Author Archives: Rich & Tracy Y

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 32

LINCOLN’S INAUGURATION

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 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

Pics from our visit to Gettysburg

A cannon sits in front of the impressive equestrian statue
of Union Major General John F. Reynolds
alongside the Chambersburg Pike.

John Buford’s statue looks down
the Chambersburg Pike outside Gettysburg,
where on July 1, 1863 his cavalry division delayed the
Confederate advance long enough for
Reynolds’ I Corps to come up.

Rich & Tracy at the statue of Father William Corby,
chaplain of the 88th New York of the famed ‘Irish Brigade.’

Wildflowers in the Wheatfield, where some of the bloodiest &
hardest-fought combat of the entire war took place on July 2, 1863.

The Irish Brigade Monument memorializes three of the
brigade’s five units- the 63rd, 69th, & 88th New York regiments.

What Four Books Are Rich & Tracy Taking To Gettysburg?

The Maps of Gettysburg: An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3-July 13, 1863 by Bradley M. Gottfried

Rich is a huge, HUGE map geek so it’s no surprise he loves this book like a fat kid loves cake. Make sure you get the revised, full color edition.

Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage by Noah Andre Trudeau

We had a tough time choosing between this book and Edwin B. Coddington’s “The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command,” but Tracy is a big fan of Trudeau’s riveting narrative, so “Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage” won out. (Although, Rich says he may still sneak Coddington into the suitcase.)

The Complete Gettysburg Guide by J. David Petruzzi, maps & photography by Steven Stanley

Our choice of this book has nothing, NOTHING!, to do with the fact that Mr. Petruzzi and Rich’s dad happen to be from the same small town in north-central Pennsylvania.

The Gettysburg Companion: The Complete Guide to America’s Most Famous Battle by Mark Adkin

“This is the Gettysburg book that students and aficionados of the battle have dreamed about… The Gettysburg Companion is quite simply an absolute gem.” ~ D. Scott Hartwig, Civil War historian, Gettysburg, PA

Civil War Podcast, Episode 29

LINCOLN BUILDS A CABINET

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

Civil War Podcast, Episode 28

ESCALATING CRISIS

James Buchanan (1791-1868)

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

Listen to Episode 28: EscalatingCrisis