FIRST MANASSAS (Part the First)
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| Irvin McDowell (1818-1885) |
In which we set the stage for the beginning of the campaign that leads to the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1863.
Our book recommendation for this episode is The Maps of First Bull Run: An Atlas of the First Bull Run (Manassas) Campaign, including the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, June-October 1861 by Bradley M. Gottfried.
Listen to Episode 52: FirstManassasPartFirst
CONTRABANDS / BIG BETHEL
In which we discuss the decision to declare runaway slaves “contraband of war,” and then we look at the Battle of Big Bethel which took place on June 10, 1861.
Our book recommendation for this episode is The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner.
“While many thousands of books deal with Lincoln and slavery, Eric Foner has written the definitive account of this crucial subject, illuminating in a highly original and profound way the interactions of race, slavery, public opinion, politics, and Lincoln’s own character that led to the wholly improbable uncompensated emancipation of some four million slaves. Even seasoned historians will acquire fresh and new perspectives from reading The Fiery Trial.” ~ David Brion Davis
Big Bethel: The First Battle by John V. Quarstein
Battle of Big Bethel: Crucial Clash in Early Civil War Virginia by J. Michael Cobb, Edward B. Hicks, and Wythe Holt
Listen to Episode 50: ContrabandsBigBethel
RICH MOUNTAIN
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| George Brinton McClellan (1826-1885) |
In which we start off with a short bio of George McClellan, and then get to the continuation of the action in northwest Virginia with the Battle of Rich Mountain (July 11, 1863).
Our book recommendation for this episode is actually two magazine back issues:
* Volume 7 #7 (November 2004) of North & South magazine has an article by Albert Castel titled “West Virginia 1861: A Tale of a Goose, a Dog, and a Fox.”
* Volume 10 #6 (August 1993) of Blue & Gray magazine is mostly devoted to the fighting in western Virginia in 1861.
Listen to Episode 44: RichMountain
FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE / THE PHILIPPI RACES
In which we look at the clash between Union & Confederate forces at Fairfax Court House in northeast Virginia on June 1, 1861… and the Union surprise attack at Philippi in northwest Virginia on June 3.
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| James Edward Hanger (1843-1919) |
Our book recommendation this time is An American Iliad: The Story of the Civil War by Charles P. Roland.
“An extraordinary synthesis by one of the most respected historians in the field.” ~ James I. Robertson, Jr author of Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend
Listen to Episode 43: FairfaxPhilippi
THE FATE OF ARLINGTON
In which we look at the fate that befell Arlington, the mansion and estate that was the home of Robert E Lee & his family before the Civil War.
Our book recommendation this time is The Last Battle of the Civil War: United States Versus Lee, 1861-1883 by Anthony J. Gaughan.
“Seventeen years after Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, the Supreme Court was the scene of one final, dramatic confrontation between the Lee family and the United States government. In The Last Battle of the Civil War, Anthony J. Gaughan recounts the fascinating saga of United States v. Lee, known to history as the ‘Arlington Case.'”
Listen to Episode 42: FateArlington
THE PURSUIT OF VICTORY
In which we discuss the Confederate and Union war aims & strategy at the beginning of the Civil War. Plus, we look at the Union’s move in May, 1861 to seize Alexandria, Virginia- just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
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| Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth (1837-1861) |
Our book recommendation for this episode is The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War by Donald Stoker.
“Donald Stoker’s book offers a new way of looking at both the military and political history of the Civil War, and does so from a strategic vantage point far above that to which we have been accustomed. The Grand Design represents an important advance in our understanding of this momentous event.” ~ Steven E. Woodworth
Listen to Episode 41: PursuitOfVictory
ROBERT E. LEE
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| 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.
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| 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
THE BLOCKADE
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| 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.
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| 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
SIEGE OF WASHINGTON (Part the Second)
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| Benjamin F. Butler (1818-1893) |
In which we wrap up our discussion of the dark days in April of 1861 when Washington, DC was cut off from the North and in danger from Confederate invasion.
Our book recommendations for this episode are some Civil War atlases:
* The West Point Atlas of War: The Civil War – Chief Editor: Brigadier General Vincent J. Esposito
This is our favorite atlas.
