America at War

In this episode we provide an overview of what we accomplished in 2020 and what you all can look forward to in 2022! Take a listen.

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Let's move on to the afternoon of the first day at Gettysburg. While troops from the Army of the Potomac sucessfully stopped the initial probes of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, it came at a tremendous cost. Corps Commander John Reynolds was dead and his command paid a high price for success. With the coming of the afternoon, the Confederates pressed their attack on Seminary Ridge and Oak Hill, eventually breaking the Union line. Late in the day Winfield Scott Hancock reset the line on Cemetery Hill, immediately south of Gettysburg, resetting the Union line and anchoring the defenses for the second day. Take a listen!

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In this episode we focus on the morning of the first day at Gettysburg. Robert E. Lee and George Meade hoped that their actions would entice the other side to battle. In fact, it became a meeting engagement as the leading elements of both armies bumped into each other at Gettysburg. Rather than retreat from adversity, Henry Heth attacked, committing the Army of Northern Viriginia to the offensive. We also spend some time on how to experience the battlefield at Gettysburg. Take a listen!

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We are continuing the story of Gettysburg. As Robert E. Lee headed north, the commanding general of the Army of the Potomac, Joe Hooker, was in trouble. In a whispering campaign in the aftermath of Hooker's defeat at Chancellorsville, the Army, the President, and his administration had lost faith in him and he was replaced by George G. Meade on the eve of Gettysburg. In other issues, Lee, having let General Stuart go on his own cavalry raid, was now blind as his army spreadout across south central Pennsylvania. As Lee struggled to find a position to locate and fix the Army of the Potomac, the fringes of both armies were ready to meet at a little place called Gettysburg.

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We have finally arrived at Gettysburg. In the first of several episodes, we will start by exploring Lee's reasoning behind his extended raid into the keystone state. This was the Confederacy's last major raid into a northern state, so it garners a great deal of attention in the history of the Civil War. While not as critical as it seems, it was nevertheless an important campaign. Lee took advantage of the tide of good fortune in the aftermath of his victory at Chancellorsville and was able to quickly pivot and move the Army of Northern Virginia north. Please take a listen!

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In this episode, we finish up the story of the siege of Vicksburg. Once Grant crossed the Mississippi River with his army, it appeared that Vicksburg was doomed. In a brilliant campaign of maneuver, Grant isolated Vicksburg from the rest of the Confederacy. While worried about General Johnston's army, the Confederates were unable to coordinate a strategy to save the city. After an initial, bloody attempt to breech the city's fortifications, Grant settled in for siege. Worried about the health of his army and the civilian population, Pemberton surrendered to Grant on July 4, 1863. It was a key moment in the war. The Confederacy was split. The South's quest for independence was in jeopardy.

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We are continuing our narrative on the siege of Vicksburg. In this episode we concentrate on the key moment in this campaign - Grant crossing the Mississippi River and capturing the capital of Mississippi, Jackson. In three weeks, Grant's army was able to cut off the primary supply line and communication corridor from Vicksburg to the rest of the Confederacy. In addition, Grant beat back General Pemberton's only attempt to meet Grant outside of the city, the battle of Champion Hill. This was one of Grant's stellar campaigns and would set up the siege of Vicksburg.

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We are continuing our short series on the Vicksburg campaign. In part II, we will focus on the winter of 1862-63. Grant and Sherman were bested by the Confederates in their initial probes toward Vicksburg. Undaunted, Grant attempted a number of schemes to get his army on the eastern short of the Mississippi River. Grant dug a canal and made several attempts to reach Vicksburg through some of the alternative river systems. None of these efforts were successful. In the spring of 1862, Grant ran his fleet past the Confederate river batteries at Vicksburg, gaining a bridgehead and kicking off his campaign.

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One of the most consequential campaign's of the Civil War was U.S. Grant's struggle to capture the Confederate fortress at Vicksburg. As we already know, by mid-1862, Vicksburg was the only remaining major city on the Mississippi River in Confederate hands. As 1862 drew to a close, it became clear that Admiral Farragut's naval forces alone could not defeat the fortifications of Vicksburg. In the last quarter of 1862 Grant and his chief subordinate, Sherman, planned an envelopment of the city from the north and the south. These moves were checked, forcing Grant to consider alternative plans to capture the city.

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Robert E. Lee's greatest victory was against Joseph Hooker at a small crossroads in Virginia called Chancellorsville. Known as 'fighting' Joe Hooker, he formulated a plan that would trap Lee against two arms of the Army of the Potomac. Unfortunately for Hooker, Lee reacted in an unexpected and bold manner. Dividing the Army of Northern Virginia, he kept Union forces at Fredericksburg at bay and flanked Hooker's main force. Hooker lost his nerve and his plan was dashed. While the Army of the Potomac was not destroyed, it set up the conditions that would allow Lee to raid Pennsylvania.

Have a question, comment, or compliment, contact us at [email protected]. You can also leave comments and your questions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/americaatwarpodcast/. Thanks for listening!