The Wabash Inn Mess Civil War Podcast

Hosts Wade Gish and Norris Darrall close out Season Six of The Wabash Inn Mess with a look back over the season's twelve episodes. In this finale, Wade and Norris revisit the guests, the battles, and the stories that shaped the season, reflecting on what they learned along the way and on the conversations that stood out most.

Thank you for listening through Season Six. Join Wade and Norris again next season for more research, re-enacting, and strategic gaming.

Learn more about the show at www.wabashinnmess.com, or write to the hosts at [email protected].

The Wabash Inn Mess presents a Wabash Inn Dispatch narrated by Beau: "The Shot That Killed the Fighting Bishop: Simonson's Battery, Fifth Indiana Light Artillery." In the fall of 1861, about 150 Hoosier volunteers from Allen, Noble, Whitley, Marshall, and LaPorte counties mustered in at Indianapolis under Captain Peter Simonson, and for three years the 5th Independent Battery, Indiana Light Artillery fought across Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. At Perryville it fired until its limbers were empty, at Stones River it was driven back and complimented for holding on, and at Chickamauga it fired 1,247 rounds in two days. Then, at Pine Mountain on June 14, 1864, the battery was credited in the official reports with the shot that killed Confederate Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk, the "Fighting Bishop."

Bibliography

1. OR , Series I, Vol. XVI, Part I — Captain Peter Simonson, Report of the 5th Indiana Battery, Camp near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, October 12, 1862 (Perryville).
2. OR, Series I, Vol. XXX, Part I — Captain Peter Simonson, Report of the 5th Indiana Battery, Camp at Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 10, 1863 (Chickamauga).
3. OR, Series I, Vol. XXXVIII — Atlanta Campaign reports, including Captain Peter Simonson, Report of operations May 3 – June 9, 1864, and the reports of Major General David S. Stanley and Brigadier General Walter C. Whitaker crediting the 5th Indiana at Pine Mountain.
4. Holm, D. D. History of the 5h Indiana Battery: Compiled and Written from the "Field Diary" of Lieutenant Daniel H. Chandler, and from Official Reports of Officers of the Army of the Cumberland (1900).
5. Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co., 1908) — detailed service record and the 36-man casualty total.
6. Terrell, W. H. H., Adjutant General of Indiana. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Vol. 3 (1866, officer roster) and Vol. 7 (1867, soldier roster) — including Alfred Morrison's captaincy dated August 1, 1864, and Simonson's death on June 16, 1864.
7. Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force of the United States Army, 1861–1865, Part VI (Indiana–Illinois), Adjutant General's Office, Washington, August 31, 1865, pp. 1–2 — 5th Battery roster as it stood at muster-out.
8. Berkley, John Lee, ed. In the Defense of This Flag: The Civil War Diary of Pvt. Ormond Hupp, 5th Indiana Light Artillery (Bradenton, FL: McGuinn & McGuire, 1994).
9. "The Union Army," Vol. 3 (Federal Publishing Company, 1908), regimental history of the 5th Indiana Light Battery, as reproduced by the Civil War Index.
10. National Park Service, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, "Union Order of Battle" — Atlanta Campaign order of battle, listing the 5th Indiana (4 Napoleons and 2 3-inch ordnance rifles).
11. National Park Service, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, "A Hurricane of Shot and Shell — 5th Indiana Battery versus the Polks" (special program, June 14, 2025).
12. National Park Service, "Brown, Smith" biography — Sergeant Smith Brown, 5th Indiana Battery.
13. "Who Fired the Fatal Shot?" HistoryNet — analysis of the competing claims for Polk's death, crediting the 5th Indiana on the basis of Stanley's and Whitaker's reports, Sherman's memoirs, and Blakeslee's map.
14. "Simonson's Battery" historical marker, Perryville, Boyle County, Kentucky, and "Captain Peter Simonson" historical marker, Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia — via the Historical Marker Database.
15. Foote, Shelby. The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 3: Red River to Appomattox (New York: Random House, 1974); and Smith, Derek. The Gallant Dead: Union & Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2005).
16. Castel, Albert. Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864; and Sherman, William T. Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman.

