RPTM Podcast Episode 45: The American Civil War Part Two

Let me start this episode by saying I don’t like doing this. That being, discussing military history. It’s not a moral issue or a repugnance of violence. As my students will tell you, I tend to embrace violence as a great storytelling device and an attention grabber. It’s not that I feel war is tedious with mundane details of forgettable military leaders and regimental formations. Like anything else: military history IS history. It deserves to be remembered, scrutinized, and finally judged like any other vein of historical inquiry. 

The real reason is I’m not good at it. And this is not for lack of trying, mind you. In my experience, it is difficult to express the subtle nuances of the battlefield with such a large cast of characters. For me, reflecting on the ramifications and atrocities that subsequently follow the bloodshed is much easier. Luckily for the historian full of bloodlust, there is a cornucopia of places to get a complete look at warfare. Heck, there is even an entire channel dedicated to military history. Full budgets with an excellent production value far outmatch your humble narrator. You might say they have a bit more firepower than myself.

With that being said, here is my deep dive into some of the most important battles during the American Civil War. If you feel lost, I apologize in advance. If you find yourself lost in the reeds, remember your guiding compass as a historian: Don’t ask “what” but ask “why.”

HIGHLIGHTS

• The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas, marked the first major land battle of the American Civil War. The Confederate victory gave the South a surge of confidence and shocked many in the North, who realized the North would not win the war as quickly as they had hoped.
• The South's defeat at Shiloh ended the Confederacy's hopes of blocking the Union's advance into Mississippi and doomed the Confederate military initiative in the West. With the loss of their commander, Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, in battle, Confederate morale plummeted
• The Union's claim of victory at Antietam and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation is thought to be why Republicans held the House in the 1862 mid-term elections. There has never been a bloodier day in American military history than September 17, 1862.
• The Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War. With more than 50,000 estimated casualties, the three-day engagement was the bloodiest single battle of the conflict. Gettysburg ended Confederate General Robert E. Lee's ambitious second quest to invade the North and bring the Civil War to a swift end. The loss there dashed the hopes of the Confederate States of America to become an independent nation.
• The Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi was the culmination of a long land and naval campaign by Union forces to capture a key strategic position during the American Civil War. 

CHAPTERS
 0:37  Intro
2:31 First Battle of Bull Run
7:44 Shiloh
13:18 Antietam
20:32 Gettysburg
25:14 Vicksburg
30:03 Outro

RESOURCES
First Battle of Bull Run
Shiloh Battle Facts and Summary 
Battle of Antietam
Gettysburg Battle Facts and Summary
Battle Of Vicksburg