Tag Archives: virginia

Civil War Podcast, Episode 40

ROBERT E. LEE

Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870)

In which we use this episode to give  a short biography of Robert E. Lee, up to April 1861 when he resigned his commission in the U.S. Army and accepted command of Virginia’s military forces.

This portrait of Robert E. Lee, by William E. West, was painted
in 1838 when Lee was 31 years old.

Our book recommendation this time is Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters by Elizabeth Brown Pryor.

“To most, Robert E. Lee is a beloved tragic figure of a bygone war- remembered by history as stoic and brave but without a true emotional life. Using dozens of previously unpublished letters as a departure point, Pryor sheds new light on every aspect of this complex and contradictory general, and questions our own understanding of loyalty and patriotism. This tantalizing glimpse of a legendary hero’s guarded soul will astonish and fascinate not only Civil War buffs, but anyone interested in this nation’s history.”


Listen to Episode 40: RobertELee

Civil War Podcast, Episode 39

THE BLOCKADE

Gideon Welles (1802-1878)

In which we discuss the April 19, 1861 proclamation by which Abraham Lincoln declared a blockade of the Confederacy. We also look at the Confederate seizure of the important Gosport navy yard in Virginia a few days later.

Stephen Mallory (ca. 1813-1873)



Our book recommendation for this episode is War on the Waters: The Union & Confederate Navies, 1861-1865 by James M. McPherson.

“With all the narrative grace, original scholarship, and equal grasp of both big picture and telling detail, Civil War historian James McPherson has provided his admirers with another authoritative entry in his roster of essential books. McPherson never argues that the Union navy won the Civil War, but readers will argue that no Civil War library will ever be complete without this volume.” ~ Harold Holzer


Listen to Episode 39: TheBlockade

Civil War Podcast, Episode 36

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.”


Listen to Episode 36: SecessionPartDeux