The Railsplitter: The Abraham Lincoln Podcast

This week we discuss the film, The Conspirator, in collaboration with Civil War Breakfast Club podcast. It was directed by Robert Redford and premiered in 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival (with a wider release in 2011.)

This week on the show we finish our discussion of the CNN Original Series "Lincoln: Divided We Stand" and mention a few news items as well.

On this week's show we discuss Lincoln's first Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, and the events that led to his "firing."

This week we discuss the first two episodes of the CNN Original Series "Lincoln: Divided We Stand".

This week we discuss books we read in 2020 and books we are looking forward to (that are being published in 2021).

This week we discuss the attack on the US Capitol and how it connects back to Lincoln and the Civil War.

It's time for our annual Holiday episode! We hope everyone has a safe and healthy holiday season and wish all of our listeners the very best in 2021.

We discuss the transition of power between Buchanan & Lincoln which was undoubtedly a challenging one. EDITOR'S NOTE: We had some issues with mics during this episode so the sound quality isn't as good as I would have liked it to be. I'll work on correcting this for the next episode.

"..of the people, by the people..." This week we discuss the Gettysburg Address on its 157th anniversary.

This week we are focused on the election and apply what we have learned about Lincoln and how it relates to 2020.

This week we discuss the recent activity surrounding the Supreme Court of the United States and as it was during Lincoln's presidency.

This week we discuss Lincoln and the year 1862 which was his 2020. Also, we introduce the first ever Railsplitter dad joke (thanks, Jeremy).

This week we take a look at a wide variety of Lincoln news from the last month or so including the good, the weird, the bad and the ugly. 

This week we diverge from Lincoln and history to discuss the current state of things in the United States. 

We're back at it after a month-long summer break to bring you the conclusion of our discussion on Lincoln's secretaries. This episode is all about John M. Hay.

This week we talk about the 54th Massachusetts and the movie "Glory" with our guest Darin. 

This week we dive into our 4th and final installment of this edition of The Railsplitter Book Club with Chapter 10 and the epilogue of James McPherson's "Tried by War".

This week we conclude our discussion on the Vicksburg Campaign and what it meant to the outcome of the Civil War. We even get into a little East vs. West!

This week we discuss the current state of Confederate monuments and statues in America.

This week we are joined by Nathan Raab, author of, "The Hunt for History." He is a principal at the Raab Collection, a historian, an expert in authenticity, a consultant, and a dealer in important historical documents.

This week we discuss HISTORY's three-night miniseries, “Grant.”

This week we continue with The Railsplitter Book Club by discussing chapters 7 - 9 of James McPherson's "Tried by War".

This week we welcome Christian McWhirter back to the show. He tells us how the ALPLM is faring during the pandemic, what he's been working on as well as an article he wrote that was in the Chicago Sun-Times. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/4/30/21242933/civil-ward-family-households-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-lincoln-library-museum-christian-mcwhirter  

This week we begin a two-part series on Abraham Lincoln's private secretaries, starting with John G. Nicolay.

Earlier this week, #45 was interviewed at the Lincoln Memorial and we thought that warranted some discussion.

This week we continue with The Railsplitter Book Club by discussing chapters 4 - 6 of James McPherson's "Tried by War".

In typical Railsplitter fashion we go off the rails and discuss the trailer for the upcoming miniseries, "Grant" which premieres on May 25. We'll get to the book club in our next episode.

Our lives in quarantine seem unstructured and so does this episode. We needed a night to just talk about whatever Lincoln-related topics popped into our heads.

Our third installment of The Railsplitter Book Club kicks off with discussing chapters 1 - 3 of James McPherson's "Tried by War".

As the world navigates its way through the current COVID-19 pandemic, we welcome Dr. David J. Kent back to the show to share his insights on various illnesses that President Lincoln suffered from through the years. https://www.facebook.com/DavidJKentWriter/

Looking for something to do with your kids? Here's a few book recommendations if you're stuck inside during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing can be tough and unfortunately it is absolutely necessary right now. We have something that can help foster a sense of community and that is the Railsplitter Book Club! We share our picks and just need our listeners to vote.

This week we begin our discussion of the Vicksburg Campaign. We talk about the importance of this fortified city as well as the early struggles by the Union to secure it.

This week we discuss the trailer for a Grant documentary that has disappeared from YouTube as well as some sketches of Lincoln by cartoonist, Thomas Nast, that were discovered.

In this episode we talk about General Sherman's bi-centennial and Lincoln's birthday - what presents would we get him? 

This week we are joined by Lincoln aficionado and photographer, Dave Weigers! He has managed to combine his two hobbies and in this episode we talk about photographing Lincoln statues.

This week we welcome Ben Frail, who is a Civil War reenactor, to the show. We talk reenacting, the history of the 2nd Rhode Island as well as bringing history to the younger generation. 

In this episode, we tie in the modern day as well as looking at the historical - the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson.   

We are back with our first episode of 2020! The famous hat makes a reappearance and we discuss books we read in 2019 and ones we want to read this year.

In our second episode about photography we are joined by former White House photographer, Pete Souza, as he chats with us about Presidential photography, the White House, and much more. Enjoy! instagram.com/petesouza

Just a quick episode to reflect on 2019 and a look ahead to 2020. Thanks to all of our listeners for joining us on this journey!

In this episode we talk about Civil War photography in relation to Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner.

In this episode, we discuss the final two battles that would see the Union secure Chattanooga - Missionary Ridge and Ringgold Gap.

We're back with the Chattanooga campaign and in this episode we discuss the military situation plus the first battle that leads to the Union finally gaining control over the city.

This week we chat with Dr. Tom Peet, who is the co-author of a Lincoln resource titled, "Reading Lincoln: An Annotated Bibliography" that is a must-have for anyone who studies the 16th president.

In this episode, we discuss two other important women in the life of Abraham Lincoln: Anne Rutledge and Mary Owens. 

We have a couple of news items to share and also discuss Arizona's connection to Lincoln and the Civil War.

This week we are joined by Jan Jacobi, author of "Young Lincoln," a Nautilus Book Award winner. We hope you enjoy this fun and informative interview!

This week we are joined by special guest Bjorn Skaptason from the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago. alincolnbookshop.com

This week we conclude our discussion on the Battle of Chickamauga including its aftermath.

This week marks the 156th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga and we spend this episode talking about the leadup, Chattanooga's strategic importance to both the Union and the Confederacy as well as the events of September 18, 1863; the first day of the battle.