In which we discuss the Confederate and Union war aims & strategy at the beginning of the Civil War. Plus, we look at the Union’s move in May, 1861 to seize Alexandria, Virginia- just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth (1837-1861)
Our book recommendation for this episode is The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War by Donald Stoker. “Donald Stoker’s book offers a new way of looking at both the military and political history of the Civil War, and does so from a strategic vantage point far above that to which we have been accustomed. The Grand Design represents an important advance in our understanding of this momentous event.” ~ Steven E. Woodworth
In which we wrap up our discussion of the dark days in April of 1861 when Washington, DC was cut off from the North and in danger from Confederate invasion. Our book recommendations for this episode are some Civil War atlases:
* The West Point Atlas of War: The Civil War – Chief Editor: Brigadier General Vincent J. Esposito This is our favorite atlas. “Originally published in 1959, The West Point Atlas of War: The Civil War allows readers to easily follow the entire course of a campaign or battle in detail while gaining a greater understanding of the war. From the First Bull Run Campaign to Sherman’s March to the Sea, detailed maps create a fascinating visual tribute to the ingenuity of troop movements by offering insight into the progress of the opposing forces from day to day (and sometimes from hour to hour).”
* A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil War by Craig L. Symonds “From Fort Sumter to Appomattox, this military history explains the principal campaigns of the Civil War and all the major battles in a lively text, keyed to 49 full-page, two-color maps. It is a clear, concise and authoritative volume ideal for battlefield tours or classroom study. The third edition includes more complete coverage of the Atlanta Campaign and six completely new maps. The narrative accompanying each map enables the reader to see the action and sense the drama it held for the troops who fought in it. Symonds succeeds in depicting a battle from the point of view of the commanders in the field as they weighed the day-to-day problems of troop supply, morale, and losses against the larger strategic imperatives of the war. The maps are divided into four groups, each of which constitutes a chapter in the history of the war. In The Amateur Armies, Symonds describes the civilian volunteer armies that slugged it out at Bull Run and Shiloh. The Second Section, The Organized War, details the emergence of great war figures like George B. McClellan and Robert E. Lee. Confederate High Tide marks the peak of Southern hopes which collapsed in 1863 with the twin defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Finally, Total War tells about the last years of the Civil War, including Early’s Raid, the Atlanta Campaign and the road to Appomattox. A short introductory essay precedes each section, accompanied by contemporary photographs and drawings that portray America’s greatest military conflict.”
* National Geographic Atlas of the Civil War: A Comprehensive Guide to the Tactics and Terrain of Battle by Neil Kagan & Stephen G. Hyslop “In this one-of-a-kind atlas, dozens of maps (both archival and newly created) trace the battles, political turmoil, and defining themes of the nation’s most pivotal conflict. Eighty-eight rare period maps and charts, many seen here for the first time, track the course of the American Civil War. Thirty-four new views focus on key moments in major battles, as diagrammed by National Geographic cartographers using state-of-the-art digital mapping data for precise representation of the terrain. Compelling text guides us through the maps in a unique way, bringing them to life and infusing them with personal dramas that highlight the human side of war. Completing the coverage, three comprehensive theater of war maps in the appendix highlight battles in the East, in the West, and on the water- helping us visualize at a glance how the years and events progressed.”
* Maps and Mapmakers of the Civil War by Earl B. McElfresh “During the American Civil War, a good map could spell the difference between victory and defeat. This book collects, for the first time, the war’s most notable, interesting, and beautiful maps and tells the story of how they were made. Author Earl B. McElfresh provides the only thorough examination of Civil War maps, mapmaking, and mapmakers ever written, documenting the techniques and travails of the mapmaker in the field. Lively anecdotes are retold alongside discussion of the practical effect of the cartographer’s art on actual military operations. As historian Stephen W. Sears states in his foreword, ‘This finely crafted atlas and its insightful textual analysis of maps, their contents, their uses and effects, provides a unique and much-needed examination of the crucial role maps played in the waging, and the outcome, of the Civil War.'”
* Illustrated Atlas of the Civil War (Echoes of Glory Series) by the Editors of Time-Life Books
* The Historical Atlas of the Civil War by John MacDonald
In which we relate the events in the dark days of April, 1861 when Washington, D.C. was cut off from the loyal states of the North.
Our book recommendation for this episode is The Siege of Washington: The Untold Story of the Twelve Days that Shook the Union by John Lockwood & Charles Lockwood. “The Lockwoods capture the sense of urgency that gripped the city during these 12 days when fear of rebel invasion was acute and the president waited anxiously for the promised reinforcements from the Northern states to arrive… An exciting blow-by-blow history of a tense, historically significant fortnight.” ~ Kirkus Reviews
SECESSION! PART DEUX In which we talk about President Lincoln’s April 15th, 1861 call for 75,000 militia to suppress the rebellion, and the subsequent secession of Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Our ‘book’ recommendation for this episode is actually two articles in back issues of North & South magazine. In Volume 5 Number 4 (May 2002) there’s an article titled, “Virginia’s Reluctant Secession.” And in Volume 12 Number 1 (February 2010) is an article titled, “Secession in the Upper South.”
In which we discuss the bombardment of Sumter by the Confederate batteries, and then the fort’s evacuation by Major Robert Anderson & his men on April 14, 1861. Before the conclusion of the episode, we also answer the questions: “What caused secession?” and “What caused the war?”
Our book recommendation for this episode is actually a magazine article. In the Early Summer 2013/Premier Issue of Military Heritage Presents Civil War Quarterly (Sovereign Media), there is an article about Fort Pickens by Eric Niderost: “Second Sumter: The Struggle for Pensacola.”
FORT SUMTER (Part the Fourth): “AND THE WAR CAME.”
In which we discuss the expedition President Lincoln sent to relieve Sumter, the Confederate government’s decision to reduce the fort, and the opening shot of the bombardment on April 12, 1861.
Gustavus V. Fox (1821-1883)
Our book recommendation for this episode is Allegiance: Fort Sumter, Charleston, and the Beginning of the Civil War by David Detzer “A superb popular history… bringing to life the men (on both sides) who were responsible for the first shots of the Civil War.” ~ Publishers Weekly
In which we continue our discussion of the escalating crisis over possession of Fort Sumter.
Our book recommendation for this episode is P.G.T. Beauregard: Napoleon in Gray by T. Harry Williams. First published in 1955 to wide acclaim, T. Harry Williams’ P.G.T. Beauregard is universally regarded as “the first authoritative portrait of the Confederacy’s always dramatic, often perplexing” general (Chicago Tribune). Chivalric, arrogant, and of exotic Creole Louisiana origin, Beauregard participated in every phase of the Civil War from its beginning to its end.
The unfinished dome of the Capitol, as it looked at the time of
Lincoln’s first inauguration in March, 1861.
In which we look at Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural journey from Illinois to Washington, D.C. and then his inauguration as the sixteenth President of the United States on March 4, 1861. Plus, we learn that the podcast is a team effort and that there’s no ‘I’ in Civil War.
Our book recommendation for this episode is Seward: Lincoln’s Indispensable Man by Walter Stahr “This magnificent biography finally provides what William Henry Seward so justly deserves- a full, terrific and complex portrait of his endlessly fascinating life.” ~ Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals
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.”
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
