Category Archives: 1861

Civil War Podcast, Episode 75

THE ORDEAL OF GENERAL STONE (Part the Second)

In which we continue our discussion of the ordeal of Brigadier General Charles P. Stone.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Over Lincoln’s Shoulder: The Committee on the Conduct of the War by Bruce Tap.

“Tap’s case is one worth making. He argues that the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War produced little good and some harm, polarizing politicians against professional soldiers, limiting strategic options, and inflating the reputations of military incompetents. These errors, he shows, stemmed from ignorance of military art and from partisanship. Although his conclusions will raise some eyebrows, he provides good evidence for his case. A solid and readable old-fashioned political history, this book will correct our image of the relationship between Republicans and the army in the Civil War.” ~ Mark E. Neely, Jr.

Listen to Episode 75: GeneralStonePartSecond

Civil War Podcast, Episode 74

THE ORDEAL OF GENERAL STONE (Part the First)

In which we discuss the persecution of Brigadier General Charles Stone by the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Controversies and Commanders of the Civil War: Dispatches from the Army of the Potomac By Stephen W. Sears.

“There is drama and intrigue aplenty here, and Sears lays it out with great skill.” ~ Noah Andre Trudeau

Listen to Episode 74: GeneralStonePartFirst

Civil War Podcast, Episode 73

BALL’S BLUFF

Edward Dickinson Baker (1811-1861)

In which we look at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, which took place near Leesburg, Virginia on October 21, 1861.

Our book recommendation for this episode is A Little Short of Boats: The Battles of Ball’s Bluff and Edwards Ferry by James A. Morgan, III.

“Jim Morgan is a masterful writer and military historian. This revised and expanded edition is the definitive account of Ball’s Bluff. His excellent tactical analysis has been augmented with more firsthand accounts, many previously unpublished, that make a good work even better… This is Civil War history at its best.” ~ Ted Alexander, Historian, Antietam National Battlefield

Listen to Episode 73: BallsBluff

Civil War Podcast, Episode 72

McCLELLAN TAKES CHARGE

In which we discuss George McClellan’s arrival in Washington in July of 1861, and his taking command of the defeated & demoralized force that would become the Union’s famed Army of the Potomac.

Our book recommendation for this episode is George B. McClellan: The Young Napoleon by Stephen W. Sears.

“A dozen years after the Civil War, General Ulysses S. Grant said that ‘McClellan is to me one of the mysteries of the war.’ Historian Stephen Sears has finally unraveled most of that mystery. He has probed the puzzling personality of this complex, brilliant man of whom so much was expected but who delivered so little. A fascinating story of the reasons for the Union military failure in Virginia during the first half of the war.” ~ James M. McPherson

Listen to Episode 72: McclellanTakesCharge

Civil War Podcast, Episode 71

CHEAT MOUNTAIN

In which we look at Robert E. Lee’s Cheat Mountain campaign in western Virginia in September, 1861.

Our book recommendations for this episode are:

September Blood: The Battle of Carnifex Ferry by Terry Lowry

R.E. Lee’s Cheat Mountain Campaign by Jack Zinn

Listen to Episode 71: CheatMountain

Civil War Podcast, Episode 70

THE BLOCKADE (AGAIN) / HATTERAS ISLAND

In which we discuss the Blockade Board, Confederate privateers, and the capture of Hatteras Island by a Federal joint army-navy task force in August, 1861.

Our book recommendation for this episode is The Civil War in Coastal North Carolina by John S. Carbone.

“From the drama of blockade-running to graphic descriptions of the battles on the islands and sounds of the Tar Heel State, The Civil War in Coastal North Carolina portrays the explosive events that took place on the North Carolina coast during America’s great sectional conflict.”

Listen to Episode 70: BlockadeAgain

Civil War Podcast, Episode 69

FREMONT’S FOLLIES

In which we look at John C. Fremont’s tenure as commander of the Federal’s Western Department in 1861 and see how troubled Missouri proved to be his downfall.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Pathfinder: John Charles Fremont and the Course of American Empire by Tom Chaffin.

“The most eloquent, understanding, and yet very candid biography of Fremont that has appeared to date.” ~ Howard R. Lamar, Yale University

Listen to Episode 69: Fremont’sFollies

Civil War Podcast, Episode 68

“BATTLE OF THE HEMP BALES”

In which we discuss the successful siege of Lexington by Sterling Price’s Missouri State Guard in September, 1861.

Our book recommendation for this episode is actually a back issue of North & South magazine. Issue #3 of the magazine, from February 1998, has an excellent article about the siege of Lexington by Jeff Patrick.

Listen to Episode 68: BattleHempBales

Civil War Podcast, Episode 67

WILSON’S CREEK (Part the Second)

In which we cover the action at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek (August 10, 1861).

Our book recommendation for this episode is Wilson’s Creek: The Second Battle of the Civil War and the Men Who Fought It by William Garrett Piston & Richard W. Hatcher III.

“The definitive study of a long-neglected but important battle… It should be seen as a blueprint for the way all Civil War books ought to be written.” ~ Journal of American History