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On September 13th John Horn talked to the Round TAlbe about "The Wilson-Kautz Raid, June-July 1864" For for Info: WWW.ChicagoCWRT.ORG Grant wasted no time after his Petersburg assaults of June 15-18, 1864, failed to capture the city. He launched his second offensive against Petersburg hours later. Among other things, he sent his cavalry on a raid to cut the Confederate railroads south of Petersburg. This would slow any reinforcements sent from the south and west to the enemy at Petersburg and Richmond. Grant also hoped that in case his infantry failed in its mission a lack of provisions would force the foe to abandon those cities. But at Petersburg Grant faced Lee and not Floyd as at Fort Donelson in 1862 or Pemberton as at Vicksburg in 1863. Lee, his cavalry commander Hampton, and Mahone smashed Grant's cavalry raiders at the battles of Sappony Church and First Reams Station. Born and reared in Chicago, John Horn has practiced law there since 1976. He has written three books and co-edited another about Petersburg, Virginia's soldiers, and the siege of that city. His most recent book, The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown's Hanging to Appomattox, 1859- 2 1861 (Savas Beatie), won the 2019 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award for Unit History. He has published articles in Civil War Times Illustrated, America's Civil War, Gettysburg Magazine, and North and South Magazine. He blogs at johnhorncivilwarauthor.blogspot.com.
Derrick and Darryl discuss the Stones River Campaign with author and historian Dan Masters. Dan is the author of the forthcoming book on Stones River entitled, Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Stones River Campaign, November 1862-January 1863, published by Savas Beatie. Check out Dan's blog at https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/ for amazing Civil War Content. In Part Three we discuss Dan's writing journey and the things he's learned along he way, as well as more of the fighting at the Round Forest, Carter Stevenson's division, and the real story behind the Battle of the Bands. Join our group on Facebook by searching for the Western Theater in the Civil War where we encourage you to ask questions and help others in their research and learning. On Twitter/X, search for @westerntheater, to stay up to date on the latest episodes. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ben-mcelroy/billy-on-the-hill License code: NBMDJ4UMTHN0AMDD
Derrick and Darryl discuss the Stones River Campaign with author and historian Dan Masters. Dan is the author of the forthcoming book on Stones River entitled, Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Stones River Campaign, November 1862-January 1863, published by Savas Beatie. Check out Dan's blog at https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/ for amazing Civil War content. In Part Two, we discussed the cavalry of both armies, the bloody actions on the 31st, the ill fated attack of the Orphan Brigade, and much more! Join our group on Facebook by searching for the Western Theater in the Civil War where we encourage you to ask questions and help others in their research and learning. On Twitter/X, search for @westerntheater, and on Instagram follow @kentuckycivilwar to stay up to date on the latest episodes. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ben-mcelroy/billy-on-the-hill License code: NBMDJ4UMTHN0AMDD
Derrick and Darryl discuss the Stones River Campaign with author and historian Dan Masters. Dan is the author of the forthcoming book on Stones River entitled, Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Stones River Campaign, November 1862-January 1863, published by Savas Beatie. Check out Dan's blog at https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/ for amazing Civil War content. In Part One, we discussed the two armies, their leaders, and what shape they were in prior to the Battle of Stones River, and why the battle was fought just outside of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Join our group on Facebook by searching for the Western Theater in the Civil War where we encourage you to ask questions and help others in their research and learning. On Twitter/X, search for @westerntheater, and on Instagram follow @kentuckycivilwar to stay up to date on the latest episodes. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ben-mcelroy/billy-on-the-hill License code: NBMDJ4UMTHN0AMDD
Author James McLean Jr. dropped in for his first podcast appearance to talk about his latest Savas-Beatie release, "The Bullets Flew Like Hail": Cutler's Brigade at Gettysburg, from McPherson's Ridge to Culp's Hill. The first day of the battle has, for too long, been brushed over for various reasons, but it is still a brutal day of fighting with many of the units involved being nearly destroyed. July 1, 1863 is held in the top 20 of single-day battle casualties. Cutler's Brigade is one unit that had a hard slog in the fight and James' book is about just that. Grab your copy here and be sure to let them know you heard about them on AG for a 20% discount. Support Addressing Gettysburg by becoming a Patron over at www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg. Here's what the different ranks get: Private- our heartfelt thanks and 20% off all items in our store, in perpetuity First Sergeant- same as above, plus you can submit questions for Ask A Gettysburg Guide episodes Sergeant-Major- all of the above plus two premium episodes per month 2nd Lieutenant- all of the above plus four premium episodes per month 1st Lieutenant- all of the above plus BTS videos, livestreams of recording sessions so you can get the information months ahead of everyone else as well as participate in the shows and more! All ranks get early access to and discounts on ticketed events. So, join the Officers' Club today!
