-Dixon Line to see what was going on in Springfield, Illinois & Washington, D.C. during the steady escalation of the secession crisis.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter of 1860-1861 by Harold Holzer.

“This is a stunningly original work that casts completely new light on the most turbulent and critical presidential transition in American history. Holzer’s superb narrative skill, along with his abundant use of colorful details, creates an atmosphere of such immediacy that the reader feels transported back to ‘the Great Secession Winter’ as an eyewitness to Lincoln’s gifted leadership during this dramatic period. This groundbreaking book will take its place with the most valuable and indispensable works in the Lincoln canon.” ~ Doris Kearns Goodwin

Listen to Episode 28: EscalatingCrisis

Civil War Podcast, Episode 27

JEFFERSON DAVIS (Part the Second)

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.

Our book recommendation for this episode is The Confederate Nation: 1861-1865 by Emory M. Thomas.

“Drawing on his own research and the voluminous historical literature, Thomas has provided an original and readable narrative of the Confederate experience.” ~ Eric Foner

Listen to Episode 27: JeffersonDavisPartSecond

Civil War Podcast, Episode 26

JEFFERSON DAVIS (Part the First)

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.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Jefferson Davis, American by William J. Cooper, Jr.

“Jefferson Davis lived seventy-seven of his eighty-one years as an American, and only four as president of the Confederacy. Yet it is for those four years he is chiefly remembered. William J. Cooper’s splendid biography- the best yet- does good service in reminding us that even during his years at war with the United States, Davis professed to be fighting for American institutions and ideals as he understood them.” ~ James M. McPherson

Listen to Episode 26: JeffersonDavisPartFirst

Memorial Day 2013

We remember & honor those American men and women who have died in the service of their country.

Civil War Podcast, Bonus Episode

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

Our book recommendation for this episode is Life in Civil War America by Michael O. Varhola.

Author and historian Michael Varhola takes you back in time to the Civil War, illuminating both the sweeping changes and cultural norms that shaped the everyday lives of soldiers and civilians during the conflict that divided the nation.

Listen to the Bonus Episode: http://civilwarpodcast.libsyn.com/the-civil-war-1861-1865-a-history-podcast

Civil War Podcast, Episode 25

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

Our book recommendation for this episode is Look Away! A History of the Confederate States of America by William C. Davis.

“Behind the masks of the Confederate armies was a government and a home front far removed from the ‘moonlight and magnolia’ traditions too often presented. Davis has produced a pathbreaking work in every sense. Concentrating on political, social, and economic subjects, this book is so revealing that it will surely become a basic reference work in Civil War history.” ~ James I. Robertson, Jr, author of Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend

Listen to Episode 25: ConfederateStatesAmerica

Civil War Podcast, Episode 24

In which we continue our discussion of secession 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.

Plus, there’s a special announcement at the end of this episode!

Our book recommendation for this episode is Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War by Charles B. Dew.

“This incisive history should dispel the pernicious notion that the Confederacy fought the Civil War to advance the constitutional principle of states’ rights and only coincidentally to preserve slavery.” ~ Allen D. Boyer, New York Times Book Review

Listen to Episode 24: RebellionSugarcoated

Civil War Podcast, Episode 23

In which we look at the fact that seven southern states withdrew from the Union between Abraham Lincoln’s election and his inaugural. We answer the question: What caused the secession of these states?

Our book recommendation for this episode is We Have the War Upon Us: The Onset of the Civil War, November 1860-April 1861 by William J. Cooper.

“Written from the perspectives of Americans who experienced the efforts to forestall disunion and war during the five months between November 1860 and April 1861… this book captures the drama and tensions of those perilous times. Especially noteworthy is Cooper’s treatment of William H. Seward, whose struggles to patch together a compromise form the main thread running through this important book.” ~ James M. McPherson

Listen to Episode 23: SecessionFever