President Lincoln called them "fire in the rear." Northern anti-war Democrats--called Copperheads--advocated for a peaceful resolution of the war and sharply criticized the Lincoln Administration's restrictions on civil liberties in the North.

Union Spies and Intelligence in the U.S. Civil War

Jul 3rd, 2023 1h 1m

This is the second half of our look at Union intelligence operations and spies during the American Civil War. This episode finishes up the discussion of Col. George Sharpe's Bureau of Military Information and the big influence Col. Sharpe had o

Civil War Espionage (Part 1 - Union Spies)

Jun 11th, 2023 55m 42s

This episode explores Civil War espionage, starting with the intelligence operation and spies on the Union side. Allan Pinkerton, Kate Warne, Timothy Webster, and Col. George Sharpe feature prominently in this episode. A follow-up episode will

The Red River Campaign - Part 3

Jan 22nd, 2023 1h 6m

The third (and final) episode of our series on the Red River Campaign finishes up the action in Louisiana. We look at the Union withdrawal, an unorthodox cavalry-vs-navy battle at Blair's Landing, the Camden Expedition, and some nifty impromptu

Red River Campaign, Part 2 (Mansfield and Pleasant Hill)

Jan 9th, 2023 55m 42s

Part 2 of the Red River Campaign explores the Battle of Mansfield and follow-up Battle of Pleasant Hill--which proved to be the pivotal confrontations of the campaign. Then, we digress into some Civil War trivia.Look for Part 3, which will wra

The Red River Campaign - Part 1

Nov 14th, 2022 1h 37m

Part 1 of our Red River Campaign episode explores the dichotomy between political generals and hard-nosed professional soldiers before surveying American Civil War action in Louisiana. We also get to meet Union General (and former Speaker of th

The New Mexico Campaign: Good Intentions, Bad Logistics, Ugly Results

May 1st, 2022 1h 30m

Portraits of Blue & Grey makes its triumphant return with a look at the New Mexico Campaign's good intentions, bad logistics, and ugly results. While we're at it, we'll explore civil war in Ol' Mexico, Napoleon III's imperialist opportunism, an

The St. Albans Raid (Guest-Starring Jesse James)

Aug 13th, 2021 1h 19m

In this episode, we start with what was supposed to be a short discussion of the James Gang--particularly their involvement in the Missouri guerilla fighting. Then, we look at one of the most unusual happenings of the Civil War: the Confederate

The Dahlgren Affair and the 1864 Union Raid on Richmond

May 4th, 2021 1h 21m

By early 1864, POW populations in Civil War prison camps had exploded, and conditions in the camps were abysmal. In an attempt to liberate captured Union soldiers held at nearby Belle Isle prison, Gen. Judson Kilpatrick and Col. Ulric Dahlgren

Raiders of the Lost Cause; Part B

Apr 6th, 2021 55m 25s

Part B takes us through the end of the short life of rebel cavalier Jeb Stuart. Then, Chambersburg meets its unfortunate fate, courtesy of Jubal Early.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Raiders of the Lost Cause; Part A

Mar 27th, 2021 56m 18s

For the most part, towns north of the Mason-Dixon line sustained a lot less damage during the Civil War than their counterparts down South. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, though, may be the single most glaring exception. Jeb Stuart paid a visit in

Nathan Bedford Forrest, Part 4

Dec 23rd, 2020 1h 28m

Part 4 of our series on Nathan Bedford Forrest picks back up with Forrest continuing to frustrate William T. Sherman and the series of Union cavaliers dispatched to neutralize him. As Union might becomes overwhelming, Confederate armies are for

Nathan Bedford Forrest, Part 3

Sep 7th, 2020 1h 23m

"His eyes, usually mild in their expression, were blazing with the intense glare of a panther’s springing upon its prey....So fierce did his passion become that he was almost equally dangerous to friend or foe.."--Major David Kelly, C.S.A.Par

Nathan Bedford Forrest, Part 2

May 10th, 2020 1h 9m

In Spring, 1862, Nathan Bedford Forrest's military acumen began to reveal itself, as he became a thorn in the side of Union operations in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Part 2 includes Forrest's impressive display of physical courage at F

Nathan Bedford Forrest, Part 1

Apr 5th, 2020 1h

Nathan Bedford Forrest was perhaps the most despised, though begrudgingly respected, Confederate military leader. After growing up poor on the frontier, Forrest ascended the ranks of Southern society and had amassed considerable wealth by the t

Wm. Tecumseh Sherman, Pt. 4

Jan 1st, 2020 1h 55m

Sherman's famous March to the Sea is one of the most well-known and noteworthy campaigns of the U.S. Civil War and probably contributed more than anything else to the hatred of Sherman that flourished in the South for 100 years after the war. A

Wm. Tecumseh Sherman, Pt. 3

Aug 26th, 2019 1h 24m

After Shiloh, Sherman got the opportunity to try his hand in civic administration as the military governor of Memphis. And it was from Memphis that he embarked on a mission, with good friend U.S. Grant, to solve the riddle that was Vicksburg.

Wm. Tecumseh Sherman, Pt. 2

Jun 3rd, 2019 1h 3m

Part 2 of our look at the life of William Tecumseh Sherman begins with Col. Sherman commanding NY volunteers at Manassas. The battle goes poorly for the Union, but Sherman shows strong, earning a promotion to Brigadier and a transfer to Kentuc

Wm. Tecumseh Sherman, Part 1

Mar 19th, 2019 1h 18m

William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the U.S. Civil War's most controversial figures. A "Fierce Patriot" (in the words of Sherman biographer Robert O'Connell), Sherman deserves more credit for holding the United States together than anyone save

John Brown, Part 2B

Dec 9th, 2018 1h 7m

John Brown's 1859 raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry brought abolitionism and slavery to the forefront of the national conversation. The support for Brown's raid voiced by influential Northerners increased sectional tensions and suppo

John Brown, Part 2A

Nov 23rd, 2018 1h 3m

In Part 2A of our portrait of John Brown, we pick up in the aftermath of Bleeding Kansas and follow John Brown as he recruits, fund-raises, and prepares for his game-changing raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. We look at t

John Brown

Sep 26th, 2018 1h 28m

A throwback to old-school Puritanism, John Brown brought passion - and violence - into the abolitionist movement. Work with the Underground Railroad gradually gave way to more radical methods, as "Osawatamie Brown" demonstrated that abolitions

The Cruise of the CSS Alabama: Pt. 2

Jul 16th, 2018 1h 15m

The CSS Alabama continued preying on Yankee shipping throughout 1863, prowling off coasts from Brazil to South Africa to Singapore. The success of the raider, skippered by wily Captain Raphael Semmes, inflamed Anglo-American tensions to danger

The Cruise of the CSS Alabama: Pt. 1

Jun 3rd, 2018 58m 10s

After the outbreak of the Civil War, the Union blockade crippled Southern commerce. Hoping to ease the pressure on blockade runners (and turn the tables on Northern shipping), the Confederate Navy contracted with British shipbuilders to constr

George Brinton McClellan, Part 3

May 4th, 2018 1h 46m

After the failure on the Peninsula, it appeared that McClellan would lose his command. But, things changed after the disaster that was Second Manassas, and McClellan was restored over the protests of Lincoln's cabinet. After the indecisive vi