Tag Archives: seward

Civil War Podcast, Episode 84

BLUE & GRAY FOREIGN RELATIONS (Part the Second): THE TRENT AFFAIR

Charles Wilkes (1798-1877)
James Murray Mason (1798-1871)
John Slidell (1793-1871)


In which we continue our discussion of Union and Confederate diplomacy by looking at the Trent Affair, which took the U.S. and Britain to the brink of war.



Our book recommendation for this episode is Caution and Cooperation: The American Civil War in British-American Relations by Phillip E. Myers.

“Phillip E. Myers places Anglo-American relations during the Civil War within the broader context of the whole nineteenth century, arguing convincingly for the lack of any real chance of British intervention on the side of the Confederacy… Based on extensive research in the United States and Great Britain, this major reinterpretation of the transatlantic relationship is ‘international history’ in its truest sense.” ~ Mary Ann Hess, Editor, New Studies in U.S. Foreign Relations Series


Listen to Episode 84: ForeignRelationsPartSecond

Civil War Podcast, Episode 83

BLUE & GRAY FOREIGN RELATIONS (Part the First): “KING COTTON DIPLOMACY”

William Henry Seward (1801-1872)


In which we discuss Union and Confederate foreign relations early in the Civil War, especially the South’s use of “King Cotton Diplomacy.”


Our book recommendation for this episode is Blue & Gray Diplomacy: A History of Union and Confederate Foreign Relations by Howard Jones.

“No other single volume offers such a comprehensive view of the challenges facing both Union and Confederate diplomats in London and Paris- and the motivations and responses of those courts. Jones has given us an exceptional study, a work on Civil War foreign affairs that is clearly written and synthesizes the most recent scholarship.” ~ John Belohlavek, University of South Florida


Listen to Episode 83: ForeignRelationsPartFirst

Civil War Podcast, Episode 32

LINCOLN’S INAUGURATION

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


Listen to Episode 32: LincolnsInauguration

Civil War Podcast, Episode 29

LINCOLN BUILDS A CABINET

William Henry Seward (1801-1872)


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