A couple of announcements from host Scott Rank. He tells you what this series will be about and where to find his main podcast History Unplugged (http://historyunpluggedpodcast.com). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
The Civil War pitted brother against brother and divided a nation. It also featured the most epic—and deadliest—battles in American history. From Shiloh to Vicksburg to Gettsburg, these battles resulted in higher casualty rates than any other armed conflict the United States has ever faced.But beyond that the Civil War did more to define and change the United States than any other event. It determine what kind of nation the United State would be.This is the first episode in a multi-part series on the ten most important battles of the Civil War. Scott Rank is joined by history professor James Early to get into the military history of the Civil War, whose effects are still being felt in the United States and the rest of the world today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
The origins of the Civil War go back decades, even before the United States became an independent nation The federal union had always been precarious, ever since the framing of the Constitution, with the institution of slavery led to two distinct cultures and societies. In this episode, Scott and James discuss the main social and political issues that sparked the Civil War. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Abraham Lincoln believed that the Civil War would be over in a few months, with the Union Army marching on Richmond by late 1861. The Union and the Confederate armies hastily assembled armies and Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell led his unseasoned Union Army across Bull Run against the equally inexperienced Confederate Army of Brig. Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard. The Confederates won a surprise victory, particularly due to the efforts of Stonewall Jackson, and routed the Union. Both sides dug in their heels for a long war ahead. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
In the summer of 1861, four slave states had still not seceded. If even two or three joined the Confederacy, the Union would be in big trouble. Lincoln was determined to keep all four in (Maryland, Kentucky, Delaware, and Missouri). We will look at these developments, along with the The War in the West, April 1861 - April 1862, where many famous Civil War figures emerge, such as Ulysses S. Grant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
The Battle of Shiloh was a battle in the Western Theater fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. On the first morning, 40,000 Confederate troops struck Union Soldiers at Pittsburg Landing. They were under the command of Major General Ulysses S. Grant. The Confederate Army of Mississippi, under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston, launched a surprise attack on Grant's army from its base in Corinth, Mississippi. Johnston was mortally wounded during the fighting; Beauregard took command of the army and decided against pressing the attack late in the evening. Overnight, Grant was reinforced by one of his divisions stationed further north and was joined by three divisions. The Union forces began an counterattack the next morning which reversed the Confederate gains of the previous day. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
In early 1862 the Union Army launched a major operation in southeastern Virginia, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. Lincoln replaced McDowell with George B. McClellan as commander. He reorganized the army, whipped it into shape, and also renamed it the Army of the Potomac. The goal was to roll over the Confederacy. The Rebels were not about to let that happen. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Union General George B. McClellan, who led 100,000 men and moved as fast as an iceberg, attempted to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond in a series of six different battles along the Virginia Peninsula from June 25 to July 1, 1862). Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove back McClellan’s Union forces from a position 4 miles (6 km) east of the Confederate capital to a new base of operations at Harrison’s Landing on the James River. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
The Battle of Antietam—an 1862 clash between Robert E. lee's Army of Northern Virginian and George McClellan's Army of the Potomac—was the deadliest one-day battle in American history, with a total of 22,717 dead, wounded or missing. It came after Lee thwarted McClellan's plans to lay siege to the Confederate capitol of Richmond and tried to seize the momentum by crossing north into Maryland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
The entire point of the Civil War was to end slavery, right? Not exactly, and definitely not at the beginning of the War. The North went to war strictly to save the Union and had little interest in abolishing slavery in the South. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 only came about due to a complex convergence of political, social, and cultural interests, which we will address in this episode. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands