Traditionally war came with loot. This loot took a lot of forms, ranging from slaves (definitely not allowed today), to enemy military equipment, and whatever you could plunder from the enemies cities and countryside. We still have a few vestiges of these sorts of takings that are "legal" in warfare today. Andrew Clapham argues that we should almost completely ban these sorts of prize-taking, along with blockades and other tools of warfare. I'd actually argue that they are not all bad, and we have a pretty good debate about the topic on this podcast.

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When the biggest country in the world and the most powerful country in the world can't even talk to each other, how can they possibly avoid war? Well, in the case of the Chinese and British in the early 19th Century... they didn't!

In this episode of the U.S. Naval History Podcast, I interview Professor Henrietta Harrison on the leadup to war that in some ways parallels our world today.

We discuss:

- The difficulty in getting the right information to the country's leaders and the dangers when this does not happen well

- How difficult it is to translate not only languages, but cultures and worldview between Anglo-American English and Chinese

- How just being close enough to do the direct translation in often seen. as inherently suspicious

- The not-so-great fates of the two key interpreters between England and China

- The First Opium War

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Why did the United States fight the Barbary Wars? How did early American diplomacy, economics, and naval power converge to confront North Africa's Barbary states?

In this episode of the U.S. Naval History Podcast, Chase Dalton interviews Professor Abby Mullen from the United States Naval Academy, author of To Fix a National Character: The United States in the First Barbary War, 1800-1805. Together, they explore the Barbary Wars through the lens of diplomacy, economic strategy, and naval action.

We discuss:

- The diplomatic landscape between the United States, Barbary states, and European powers,

- The importance of trade routes and the Mediterranean post-Independence,

- How American naval captains operated under minimal guidance, acting as both diplomats and warriors,

- The ideological motivations driving early U.S. foreign policy, and

- The role of European powers and international relations in shaping the outcome of the Barbary Wars.

We also dive into how the U.S. Navy developed through these conflicts and the lessons learned for future engagements.

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Buy To Fix A National Character here! (https://www.amazon.com/Fix-National-Character-Barbary-1800-1805/dp/1421449269)

In this episode I talk with Kate Epstein about her new book "Analog Superpowers: How a 20th Century Technology Theft Built the National Security State."

Key points:

- The book focuses on the development of fire control technology for battleships in Britain and how the U.S. essentially stole this technology.

- The challenges of protecting military inventions through patents while maintaining secrecy.

- The concept of "technology laundering" and how nations rewrite history to appear more innovative.

- Parallels are drawn between UK-US tech transfers in the early 20th century, US-Soviet dynamics during the Cold War, and current US-China tensions.

- The evolution of export control laws is discussed, tracing their origins from British influence to modern-day semiconductor restrictions.

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Please support the show if you are able. I greatly appreciate everyone who does so.

Email me at: [email protected]

How did the military-industrial complex get it's start? How did it affect our early wars?

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Please support the show if you are able. I greatly appreciate everyone who does so.

Email me at: [email protected]

In this episode, I dive into the dramatic Battle of Memphis and its prelude, a crucial moment in the struggle for control of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. Three unusual fleets - two Union and one Confederate - converged on Memphis in June 1862.

We examine the desperate improvisation of the Confederate River Defense Fleet, the Union's evolving Western Flotilla, and the controversial addition of Charles Elliott's civilian-built ram fleet. Get ready for a blow-by-blow account of river warfare, complete with surprise attacks, chaotic melees, and spectators watching from the bluffs.

This is the story of how the Union secured control of the upper Mississippi, opening the way to Vicksburg. It's a tale of innovative tactics, clashing personalities, and a battle that showcased the rapidly evolving nature of naval warfare - where ironclads, rams, and cotton-clads clashed in a way never seen before or since.

See the maps and transcript for this episode:

www.usnavalhistory.com/the-battle-of-memphis/

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But really, please do support the show if you are able. It's somewhat expensive to make and host the show, and I'm in the red every month.

Email me at: [email protected]

Imagine you're a Union soldier, slogging through knee-deep Mississippi mud, trying to outflank a fortress that's not even on dry land. Welcome to Island Number 10.

In this episode, we're diving into the Battle of Island Number Ten. We'll explore how a patch of land barely above the waterline became a linchpin in the Mississippi. You'll hear about innovative tactics- from digging canals through swamps to ironclad ships running gauntlets in pitch-black thunderstorms.

This is a story of naval duels on a river, of mortar boats raining iron from the sky, and of commanders gambling with thousands of lives. It's about the precarious nature of nineteenth-century siege warfare and where spring floods could wash away the best-laid plans.

See the maps and transcript for this episode:

www.usnavalhistory.com/the-river-war-island-no-10-2/

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Financially support the show here: https://www.usnavalhistory.com/#/portal/signup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

But really, please do support the show if you are able. It's somewhat expensive to make and host the show, and I'm in the red every month.

Email me at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we dive into the Civil War battles that cracked open the Western theater: Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. These were the fights where Grant and his ironclads showed what they could do.

We explore how the messy politics of border states set the stage, why Kentucky and Tennessee were so crucial, and how these victories let the Union push deep into Confederate territory. Get ready for a blow-by-blow of river warfare, complete with frozen soldiers, daring attacks, and Grant's famous "unconditional surrender" moment.

This is the story of how the Union found its fighting general and how the mighty Mississippi started to slip from Confederate hands. It's a tale of innovative weapons, bold strategies, and the battles that changed the course of the war.

See the maps and transcript for this episode:

www.usnavalhistory.com/river-war-forts-henry-and-donelson/

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Financially support the show here: https://www.usnavalhistory.com/#/portal/signup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

But really, please do support the show if you are able. It's somewhat expensive to make and host the show, and I'm in the red every month.

Email me at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Before the modern era, rivers were either great defensive positions, or offensive highways into your enemy's heartland. For the western half of the Confederacy, the North-South rivers were a mortal danger. The Confederacy knew they had to defend their rivers no matter what... and Grant knew he had to take them.

This episode tells the story of the first battle of the River War, the Battle of Belmont - Ulysses S. Grant's first Civil War engagement and the first step of Grant's campaign that ultimately led to Vicksburg in 1863.

See the maps that accompany the podcast: https://www.usnavalhistory.com/the-river-war-the-plan-to-strangle-the-south/

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Financially support the show here: https://www.usnavalhistory.com/#/portal/signup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Happy 4th of July!

This is the trailer for the next mini-series on the western campaign of the Civil War which culminated with the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4th, 1863.

This was the first true joint (Army-Navy closely working together) campaign in American history and one that I really have enjoyed researching. Stay tuned over the next few weeks!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Financially support the show here: https://www.usnavalhistory.com/#/portal/signup⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email me at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