America at War

After the Union's ignoble defeat at Bull Run, President Lincoln appointed George B. McClellan as the commanding general of what would become the Army of the Potomac. McClellan is an controversial character. He resurrected and created the sword of Lincoln, but the stresses of his position brought forward personality traits that have sullied his contributions. He was insubordinate and a procrastinator. He would have a large role to play in 1862, so stay tuned!

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In this episode we finish our discussion of the border states with a brief overview of what occurred in what would become West Virginia and then move to the struggle for Missouri. From the west, we head east to cover the first major clash in the eastern theater - the Battle of Bull Run. After a hard fought battle with enthusiastic but green troops, the Confederate field army bested the Union's. Bull Run shattered expectations of a quick and relatively bloodless war. It was the beginning of a long and bloody struggle.

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In this episode, we will finish up our discussion of weapons and tactics before we make the transition to talking about what's going on the field. We start that discussion by looking at what was happening in what we now know as the border states, with particular emphasis on Kentucky. We will follow up with Missouri and West Virginia in the next episode. Kentucky was a critical state and the Confederates blinked first, occupying the state and jeopardizing their quest to bring it into the Confederacy. Take a listen!

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In our last episode, we compared and contrasted the resources of the Union and the Confederacy. In this episode, part one of two, we will speak to the arms and armies of the Civil War. This is broad overview and we will speak to the organization of the armies and the effect of the rifled musket on the face of battle during the Civil War. Take a listen!

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We all know that at the end of the Civil War the North emerged victorious, but it was a long row to hoe. To understand how the war unfolded, let's take a look at the balance sheet, that is, how both countries stacked up against each other. There are many intangibles that can't be measured, such as national will, but let's take a crack at this. Take a listen!

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Fort Sumter, located at Charleston, South Carolina, became the epicenter for the secession crisis. When Lincoln took the oath of office, the immediate business at hand was dealing with the Fort. Unwilling to evacuate the fort, and hoping to buy some time to resupply the garrison, he was unable to alleviate the tension. After failing to meet the Confederate ultimatum, rebel batteries opened fire on April 12, 1861. After several days, the fort was evacuated. The Civil War had begun. Take a listen!

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With the election of Abraham Lincoln in November, 1860, the lower south reached a breaking point. Between Lincoln's election and his subsequent inauguration in April, 1861, the states of the lower south seceded from the union. In spite of attempts to find common ground, none was found. As the war began, Lincoln and Davis steered their respective ships of state. The historical reputations of Lincoln and Davis were therefore sealed in the crucible of the Civil War. This episode compares and contrasts the two men and explores how they succeeded and failed.

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In this episode we continue the story of the origins of the Civil War. We begin with the decade of the 1850s and concentrate on the issues that created the conditions for war. Rather than stop the expansion of slavery, it continued. While Southern states were pleased, opinion makers in the North were not. As the decade progressed, attitudes hardened, making compromise impossible to achieve. In our next episode we will concentrate on the secession of the southern states and the opening months of the Lincoln administration.

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This is the first episode that speaks to the origins of the Civil War. Given the complexity and length of these events, this and subsequent episodes covering origins of the war will provide a broad overview of the run up to the war. In this episode we speak to the increasingly difficult path to compromise over the spread and regulation of slavery into the new western territories. While compromise was attained, by the decade of the 1850s, attitudes had hardened. Take a listen!

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We reached the American Civil War. This is the first episode of what will more than likely be many on the country's bloodiest conflict. This episode will provide a road map of where we are headed as well as some of the key concepts that guide my view of this important conflict. Please take a listen!

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