“Originally published in 1959, The West Point Atlas of War: The Civil War allows readers to easily follow the entire course of a campaign or battle in detail while gaining a greater understanding of the war. From the First Bull Run Campaign to Sherman’s March to the Sea, detailed maps create a fascinating visual tribute to the ingenuity of troop movements by offering insight into the progress of the opposing forces from day to day (and sometimes from hour to hour).”
* A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil War by Craig L. Symonds
“From Fort Sumter to Appomattox, this military history explains the principal campaigns of the Civil War and all the major battles in a lively text, keyed to 49 full-page, two-color maps. It is a clear, concise and authoritative volume ideal for battlefield tours or classroom study. The third edition includes more complete coverage of the Atlanta Campaign and six completely new maps. The narrative accompanying each map enables the reader to see the action and sense the drama it held for the troops who fought in it. Symonds succeeds in depicting a battle from the point of view of the commanders in the field as they weighed the day-to-day problems of troop supply, morale, and losses against the larger strategic imperatives of the war. The maps are divided into four groups, each of which constitutes a chapter in the history of the war. In The Amateur Armies, Symonds describes the civilian volunteer armies that slugged it out at Bull Run and Shiloh. The Second Section, The Organized War, details the emergence of great war figures like George B. McClellan and Robert E. Lee. Confederate High Tide marks the peak of Southern hopes which collapsed in 1863 with the twin defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Finally, Total War tells about the last years of the Civil War, including Early’s Raid, the Atlanta Campaign and the road to Appomattox. A short introductory essay precedes each section, accompanied by contemporary photographs and drawings that portray America’s greatest military conflict.”
* National Geographic Atlas of the Civil War: A Comprehensive Guide to the Tactics and Terrain of Battle by Neil Kagan & Stephen G. Hyslop
“In this one-of-a-kind atlas, dozens of maps (both archival and newly created) trace the battles, political turmoil, and defining themes of the nation’s most pivotal conflict. Eighty-eight rare period maps and charts, many seen here for the first time, track the course of the American Civil War. Thirty-four new views focus on key moments in major battles, as diagrammed by National Geographic cartographers using state-of-the-art digital mapping data for precise representation of the terrain. Compelling text guides us through the maps in a unique way, bringing them to life and infusing them with personal dramas that highlight the human side of war. Completing the coverage, three comprehensive theater of war maps in the appendix highlight battles in the East, in the West, and on the water- helping us visualize at a glance how the years and events progressed.”
* Maps and Mapmakers of the Civil War by Earl B. McElfresh
“During the American Civil War, a good map could spell the difference between victory and defeat. This book collects, for the first time, the war’s most notable, interesting, and beautiful maps and tells the story of how they were made. Author Earl B. McElfresh provides the only thorough examination of Civil War maps, mapmaking, and mapmakers ever written, documenting the techniques and travails of the mapmaker in the field. Lively anecdotes are retold alongside discussion of the practical effect of the cartographer’s art on actual military operations. As historian Stephen W. Sears states in his foreword, ‘This finely crafted atlas and its insightful textual analysis of maps, their contents, their uses and effects, provides a unique and much-needed examination of the crucial role maps played in the waging, and the outcome, of the Civil War.'”
* Illustrated Atlas of the Civil War (Echoes of Glory Series) by the Editors of Time-Life Books
* The Historical Atlas of the Civil War by John MacDonald
Listen to Episode 38: SiegeWashingtonPartSecond
SIEGE OF WASHINGTON (Part the First)
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| Nicholas Biddle (ca. 1796-1876) |
In which we relate the events in the dark days of April, 1861 when Washington, D.C. was cut off from the loyal states of the North.
Our book recommendation for this episode is The Siege of Washington: The Untold Story of the Twelve Days that Shook the Union by John Lockwood & Charles Lockwood.
“The Lockwoods capture the sense of urgency that gripped the city during these 12 days when fear of rebel invasion was acute and the president waited anxiously for the promised reinforcements from the Northern states to arrive… An exciting blow-by-blow history of a tense, historically significant fortnight.” ~ Kirkus Reviews
Listen to Episode 37: SiegeWashington