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www.wabashinnmess.com

Hosts Wade Gish and Norris Darrall welcome author Paul Brueske to The Wabash Inn Mess to talk about his work on the Mobile Campaign in the American Civil War.

Brueske, who has written three books on the campaign, joins Wade and Norris for a conversation about Mobile, Alabama, in 1865 — a Gulf Coast campaign that is often overlooked alongside the war's better-known final battles, but one that mattered greatly to the closing months of the conflict.

Brueske is a lifelong Gulf Coast resident, the founder and president of the Mobile Area Civil War Round Table, and the head track and field coach at the University of South Alabama. His books on the campaign include The Last Siege: The Mobile Campaign, Alabama 1865 (2018) and Digging All Night and Fighting All Day: The Civil War Siege of Spanish Fort and the Mobile Campaign, 1865 (2024), and Scarcely Defensible: Fort Gaines And The Battle of Mobile Bay (2026),

• Paul's books are available from Savas-Beatie and Casemate Publishers, and can also be found at mainstream retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about the show at www.wabashinmess.com, or write to the hosts at [email protected].

On this bonus episode of The Wabash Inn Mess, Beau tells us of General Francis Preston Blair of Missouri. Blair first made it his mission to preserve a free Missouri for the Union; and then after the Show-Me-State was secured, he put on the uniform of his nation to lead a brigade throughout the Western Theater.

We hope you enjoy these brief vignettes that we offer between our regular episodes. We appreciate your listening, and would welcome your feedback via email at [email protected]

Visit The Wabash Inn Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com

Hosts Norris Darrall and Wade Gish sit down with historian and author David A. Welker to explore one of the Civil War's most overlooked organizations: the Federal Veteran Reserve Corps. Originally mustered as the Union's Invalid Corps, the VRC was born when President Lincoln called some 60,000 wounded combat veterans back into service during the war's darkest days. Welker, a professional historian and military analyst for the U.S. Government with forty years of experience, discusses his new book, "Now I'm with the Invalids:" The Union's Veteran Reserve Corps in America's Civil War, along with his earlier works including The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point and Tempest at Ox Hill: The Battle of Chantilly.

The conversation follows these twice-wounded veterans from the ridicule and public scorn they endured to the vital rear-area duties they performed: guarding government facilities, military stores, bridges, and prisoner-of-war camps, and serving as clerks and hospital nurses across the North. The discussion builds to the Corps' finest hour in July 1864, when VRC men stood in the defenses of Washington and helped hold off Confederate General Jubal Early's corps, buying precious time for Grant to reinforce and save the nation's capital. Theirs is a story of men who had already made the penultimate sacrifice, yet rose to serve again.

Access David Welker's website here:

https://www.davidawelker-civilwarhistorian.com/Find The Wabash Inn Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com

Communicate with The Mess via email:

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In this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess, hosts Norris Darrall and Wade Gish welcome author Harold Knudsen to discuss his books "General James Longstreet and the American Civil War" and "Longstreet's Harrisburg Deception: A Vignette of Operational Art". Harold shares his perspectives on Longstreet's generalship and controversial legacy, as well as his new historical fiction narrative showcasing operational thinking behind the possibility that what if Harrisburg had become the target of Southern forces during Lee's Gettysburg campaign.

Whether you're reassessing Longstreet's role in the Confederacy or diving into operational art for the first time, this conversation blends research, re-enacting insight, and strategic gaming — the three pillars of The Wabash Inn Mess.

Find Harold Knudsen's books, available from Savas Beatie here:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/james-longstreet-and-the-american-civil-war-the-confederate-general-who-fought-the-next-war/

"Longstreet's Harrisburg Deception" is available in print or ebook only from Barnes & Noble at:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=33033607&contributorName=Harold%20Knudsen&orderBy=attributes.mfield_bnb__salesRank

Find us on the web at www.wabashinmess.com or email your questions, comments, or suggestions to The Men of the Mess at [email protected].

How do you put fast-moving, hard-hitting cavalry onto the gaming table without losing the history? In this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess, hosts Norris Darrall and Wade Gish welcome author and historian Scott Mingus, Sr. to talk about introducing cavalry into Civil War tabletop gaming. From troop types and tactics to scenario design, Scott shares practical tips for making cavalry feel right in your games.

Whether you're new to historical gaming or a veteran looking to sharpen your tabletop tactics, this conversation blends research, re-enacting insight, and strategic gaming — the three pillars of The Wabash Inn Mess.

Purchase Scott Mingus Sr's work from Savas Beatie at:

https://bookscouter.com/author/mingus-sr-scott-l

Follow Scott's personal blog here:

https://yorkblog.com/cannonball/

Find us on the web at www.wabashinmess.com or email questions, comments, or suggestions to [email protected].

In this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess, hosts Norris Darrall, and Wade Gish welcome historian Ethan Rafuse to discuss what goes into creating a battlefield guide for Antietam. From researching troop movements and terrain to deciding what stories to tell at key stops, Ethan shares how historians and guides turn a complex battle into a clear, engaging experience for visitors. Ethan also shares with The Men of The Mess how his historical studies enhance his interaction with his students at the Army Command and Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Whether you're planning your first trip to Antietam or you're a seasoned battlefield walker looking to deepen your understanding, this conversation offers practical insights on research, re-enacting, and strategic gaming — the three pillars of The Wabash Inn Mess.

You can find Ethan's author page on Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ethan-Sepp-Rafuse/author/B001HD05MM?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1791482311&sr=1-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Find us on the web at www.wabashinmess.com or email [email protected].

[On this new vignette, The Wabash Inn Mess introduces Beau, our AI co-host who works with Vesper, our AI assistant to create short-format bonus content.

In this age of technology, careful and moderated use of AI is important to enhance proper machine learning and interaction. The periodic vignettes will be created by supplying vetted and accurate research resources for Vesper's use in the preparation of the material to be read by Beau, and the sources will always be credited in the show notes. We hope that you are willing to give a listen and that you enjoy Beau's contributions in addition to our regular long-form content]

The Wabash Inn Mess Vignette: Battle of Perryville - October 8, 1862On the 164th anniversary of Kentucky's largest Civil War battle, Beau tells the story of Perryville.

What we cover:

• The Confederate Heartland Offensive: why Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith invaded Kentucky in the summer of 1862
• The race to Perryville and the drought that left both armies desperate for water
• October 7-8: skirmishes on the Springfield Pike and Peters Hill
• The afternoon assault: Cheatham and Buckner hit Alexander McCook's I Corps
• The acoustic shadow: how Don Carlos Buell, just two miles away, couldn't hear the battle
• Five hours of fighting at Open Knob, Loomis Heights, and the Bottom farm
• The toll: over 7,600 casualties, and why a tactical Confederate success became a strategic Union victory
• The aftermath: Bragg's retreat to Tennessee and Kentucky secured for the Union

Preserved today at Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.

www.https://www.perryvillebattlefield.org/

Created by Vesper, Meta AI assistant and narrated by Beau, the 21st century voice of The Wabash Inn Mess.

Resources utilized by Vesper in content creation:

"The Grand Havoc of Battle" by Kenneth Noe

"Perryville: Battle for Kentucky" by Kenneth Hafendorfer

Find The Wabash Inn Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com

Send feedback or suggestions to The Men of the Mess via email:

[email protected]

In this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess Civil War Podcast, Wade Gish and Norris Darrall  welcome Civil War historian Corey Pfarr to discuss his book, The Federal Signal Service at Antietam: Stations, Officers, and Battlefield Intelligence on America’s Bloodiest Day.

Pfarr explains how Albert J. Myer’s wigwag signaling system developed into an important Union communications network during the Maryland Campaign. The conversation explores the signal stations positioned along the Potomac, the early reports of Robert E. Lee’s movement into Maryland, the challenges of communicating across mountain terrain, and the forward stations that relayed battlefield intelligence during South Mountain and Antietam.

Pfarr also challenges the traditional image of George B. McClellan relying solely on what he could see from the Pry House, showing how constant reports from signal officers helped inform Union decisions that perhaps saved the Federal Army from disaster on the bloodiest day in American history. 

You can connect with author Cory M. Pfarr and find links to purchase his written work at his website:

www.corympfarr.com

[email protected]

Visit The Wabash Inn Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com