Now and then, we're contacted by a listener who has done some work on his or her own gumption. Seeing as how we came out of nowhere, we like to shed a light on others who come out of nowhere, but do good work. Early in 2023, Ben Cwayna contacted us and we invited him on the show to join LBG Lewis Trott in an Ask A Guide about Perrin's Brigade Ben is proud graduate of Michigan State University where he graduated from both undergrad and laws school, Ben is a practicing attorney and managing partner in a law firm in Grand Ledge, Michigan. He is the proud father of his son, Grant, and has been an avid Civil War enthusiast for most of his 43 years. For the past 31 years, he has been an active member of the 12th South Carolina/4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Inc.; a dual impression living history organization and currently serves as its commanding officer. He has studied the 12th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry in depth since he was twelve years old and has written a regimental history entitled, “The Invincible Twelfth” which will be published by Savas Beatie. His next work will be focused on writing a command study of AP Hill's Third Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia. Ben is proud to have ancestors that fought on both sides of the conflict; one in the 111th Ohio and the other in the 7th Tennessee and 54th North Carolina. Support the Show by: Becoming a Patron- https://www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6394Y8C2XUH38 Grabbing some merch- https://www.addressinggettysburg.com/shop Getting a book- https://www.addressinggettysburg.com/books Joining our book club. Email addressinggettysburgbookclub@gmail.com Supporting Our Sponsors: You best be visiting our Studio Sponsor, The Gettysburg Museum of History- www.gettysburgmuseumofhistory.com The Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides https://gettysburgtourguides.org/albgseminar/ Mike Scott Voice- https://www.mikescottvoice.com The Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides- https://gettysburgtourguides.org/ Seminary Ridge Museum- https://www.seminaryridgemuseum.org/ For the Historian- Mention us for 20% off retail sales (in store) plus free shipping (online)- https://www.forthehistorian.com The Badgemaker- https://www.civilwarcorpsbadges.com Civil War Trails- https://www.civilwartrails.com Bantam Roasters Use "HANCOCK" for 10% off your order https://www.raggededgerc.com/ Buy Billy Webster's Album "Marching Through Georgia - https://billysongs.com Check out Jonathan Lucci's new novel: https://www.theheavensfalling.com/ Join the NACWM- https://www.nacwm.org/ Music possibly by: "Garryowen" by Billy Webster Camp Chase Fifes & Drums and our website is https://www.campchasefifesanddrums.org California Consolidated Drum Band check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/CCDrumBand Kevin MacLeod www.incompetech.com
Join author Jason Bohm for a discussion of his new book published by Savas Beatie, Washington's Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775-1777. Bohm's book examines the Marine Corps' humble beginnings and what it achieved during the early years of the American Revolution. Jason Bohm's eye-opening Washington's Marines tells of the Corps' origins and achievements in the early years of the Revolutionary War.
