Tales of American History

Listen to distinguished Civil War historian Bell Irvin Wiley on the 99th Anniversary of the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky give a speech about the battle, on the battlefield, where, he relates, he flew by helicopter, accompanied by Kentucky Governor Bert Combs and military personnel! This talk, from 1961, captures the lives of "Billy Yank" and "Johnny Reb," during the American Civil War. Among Wiley's many published books, his most noted works were his volumes on the daily lives and activities of the common soldier in the Civil War. What you will hear is one of the most captivating Civil War stories ever, a tale told well by Bell I. Wiley, a 1928 graduate of Asbury College, where he obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees, proceeding to Yale University to obtain his doctorate in American History. Listen and enjoy!

Listen in while Kent Masterson Brown interviews Cameron Sauers, University of Kentucky doctoral candidate, on his research concerning F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary themes about American memory and the Civil War.  Enjoy!

Listen while Dr. Noe, Emeritus Professor of History at Auburn, discusses with Kent Masterson Brown Noe's fascinating study of weather and climate as agents alongside armies in battle in the Civil War, affecting unpredictable battle outcomes.

Listen while Kent Masterson Brown describes the life of Zachary Taylor, a Kentuckian through and through. General Taylor was known as "Old Rough & Ready" by his men in the military; in his remarkable lifetime, he became the 12th President of the United States in 1848.

Listen while Mel Hankla joins Kent Masterson Brown to discuss his book, "Into the Bluegrass: Art and Artistry of Kentucky's Historic Icons," an incredible publication about the cultural fabric of Early Kentucky as shown in its art and artifacts, such as the Kentucky longrifle, pottery, silver, and furniture.

Listen while Kent Masterson Brown is interviewed about the latest WHEF project, "The shot heard 'round the world: The Coming of the Revolution, Colonial America to 1775."

Listen while Kent Masterson Brown and his guest Jon Park discuss Jon's boyhood growing up in Springfield, Illinois, in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln, and why a life imbued with history brings meaning and depth to the human experience.  Jon is the Chairman of the Kentucky Independence Semiquincentennial Commission, in anticipation of celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence.  Kent is a member of the Commission as well, and he and Jon discuss some ideas for Kentucky's celebration. Enjoy!

Listen as Kent interviews Steve Phan, Acting Chief Interpreter for Camp Nelson, Nicholasville, Kentucky.  Steve come to us from the National Park Services Defenses of Washington, and WHEF is thrilled to welcome him to Kentucky and to herald the work going on at Camp Nelson.

Listen to Kent Masterson Brown describe the plight of the Union Army for the twenty-one months before the Battle of Gettysburg, and give you a sneak peek of one of the themes from his new book, "Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command," available from the University of North Carolina Press in June 2021.

Dr. Amy Murell Taylor discusses with Kent Masterson Brown the fascinating stories of the legal ambiguities surrounding slaves during the Civil War, especially in Union-occupied Central Kentucky.  Dr. Taylor is a Professor of History at the University of Kentucky where she was honored with a “Great Teacher Award” from the U.K. Alumni Association.  Dr. Taylor’s research interests are in the area of the Civil War and Reconstruction in the South.  Her recent book, “Embattled Freedom: Journeys through the Civil War’s Slave Refugee Camps” was published in 2018 by UNC Press and has won many national awards.

Dr. Christopher Phillips is the John and Dorothy Hermanies Professor of American History and the University Distinguished Research Professor in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Cincinnati.  His research interests are in the area of the Civil War and Reconstruction - in the South and West, especially the border States and he is the author/editor of eight books on slavery, emancipation, the Civil War, and memory.

Kent talks with Wayne Motts, Chief Executive Officer of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Wayne will talk about the museum and its vast collection of remarkable artifacts from all theatres of the American Civil War.

Kent Masterson Brown talks with Ronald F. Maxwell, one of America’s most noted independent film writers and directors.  Along with The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia and Parent Trap, Ron is best known for the films  Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, and Copperhead.

Kent Masterson Brown, President of the Witnessing History Education Foundation, Inc., and current President of the Kentucky Civil War Roundtable, tells its story as the second oldest and largest civil war roundtable in the United States.  This episode includes an excerpt from the speech of William H. Townsend, the very first President of the Kentucky Civil War Roundtable, as he addressed the Chicago Roundtable in October 1952 about Cassius Marcellus Clay.

Listen as Kent Masterson Brown describes his work on the forthcoming Witnessing History Education Foundation production, In the Declaration all men are created equal: Abraham Lincoln in Illinois, 1830 to 1860.

Exploring an untold story of the American Civil War, Kent Masterson Brown talks with eminent Civil War author and historian, Brian Steel Wills, about his book, Inglorious Passages: Noncombat Deaths in the American Civil War, which brings to light the stories of non-combat deaths and the grave toll those deaths took on soldiers and civilians from 1861 to 1865. Brian Steel Wills is the Director of the Center for the Study of the Civil War Era and Professor of History at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Kent Masterson Brown talks with American Civil War author and historian, A. Wilson Greene, about his latest book, A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg, the first of three volumes on the Petersburg Campaign published by the University of North Carolina Press.

Listen to the tale of Colonel Eugene Erwin, Henry Clay's grandson, who was killed at Vicksburg fighting for the Confederacy, and Josephine Russell, his wife, who, after the war, became the first and greatest woman horse breeder in the world.