The History Things Podcast

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For centuries, sailors have told stories of a phantom ship doomed to wander the oceans forever, its ghostly sails appearing through the mist as a warning of disaster. The Flying Dutchman has become one of the most enduring legends of the sea—but what happens when the tale is connected to a royal encounter?

In this episode of Campfire Ghost Stories, Patrick explores the haunting legend of the Flying Dutchman and its place in maritime folklore. We venture into a world of storm-tossed seas, mysterious apparitions, and sailors who believed they had witnessed something that defied explanation.

Where did the legend begin? How did it become entwined with stories of royalty and seafaring history? And why has the phantom vessel continued to capture the imagination long after the age of sail?

Settle in, dim the lights, and prepare to encounter one of the sea’s most famous ghost ships.

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Deep in the woods of Chickamauga Battlefield, where the echoes of America’s bloodiest conflict still seem to linger, a strange figure has become part of local legend. Known as “Old Green Eyes,” this mysterious presence is said to haunt the battlefield long after the guns fell silent.

In this installment of Campfire Ghost Stories, we venture into the shadowy intersection of Civil War history, battlefield folklore, and the unexplained. What lies behind the legend of Old Green Eyes? How did this eerie tale become associated with one of the Civil War’s most fiercely contested battlefields?

Gather around the campfire, turn down the lights, and join The History Things Podcast for a chilling journey into one of America’s haunted historic landscapes.

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On September 17, 1862, the rolling farmland around Antietam Creek became the stage for the bloodiest single day in American military history. Across cornfields, through woodlots, and around the Dunker Church, Union and Confederate soldiers fought a desperate battle whose consequences would reach far beyond western Maryland.

In Part Two of our Maryland Campaign Revisited series, Patrick reunites with acclaimed historian D. Scott Hartwig to explore the Battle of Antietam itself. We return to the battlefield to examine the fighting, the commanders’ decisions, the experiences of the men caught in the struggle, and the terrible human cost of Lee’s invasion of the North.

The outcome would shape the next phase of the Civil War and help create the circumstances for Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Join us as we revisit the battle that changed the course of the war—and left an enduring mark on the American landscape.

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Patrick is joined by acclaimed historian D. Scott Hartwig to retrace the opening movements of the Maryland Campaign of 1862. We explore the strategic calculations behind Lee’s invasion, the Union response, the movement of armies across Maryland, and the events that brought the opposing forces toward Antietam Creek.

From the roads and towns of western Maryland to the decisions made in headquarters and on the march, this episode examines the campaign as a living story of uncertainty, ambition, and military consequence. What did Lee hope to accomplish by invading the North? Could McClellan stop him? And how did a campaign intended to reshape the war lead to a confrontation that would shock the nation?

Join us for the first part of our return to one of the most consequential campaigns of the American Civil War, with one of the leading historians of the Maryland Campaign as our guide.

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When the guns fell silent on a Civil War battlefield, another desperate struggle began. Wounded soldiers lay scattered across fields, roads, and woodlots, awaiting help that could mean the difference between life and death. Getting those men to safety was a monumental challenge—and one that helped transform military medicine and battlefield evacuation.

Recorded live at Union Mills, this episode of The History Things Podcast explores the history of the Civil War ambulance corps. We look at the men, methods, vehicles, and evolving organization behind the effort to remove wounded soldiers from the battlefield and deliver them to medical care.

How did armies manage the overwhelming number of casualties? What did an ambulance crew’s work actually involve? And how did the experiences of the Civil War influence the future of military medical services?

Join Patrick and Kyle Dalton for a fascinating look at a vital but often overlooked part of Civil War history: the people who risked their lives to bring the wounded home.

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While the great armies of the Civil War clashed in the East, another campaign unfolded across the vast deserts and rugged mountains of the American Southwest. In 1862, Confederate forces pushed into New Mexico Territory, hoping to secure valuable resources, expand Southern influence, and potentially open a route toward the Pacific.

But conquering the Southwest would prove far more difficult than the Confederate leadership imagined. Harsh terrain, scarce supplies, long lines of communication, and determined Union resistance turned the campaign into a struggle for survival as much as a contest for territory.

Patrick is joined by historian Phillip Greenwalt and guest host Kyle Dalton to explore the New Mexico Campaign of 1862. From the ambitions behind the Confederate advance to the fighting that helped determine its fate, we uncover a lesser-known chapter of the American Civil War.

Discover why the war in the West mattered, how the campaign unfolded, and what the struggle for a desert empire reveals about the broader ambitions—and limitations—of both sides.

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As the American colonies moved toward revolution, the struggle for liberty was not confined to disputes between colonists and the British Crown. Across the countryside, ordinary people were also challenging the economic arrangements and powerful landowners that shaped their daily lives.

In Loudoun County, Virginia, tenants confronted a system of rents, landholding, and obligations that had become a source of deep resentment. Their revolt in 1775–1776 unfolded at a remarkable moment, when arguments about authority, property, and the rights of ordinary people were transforming the colonies.

Patrick welcomes special guest AnnMarie Chirieleison to explore this lesser-known uprising and its place in the revolutionary era. Who were the tenants? What grievances drove their resistance? And how did their struggle intersect with the larger upheaval of the American Revolution?

Discover a different side of the revolutionary story—one that brings the experiences of working people and rural communities into the foreground.