General Jason Q. Bohm (Maj. Gen., USMC) is the author of a recently published book entitled Washington's Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775-1777. In this interview, we discuss why and how the Marine Corps was founded on November 10, 1775. General Bohm explains that General Washington did not initially support the Marines. However, the Marines played a pivotal role during the “Ten Crucial Days.” This was the period from December 25, 1776, through January 3, 1777. It included key battles at Trenton, Assunpink Creek, and Princeton. The Marines' heroic actions and fighting spirit helped General Washington during one of the lowest points of the Revolutionary War. Furthermore, it firmly established the Marines' reputation as America's premiere fighting force. In this interview, we discuss the following: The Marines were supposed to be used for a naval campaign against the British in Halifax, Nova Scotia. General Bohm tells us why it never happened. Samuel Nicholas. We know him as our first commandant. Was he really commandant though? Who was this Philadelphia Quaker? Recruiting and retention. Who were the young men that came to Tun Tavern? And why Tun Tavern? The first Marine Corps deployment was to the Bahamas. Sounds like a nice deployment! But did the Marines know anything about amphibious operations in March 1776? The New York campaign and the events that led to the Continental Armies' low point in December 1776. The “Ten Crucial Days” included the Battles of Trenton, Assunpink Creek, and Princeton. The Marines played a critical role in helping Washington's army snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Implications for the current Marine Corps. What lessons can we learn from our Marine forefathers? Washington's Marines can be purchased through Savas Beatie or Amazon About the Author: General Jason Q. Bohm (Mag. Gen., USMC) is a Marine Corps infantryman with over 30 years of experience. General Bohm has served at every level from platoon commander to commanding general. His past assignments include strategic planner with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Director of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfighting School (EWS). He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing as well as master's degrees in military studies and in national security studies. General Bohm has written award-winning articles for the Marine Corps Gazette. He is also the author of From the Cold War to ISIL: One Marine's Journey (Naval Institute Press, 2019). General Bohm's first book is available on Amazon. Check out the website: www.professionalmilitaryeducation.com Revolutionary War and George Washington Tours in Alexandria, VA: www.alexandriahistorytours.com use promo code "pmecomplete" to get a 10% discount. If you like the podcast, please rate and review on iTunes, Spotify, or Audible. Don't forget to subscribe and be on the lookout for Part Three of the American Guerillas series.
Sean Michael Chick on “General P. G. T. Beauregard” For more information: WWW.ChicagoCWRT.Org In April, 1861, Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard shot into fame as the Confederate commander who commanded the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Often given high-level commands thereafter, a combination of ill-health, and disagreements with President Davis, limited his service thereafter, though he played a key role in the defense of both Charleston and Petersburg. This month, we will enjoy a presentation on this enigmatic and colorful general, a man whom his many admirers thought was a potential Napoleon. Few Civil War generals attracted as much debate and controversy as Beauregard. P. G. T. combined brilliance and charisma with arrogance and histrionics, the latter often alienating those he had to deal with. Sean Michael Chick graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Communications, and from Southeastern Louisiana University with a Master of Arts in History. He currently works in New Orleans, leading historic tours of his hometown and helping residents and visitors appreciate the city's past. He is also a board game designer, concentrating on the period of Western warfare from 1685-1866. His publications include The Battle of Petersburg, June 15-18, 1864 (Potomac Books, 2015) and Grant's Left Hook: The Bermuda Hundred Campaign, May 5-June 7, 1864 (Savas Beatie, 2021). His Dreams of Victory: General P.G.T. Beauregard in the Civil War (Savas Beatie, 2022) is the basis for this talk.
Dwight Hughes on “Unlike Anything That Ever Floated: The USS Monitor and the Battle of Hampton Roads” For more info: WWW.ChicagoCWRT.ORG The USS Monitor was an ingenious but hurried response to both the imminent threat of the Confederate ironclad, CSS Virginia (ex USS Merrimack), and to the growing prospect of international intervention backed by powerful British or French seagoing ironclads. The United States had no defenses against either menace. This presentation takes Monitor from her inception in the mind of her brilliant inventor through the dramatic first clash of ironclads at Hampton Roads. Dwight Hughes is a public historian, author, and speaker in Civil War naval history. Dwight graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1967 with a major in History and Government. He served twenty years as a Navy surface warfare officer on most of the world's oceans in ships ranging from destroyer to aircraft carrier and with river forces in Vietnam (Bronze Star for Meritorious Service, Purple Heart). Dwight is a contributing author at the Emerging Civil War blog and author of: A Confederate Biography: The Cruise of the CSS Shenandoah (Naval Institute Press, 2015), and Unlike Anything That Ever Floated: The Monitor and Virginia and the Battle Hampton Roads, March 8-9, 1862 (Savas Beatie, 2021) for the award-winning Emerging Civil War series. His new book as editor and contributor, The Civil War on the Water: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War (Savas Beatie), is due out in April 2023.
