SHILOH (Part the Second)
In which we continue to set the stage for the Battle of Shiloh, which took place on April 6-7, 1862.
Our book recommendation for this episode is “Shiloh: Confederate High Tide in the Heartland” by Steven E. Woodworth.
SHILOH (Part the First)
In which we start to set the stage for the Battle of Shiloh, which took place on April 6-7, 1862.
Our book recommendation for this episode is “Shiloh 1862” by Winston Groom.
FORTS HENRY & DONELSON (Part the Sixth)
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| Simon Bolivar Buckner (1823-1914) |
In which we conclude our discussion of the Battle of Fort Donelson (February 13-16, 1862).
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| C.F. Smith leading his division as it assaults the Confederate lines at Fort Donelson on February 15, 1862. |
Our book recommendation for this episode is The Civil War in the West: Victory and Defeat from the Applachians to the Mississippi by Earl J. Hess.
“A thorough account and compelling analysis of the challenges those in charge of the Union war effort faced in the West and how they overcame them. Impressively researched and informative, this is an outstanding addition to the Littlefield History of the Civil War Era.” ~ Ethan S. Rafuse
Listen to Episode 94: HenryDonelsonPartSixth
FORTS HENRY & DONELSON (Part the Fifth)
In which we continue our discussion of the Battle of Fort Donelson (February 13-16, 1862).
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| Confederate gun battery overlooking the Cumberland River. |
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| Andrew Hull Foote (1806-1863) |
Our book recommendations for this episode are:
Blue & Gray magazine, Volume 28 #4
North & South magazine, Volume 7 #2 (March 2004)
Listen to Episode #93: HenryDonelsonPartFifth
FORTS HENRY & DONELSON (Part the Second)
In which we discuss the Battle of Fort Henry, which took place on February 6, 1862.
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| A print depicting the Federal gunboats steaming up the Tennessee River and attacking Fort Henry. |
Our book recommendation for this episode is Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862 by Kendall D. Gott.
“Some historians argue that the pivotal action of the Civil War was not Antietam or Gettysburg, but the twin Confederate losses at Fort Henry and Donelson, the battles that opened the way for the Union juggernaut to penetrate the Southern heartland and carve it into pieces, though it would take three years to accomplish. Kendall Gott’s Where the South Lost the War is our first comprehensive look at these turning points in some years, and is especially good on the oft-dismissed Fort Henry operations. It should establish itself as the standard word on both engagements and their impact.” ~ William C. Davis
Listen to Episode 90: HenryDonelsonPartSecond
FORTS HENRY & DONELSON (Part the First)
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| Henry Wager Halleck (1815-1872) |
In which we give the background to Ulysses S. Grant’s February, 1862 campaign to capture Forts Henry & Donelson in northern Tennessee.
Our book recommendation for this episode is Forts Henry and Donelson: The Key to the Confederate Heartland by Benjamin F. Cooling.
Listen to Episode 89: HenryDonelsonPartFirst
BELMONT
In which we discuss (among other things) the Battle of Belmont, which took place on November 7, 1861.
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| Leonidas Polk (1806-1864) |
Our book recommendation for this episode is The Battle of Belmont: Grant Strikes South by Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes, Jr.
“In this definitive study of U.S. Grant’s first Civil War battle, Nathaniel Hughes has done for Belmont what Wiley Sword did for Shiloh and Peter Cozzens for Stones River. This is a lively account, as well researched as it is well written.” ~ James I. Robertson
Listen to Episode 82: Belmont
ULYSSES S. GRANT (Part the Second)
In which we continue with our look at Grant’s life story, bringing him up to speed with the podcast timeline.
Our book recommendation for this episode is U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth by Joan Waugh.
“Joan Waugh’s eagerly awaited and important book on Grant is original and provocative. She writes with an astute perspective on how each contextual stop along the way in her history of Grant’s memory is really all about the politics of that particular moment. This book will make a lasting mark in Civil War history.” ~ David Blight
Listen to Episode 80: UlyssesGrantPartSecond
ULYSSES S. GRANT (Part the First)
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| Ulysses Simpson Grant (1822-1885) |
In which we set out to tell U.S. Grant’s life story and bring it up to speed with the point where we find ourselves on the podcast timeline- November, 1861.
Our book recommendation for this episode is Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph over Adversity, 1822-1865 by Brooks D. Simpson.
“Brooks Simpson has crafted a superb military biography. His Ulysses S. Grant is exhaustively researched, impressively judicious, and eminently readable, giving us an objective and penetrating look at an important and enigmatic American, warts and all. Simpson’s book is destined to stand as our generation’s definitive study of Grant. If your bookshelf has space for only one Grant biography, this is the one that should be there.” ~ Gordon C. Rhea
Listen to Episode 79: UlyssesGrantPartFirst