Tag Archives: south carolina

Civil War Podcast, Episode 78

REHEARSAL FOR RECONSTRUCTION (Part the Second)

Salmon Portland Chase (1808-1873)

In which we discuss the Port Royal Experiment on South Carolina’s Sea Islands, which many people considered a dress rehearsal for the South’s postwar reconstruction.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Rehearsal for Reconstruction: The Port Royal Experiment by Willie Lee Rose.

“A triumph of historical analysis and a detailed re-creation of some of the Civil War’s noblest hopes and greatest tragedies.” ~ David Brion Davis

Listen to Episode 78: RehearsalForReconstruction

Civil War Podcast, Episode 77

REHEARSAL FOR RECONSTRUCTION (Part the First)

In which we set the stage for a discussion of the Port Royal Experiment, which took place on South Carolina’s Sea Islands and which many people view as a “rehearsal for reconstruction.”

Our book recommendation for this episode is Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in America, 1861-1865 by James Oakes.

“Was Lincoln really a ‘Reluctant Emancipator’? Freedom National answers that question eloquently and fully. Oakes argues that Lincoln, from the moment of his inauguration, began using every political and military means at his disposal to wipe out slavery forever.” ~ Howell Raines, Washington Post

Listen to Episode 77: PortRoyalExperiment

Civil War Podcast, Episode 76

PORT ROYAL SOUND

In which we look at the Battle of Port Royal Sound, South Carolina (November 7, 1861).

Our book recommendation for this episode is Now for the Contest: Coastal & Oceanic Naval Operations in the Civil War by William H. Roberts.

“Now for the Contest tells the story of the Civil War at sea in the context of three campaigns: the blockade of the southern coast, the raiding of Union commerce, and the projection of power ashore. The book also examines how both sides mobilized and employed their resources for a war that proved to be of unprecedented intensity and duration. For both antagonists, the conduct of the naval war was complicated by rapid technological change, as steam power, metal armor, and more powerful ordnance sparked experiment and innovation both in naval construction and tactics.”

Listen to Episode 76: PortRoyalSound

Civil War Podcast, Episode 35

FORT SUMTER (Part the Fifth)

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.”

Listen to Episode 35: FortSumterPartFifth

Fort Sumter Communications

Civil War Podcast, Episode 34

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.

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

Listen to Episode 34: FortSumterPartFourth

Civil War Podcast, Episode 33

FORT SUMTER (Part the Third)

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.

Listen to Episode 33: FortSumterPartThird

Civil War Podcast, Episode 31

FORT SUMTER (Part the Second)

In which we continue our discussion of the events surrounding the growing crisis over the possession of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor.

Our book recommendation for this episode is A Great Civil War: A Military and Political History, 1861-1865 by Russell F. Weigley

“Readers will find much to debate in this book- including its interpretations of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, its implication that a superficially united Confederacy was doomed to defeat, and its affirmation that, because of emancipation, ‘the Civil War calls for a rethinking of the attitude… that war is always futile, that its rewards never match its costs, that any conflict [must be] immediately decisive and virtually without loss of American lives.” ~ Gary W. Gallagher

Listen to Episode 31: FortSumterPartSecond

Civil War Podcast, Episode 30

FORT SUMTER (Part the First)

In which we discuss the events surrounding the growing crisis over the possession of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Days of Defiance: Sumter, Secession, and the Coming of the Civil War by Maury Klein.

“Splendid… A riveting story, and Klein has retold it surpassingly well.” ~ The Washington Post Book World

Listen to Episode 30: FortSumterPartFirst

Civil War Podcast, Episode 4

In which we talk about the Tariff of Abominations, the Nullification Crisis of 1832-1833, and we wonder who had the pre-Civil War era’s most impressive head of hair: John C. Calhoun or Andrew Jackson. Plus, Manifest Destiny beckons and we set the stage for war with Mexico in 1846.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Disunion! : The Coming of the American Civil War, 1789-1859 by Elizabeth R. Varon. A review in North & South magazine said, “Meticulously researched and beautifully assembled, Disunion will become the standard text for students and scholars interested in this tumultuous chapter in American history.”

You may notice some different music at the beginning & end of episode 4. We want to thank the good folks at Spiritwood Music for giving us permission to use their song Midnight On the Water from the album Cabin Fever. You can find the Spiritwood Music Northwoods Ensemble on iTunes, Amazon, or at their website www.spiritwoodmusic.com

Listen to Episode 4: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2072155593.mp3?updated=1694186664