Today we sit down with Theodore P. Savas to discuss his Civil War publishing company and how to write, how to get published, his book collection, music, and much more!Savas Beatie: https://www.savasbeatie.com/Learn More: thecivilwarcenter.comGet early access to episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/civilwarcenter
General Sir William Howe launched his campaign to capture Philadelphia in late July 1777, with an army of 16,500 British and Hessian soldiers aboard a 265-ship armada sailing from New York. Six difficult weeks later, Howe’s expedition landed near Elkton, Maryland, and moved north into Pennsylvania. Washington’s rebel army did all it could to harass Howe and fought and lost a major battle at Brandywine on September 11. Philadelphia fell to the British. On October 4, obscured by darkness and a heavy morning fog, Washington launched a surprise attack on the British garrison at Germantown. His early attack found initial success and drove the British legions before him. The recapture of the colonial capital seemed within Washington’s grasp until poor decisions by the American high command brought about a reversal of fortune and a clear British victory. Like Brandywine, however, the bloody fight at Germantown proved that Continental soldiers could stand toe-to-toe with British Regulars. Michael C. Harris is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and the American Military University. He has worked for the National Park Service in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Fort Mott State Park in New Jersey, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission at Brandywine Battlefield. He has conducted tours and staff rides of many east coast battlefields. Michael is certified in secondary education and currently teaches in the Philadelphia region. Description courtesy of Savas Beatie.
Author Michael C. Harris discusses the battle of Germantown and his new book about the battle. Germantown a Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4th, 1777. Savas Beatie, 2020. Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for a full text transcript, pictures, maps, and more books by the author. Follow the podcast on Twitter @AmRevPodcast Join the Facebook group, American Revolution Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/132651894048271 Join the podcast mail list: https://mailchi.mp/d3445a9cd244/american-revolution-podcast-by-michael-troy
Author Michael C. Harris discusses the battle of Germantown and his new book about the battle. Germantown a Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4th, 1777. Savas Beatie, 2020. Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for a full text transcript, pictures, maps, and more books by the author. Follow the podcast on Twitter @AmRevPodcast Join the Facebook group, American Revolution Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/132651894048271 Join the podcast mail list: https://mailchi.mp/d3445a9cd244/american-revolution-podcast-by-michael-troy
On October 4, 1777 the Continental Army attacks the main British Army at Germantown, several days after the British occupied Philadelphia. General Washington attempts a complex four pronged assault on the British camp. The attack falls part as units get lost in the heavy fog and the attackers turn their focus on taking a stone house on the edge of the battlefield. This gives British forces time to rally and chase the Americans from the field. Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for more text, pictures, maps, and sources on this topic. Book Recommendation of the Week: Harris, Michael C. Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777, Savas Beatie, 2020. Online Recommendation of the Week: Lambdin, Alfred C. “Battle of Germantown.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 1, no. 4, 1877, pp. 368–403. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20084306 Also: FounderOfTheDay.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ3Gi2ZE_1piyX4aZ83cLbg
On October 4, 1777 the Continental Army attacks the main British Army at Germantown, several days after the British occupied Philadelphia. General Washington attempts a complex four pronged assault on the British camp. The attack falls part as units get lost in the heavy fog and the attackers turn their focus on taking a stone house on the edge of the battlefield. This gives British forces time to rally and chase the Americans from the field. Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for more text, pictures, maps, and sources on this topic. Book Recommendation of the Week: Harris, Michael C. Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777, Savas Beatie, 2020. Online Recommendation of the Week: Lambdin, Alfred C. “Battle of Germantown.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 1, no. 4, 1877, pp. 368–403. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20084306 Also: FounderOfTheDay.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ3Gi2ZE_1piyX4aZ83cLbg
General Charles Lee, second in command in the Continental Army led by George Washington, was captured by the British in December 1776. While a prisoner, he prepared and submitted to his captors a military plan on how to defeat Washington’s army as quickly as possible. This extraordinary act of treason, arguably on a par with Benedict Arnold’s heinous treachery, was not discovered during his lifetime. Many historians shrug off this ignoble act, but it should not be ignored. Less well known is that throughout his sixteen months of captivity and even after his release, Lee continued communicating with the enemy, offering to help negotiate an end to the rebellion. After Lee rejoined the Continental Army, he was given command of many of its best troops with orders from Washington to attack the rear of British General Henry Clinton’s column near Monmouth, New Jersey. Lee intended to attack on June 28, 1778, but retreated in the face of Clinton’s bold move to reverse his march. Two of Lee’s subordinate generals—without orders and without informing Lee—moved more than half of his command off the field. Faced with the possible destruction of the balance, Lee ordered a general retreat while conducting a skillful delaying action. Many historians have been quick to malign Lee’s performance at Monmouth, for which he was convicted by court-martial for not attacking and for retreating in the face of the enemy. This was a miscarriage of justice, stresses McBurney, for the evidence clearly shows that Lee was unfairly convicted and had, in fact, by retreating, performed an important service to the Patriot cause. The guilty verdict was more the result of Lee’s having insulted Washington, which made the matter a political contest between the army’s two top generals—only one of them could prevail. Christian McBurney has written five books on the American Revolutionary War, including 'Kidnapping the Enemy: The Special Operations to Capture Generals Charles Lee & Richard Prescott'. His published articles include one in MHQ: The Journal of Military History, on the British attempt to abduct George Washington, which was nominated by the U.S. Army Historical Foundation as best magazine article for 2017. He also publishes Rhode Island’s leading history blog (www.smallstatebighistory.com). He is an attorney in Washington, D.C. Description courtesy of Savas Beatie.
"Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken" focuses on the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg and addresses how Maj. Gen. George G. Meade organized and motivated his Army of the Potomac in response to President Abraham Lincoln’s mandate to bring about the “literal or substantial destruction” of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s retreating Army of Northern Virginia. As far as the president was concerned, if Meade aggressively pursued and confronted Lee before he could escape across the flooded Potomac River, “the rebellion would be over.” The long and bloody three-day battle exhausted both armies. Their respective commanders faced difficult tasks, including the rallying of their troops for more marching and fighting. Lee had to keep his army organized and motivated enough to conduct an orderly withdrawal away from the field. Meade faced the same organizational and motivational challenges, while assessing the condition of his victorious but heavily damaged army, to determine if it had sufficient strength to pursue and crush a still-dangerous enemy. Central to the respective commanders’ decisions was the information they received from their intelligence-gathering resources about the movements, intentions, and capability of the enemy. The eleven-day period after Gettysburg was a battle of wits to determine which commander better understood the information he received, and directed the movements of his army accordingly. Richard R. Schaus, Sergeant Major, U.S. Army (Ret.), served on active duty for more than 30 years in a variety of army and joint military intelligence assignments both at home and abroad. Rick is a lifelong student of the Civil War and American military history in general, and the Gettysburg Campaign in particular. Description courtesy of Savas Beatie.
The Civil War was the first conflict in which railroads played a major role. The Cumberland Valley Railroad, for example, played an important strategic role by connecting Hagerstown, Maryland to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Its location enhanced its importance during some of the Civil War’s most critical campaigns. Because of its proximity to major cities in the Eastern Theater, the Cumberland Valley Railroad was an enticing target for Confederate leaders. As invading armies jostled for position, the CVRR’s valuable rolling stock was never far from their minds. Northern military and railway officials, who knew the line was a prized target, coordinated—and just as often butted heads—in a series of efforts to ensure the railroad’s prized resources remained out of enemy hands. When they failed to protect the line, as they sometimes did, Southern horsemen wrought havoc on the Northern war effort by tearing up its tracks, seizing or torching Union supplies, and laying waste to warehouses, engine houses, and passenger depots. The line was under direct threat by invading Confederates during the Antietam Campaign, and the following summer suffered serious damage during the Gettysburg Campaign. In 1864, Rebel raiders burned much of its headquarters town, Chambersburg, including the homes of many CVRR employees. The railroad was as vital to residents of the bustling and fertile Cumberland Valley as it was to the Union war effort. Scott Mingus, a scientist and consultant in the global pulp & paper industry, holds patents in self-adhesive postage stamps and bar code labels. The Ohio native graduated from the Paper Science & Engineering program at Miami University. He has written 19 Civil War and Underground Railroad books. Cooper Wingert is the author of a dozen books and numerous articles on slavery and the American Civil War. A Pennsylvania native, Wingert is currently a student at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Description courtesy of Savas Beatie.
