Portraits of Blue & Grey: The Biographical Civil War Podcast

John Brown's 1859 raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry brought abolitionism and slavery to the forefront of the national conversation.  The support for Brown's raid voiced by influential Northerners increased sectional tensions and support for secession in the South.  After his execution and the subsequent election of President Lincoln, secession became a reality, and Civil War followed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Part 2A of our portrait of John Brown, we pick up in the aftermath of Bleeding Kansas and follow John Brown as he recruits, fund-raises, and prepares for his game-changing raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.   We look at the political situation going into the raid and see Brown continue to build a reputation as the nation's foremost militant abolitionist.

Though we had originally intended to finish up the series with this episode, it ended up a little longer than originally planned, so it will released as Part 2A today and Part 2B in the near future.  Thank you to everyone for your patience and support.  Email any questions or comments about the show to [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A throwback to old-school Puritanism, John Brown brought passion - and violence - into the abolitionist movement.  Work with the Underground Railroad gradually gave way to more radical methods, as "Osawatamie Brown" demonstrated that abolitionsts didn't have to be pacifists. And Kansas bled.

Part 1 of our portrait of John Brown looks at his early life, the growth of abolitionism in the young United States, and the opening act for the American Civil War known as "Bleeding Kansas." By 1858, John Brown had already established himself as abolitionism's most militant proponent. But, he had bigger plans in mind. 

Email Portraits of Blue & Grey at [email protected]. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The CSS Alabama continued preying on Yankee shipping throughout 1863, prowling off coasts from Brazil to South Africa to Singapore.  The success of the raider, skippered by wily Captain Raphael Semmes, inflamed Anglo-American tensions to dangerous levels.  But shrewd diplomacy by the Lincoln administration eventually convinced John Bull to turn his back on the rebels, leaving Semmes and the Alabama with few ports capable of providing much-needed maintenance and repairs.  After a long-shot voyage to France, the Alabama sailed into her climactic confrontation at the Battle of Cherbourg in 1864, where the USS Kearsarge brought a dramatic conclusion to the famed cruiser's career as the world's most successful commerce raider.

A big thanks goes out to all the listeners who have rated and reviewed the show!

You can email Portraits of Blue & Grey at [email protected] with any questions or comments about the show.  We'd love to hear from you!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the outbreak of the Civil War, the Union blockade crippled Southern commerce.  Hoping to ease the pressure on blockade runners (and turn the tables on Northern shipping), the Confederate Navy contracted with British shipbuilders to construct commerce raiders - warships designed to prey on merchant shipping while evading opposing naval vessels.  Denounced as a pirate in the North, Maryland-born Raphael Semmes captained the most effective commerce raider, the CSS Alabama, as the ship terrified Union merchant vessels and frustrated the Union Navy.  Semmes quickly became a hero in the South and earned a reputation as a daring commander throughout the world.  In Part 1, we look at the clandestine construction of the Alabama and the beginning of her career as the most successful commerce raider in naval history.

Email Portraits of Blue & Grey at [email protected] with any questions or comments about the show.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the failure on the Peninsula, it appeared that McClellan would lose his command.  But, things changed after the disaster that was Second Manassas, and McClellan was restored over the protests of Lincoln's cabinet.  After the indecisive victory at Antietam, McClellan refused to press his advantage, and President Lincoln determined that the time had come to place the Army of the Potomac under new leadership.  A general without a command, McClellan was recruited into Democratic politics and made an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 1864.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Brinton McClellan left the army at the rank of captain but, upon the start of the Civil War, soon found himself a major general in overall command of all Union operations.  He was called to Washington to restore order after the disaster at First Manassas, and he built the Army of the Potomac into a first-rate fighting force.  But before long, due to his overly cautious nature, the administration began to run out of patience.  In the Spring of 1862, he took his army to the Virginia Peninsula for an assault on Richmond from the southeast.  On the Peninsula, he encountered an adversary able to expose his weaknesses in Robert E. Lee.  

If you have any questions or comments about the show, email us at [email protected]. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George McClellan is one of the most oft-criticized figures from the Civil War, but has he been treated fairly?  Our series on "Little Mac" will look at the important contributions McClellan made to the Union war effort but also point out his failures.  In part 1, we examine his childhood, time at West Point and academic prowess, service in Mexico, observatory trip to the Crimean War, and career as a railroad executive.  With the outbreak of war in 1861, McClellan is compelled to return to the U.S. Army.  Most of his friends are Southerners, but George McClellan believes that preservation of the Union is worth fighting for.

Email us at [email protected] with any questions or comments about the show.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices