The sentiment "war is cruelty", later refined by General William T. Sherman in his famous quote "war is Hell" had its origins in the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. The arm of total war had the South in its grasp, and the consequences are still a point of bitterness today for Southern folk from Lookout Mountain to the coast of the Carolinas.

Dave Powell, author of the highly-regarded Chickamauga trilogy, as well as "Failure in the Saddle" and "Tullahoma" (with Eric Wittenberg), continues his study of the war in the west with the first of a projected five volume series on the Atlanta campaign - "The Atlanta Campaign Volume 1: Dalton to Cassville, May 1-19, 1864". This initial offering details the campaign from it's inception and step off in pursuit of Joseph Johnston's Confederate forces through Tennessee and Northern Georgia and culminates with the Battle of Resaca, the largest fight of the campaign.

Dave joins us on this episode of The Mess to discuss this latest release and his continued work on the the story going forward. Please follow, like, and share our content. The Wabash Inn Mess is available with new episodes each week on your favorite podcast platform.

Find The Atlanta Campaign and many other works from David at:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/search.php?search_query=david+a.+powell

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The Mess welcomed back our friend Brad Butkovich this week to discuss his new collection of gaming scenarios "Forlorn Hope: Regimental War Game Scenarios For The Mississippi River Campaigns of 1861-1863".

Brad has outlined a set of historical scenarios designed for the table top gaming experience that follow Grant's campaign to wrest control of the Mississippi River from the Confederacy. Gamers can play along historical lines or modify scenarios to explore "what if" questions.

Add this volume to your collection of scenario books by shopping Brad's Amazon store at:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brad-Butkovich/author/B00E6OIISC?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

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The latest book from prolific Civil War author Chris Mackowski is our focus on this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess. "A Tempest Of Iron And Lead: Spotsylvania Court House, May 8-21, 1864", currently available from Savas-Beatie, outlines the beginning of the Grant's Overland Campaign and the horrific fighting that characterized the final year of the American Civil War.

Chris is one of the foremost contemporary Civil War scholars who balances his teaching duties at St. Bonaventure University in New York with his passion for keeping ACW history alive. In addition to his teaching and writing, Chris spends time with the Emerging Civil War platform providing multi-media access to the Civil War story. Websites, books, blogs, the podcast - ECW provides the information in a way that fits the needs of every enthusiast and historian.

Collect Chris's written works here:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/search.php?search_query=chris+mackowski

And browse Emerging Civil War here:

https://emergingcivilwar.com/

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The men of The Mess are joined this week by our friend Alex Rossino to talk about his exploration of the historical narrative genre with his fiction-aided accounts of the 1862 Confederate Invasion of Maryland. His first work in the Series, "Six Days In September", follows the Rebel army under General Robert E. Lee as it crosses the Potomac River into Maryland and encounters the U.S. Army of General George B. McClellan at South Mountain, Antietam, and numerous skirmishes along the way.

Recently, Alex just published the second release of the series, available from Savas Beatie, giving a look at the struggle in Maryland from the Federal side with "Guns of September".

In this episode, Alex gives a little background on how he came to explore historical fiction, gives us a peek into the work he is pursuing on a single-volume account of the Battle of Antietam, and a special treat reading a selection from "Guns Of September".

We know this episode will be enlightening, and we hope that every episode of The Wabash Inn Mess provides new information and food for thought. Thank you for listening, and don't forget to like, follow, and share The Wabash Inn Mess on your favorite podcast platform.

Find "Guns of September" and all of Alexander Rossino's works at:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/search.php?search_query=alex+rossino

https://alexanderrossinocom.wordpress.com/

Connect with The Wabash Inn Mess at:

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www.wabashinnmess.com

The Battle of Fair Oaks. The Battle of Seven Pines. One fight, two names, two results. Two stories, both explored in the book "Contrasts In Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks" by this week's guest on The Mess, Vic Vignola.

Vic talks with us about how leaders on each side reacted to terrain, opposition, and adversity. Opportunity knocks but once. We explore which leaders were able to respond in ways that led to success and those that missed the mark, leading to defeat.

Vic's book, "Contrasts In Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks" is available from Savas Beatie by following the link below:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/contrasts-in-command-the-battle-of-fair-oaks-may-31-june-1-1862/

You can connect with The Wabash Inn Mess Podcast and the men of The Mess at:

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It look nearly 140 years, but the Civil War finally went digital in 2004 during the early days of a new phenomenon called "podcasting". Not long after it's launch, Civil War Talk Radio found it's permanent host, Dr. Gerald (Gerry) Prokopowicz. Dr. Prokopowicz is a professor of history at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina and has seen the Civil War Talk Radio Podcast shelve some 2,106 episodes to date.

We know you'll enjoy this conversation with the Dean of Civil War talk as much as we did.

Learn more about Civil War Talk Radio at:

www.impedimentsofwar.org

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www.wabashinnmess.com

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Our guest on the Mess this week is Bryan Bush, park superintendent of the Perryville Battlefield State Park in Perryville, KY. While many stories are to be told about the 1862 battle itself, this episode takes us off the mainstream path to the tale of the birth, life, and death of the African-American settlement of Sleettown. We hope you enjoy this recounting of the life of the Sleet brothers and their legacy in central Kentucky.

Learn more about Sleettown and the Battle of Perryville at

perryvillebattlefield.org

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The battery wagon pulls into Gettysburg again this week to revisit the largest battle fought on American soil. Day One, July 1, 1863 is our focus on this episode.

Author John Michael Priest joins us to talk about his research and work on his latest book "Strong Men Of The Regiment Sobbed Like Children: John Reynolds' I Corps at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863" (available now from Savas Beatie Publishing). Confusion, chaos, and courage were the rules of the day as fighting erupted north and west of the crossroads town of Gettysburg, PA igniting three days that will live forever in infamy.

Mike speaks on Buford's plan, breakdown of command and control in I Corps due to multiple factors, and the terror inflicted by the railroad cut on both Federal and CSA troops alike. "The Ernie Pyle of the Civil War" ( a sobriquet given by Edwin Bearss) gives us parallels in soldiers' experiences at Gettysburg and and those throughout the war.

Purchase your copy of "Strong Men of the Regiment..." at

https://www.savasbeatie.com/copy-of-strong-men-of-the-regiment-sobbed-like-children-john-reynolds-i-corps-at-gettysburg-on-july-1-1863/

Find Mike's other Civil War writings available at

https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-M.-Priest/author/B001K8JMG4?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1726687506&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

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As the sparks of the Great Conflagration faded to ash and embers, flames continued to blaze in the frontiers of the country even after the Confederacy tendered the sword of surrender.

One such place was Fort Blakeley on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, on the banks of the Tensaw River. Our guest this week on the Mess is Brian DesRochers, Interpretive Ranger from beautiful, historic Blakeley Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Enjoy Brian's incredible story telling gift as he gives us his background as a Civil War historian, the tale of the Mobile Campaign and the Battle of Fort Blakeley, and the current development and future plans for Blakeley Park.

Check out Blakeley Park and Fort Blakeley at:

⁠blakeleypark.com⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/BlakeleyStatePark⁠

Connect with The Wabash Inn Mess at:

⁠wabashinnmess.com⁠

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The Confederate army enjoyed notable successes early on in their 1862 invasion of the Commonwealth of Kentucky with victories at Richmond as well as winning a fight with a new Union Colonel, John Wilder, and his Indiana troops at the small central Kentucky hamlet of Munfordville on the Green River.

Joining us this week on The Mess, Greg Ard and Chris Sanders, members of the Hart County Historical Society, share with us the story of the Battle of Munfordville, their efforts at preserving a beautiful piece of the original battlefield, and they also extend an invitation for listeners of The Mess to attend Hart County Civil War Days September 13, 14, and 15.

Learn more about Hart County's Civil War history at

hartcountykycivilwardays.com

hartcountymuseum.org

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