On July 2, 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered skeptical subordinate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet to launch a massive assault against the Union left flank. The offensive was intended to seize the Peach Orchard and surrounding ground along the Emmitsburg Road for use as an artillery position to support the ongoing attack. However, Union Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles, a scheming former congressman from New York, misinterpreted his orders and occupied the orchard first. What followed was some of Gettysburg’s bloodiest and most controversial fighting. General Sickles’s questionable advance forced Longstreet’s artillery and infantry to fight for every inch of ground to Cemetery Ridge. The Confederate attack crushed the Peach Orchard salient and other parts of the Union line, threatening the left flank of Maj. Gen. George Meade’s army. The command decisions made in and around the Sherfy property influenced actions on every part of the battlefield. The occupation of the high ground at the Peach Orchard helped General Lee rationalize ordering the tragic July 3 assault known as “Pickett’s Charge.” James Hessler is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg. He is the award-winning author of Sickles at Gettysburg and and co-author of Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. He lives with his wife and family in Gettysburg. Britt Isenberg is a full-time Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park since 2014. He has been published in several Civil War periodicals through writing and photography, and is the author of The Boys Fought Like Demons, a regimental history of the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry. Originally from Millersburg, PA, he resides with his wife and daughter near Gettysburg. Description courtesy of Savas Beatie.
The bloodstains are gone, but the worn floorboards remain. The doctors, nurses, and patients who toiled and suffered and ached for home at the Army of the Potomac’s XI Corps hospital at the George Spangler Farm in Gettysburg have long since departed. Happily, though, their stories remain, and noted journalist and George Spangler Farm expert Ronald D. Kirkwood brings these people and their experiences to life in “Too Much for Human Endurance”: The George Spangler Farm Hospitals and the Battle of Gettysburg. Using a massive array of firsthand accounts, Kirkwood re-creates the sprawling XI Corps hospital complex and the people who labored and suffered there—especially George and Elizabeth Spangler and their four children, who built a thriving 166-acre farm only to witness it nearly destroyed when war paid them a bloody visit that summer of 1863. Stories rarely if ever told of nurses, surgeons, ambulance workers, musicians, teenage fighters, and others. Kirkwood also establishes the often-overlooked strategic importance of the property and its key role in the Union victory. Army of the Potomac generals took advantage of the farm’s size, access to roads, and central location to use it as a staging area to get artillery and infantry to the embattled front line from Little Round Top north to Cemetery Hill just in time to prevent its collapse and a Confederate breakthrough. Ronald Kirkwood is retired after a 40-year career as an editor and writer in newspapers and magazines including USA TODAY, the Baltimore Sun, the Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News, and the York (PA) Daily Record. Kirkwood has been a Gettysburg Foundation docent at The George Spangler Farm Field Hospital Site since it opened in 2013, and he explores the Gettysburg battlefield dozens of times a year. Ronald and his wife, Barbara, live in York. They have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren. Description courtesy of Savas Beatie.
August 27, 2018 - Our time machine whirls us back to the Civil War sickbed of 12-year-old LeRoy Wiley Gresham. This young voice of the Old South in Macon, Georgia -- rendered an invalid after a mysterious accident, and ignorant of the tuberculosis marching him towards an early grave -- left us the only diary of a male, teenage non-combatant. Savas Beatie LLC, "Publisher of Historical Titles of Distinction," brings us this poignant, insightful and witty diary for the very first time, edited by Janet E. Croon. The book is The War Outside My Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865. Our guest is Theodore P. Savas -- attorney, author, publishing consultant, agent, and the managing director of Savas Beatie. Ted acquired the diaries and did what historians thought impossible: Added a fresh new voice to our understanding of the Civil War. On top of The War Outside My Window, LeRoy's first-person description of spinal tuberculosis is also the only record of its kind in the world. You can deliver into that story in the companion book, I Am Perhaps Dying: The Medical Backstory of Spinal Tuberculosis Hidden in the Civil War Diary of Leroy Wiley Gresham, by Dennis A. Rasbach MD FACS and Janet Croon. You can also visit the Gresham home where LeRoy lived, wrote, and died at The 1842 Inn. Visit SavasBeatie.com for details, follow them on Twitter at SavasBeattieLLC, and find Janet Croon's reflections at TheWarOutsideMyWindow.blogspot.com or Facebook.com/LeRoyWileyGresham. Check out our interviews with these other fine Savas Beatie authors: · Gene Barr -- A Civil War Captain and His Lady: Love, Courtship, and Combat from Fort Donelson through the Vicksburg Campaign. · Noah Andre Trudeau -- Lincoln’s Greatest Journey: Sixteen Days that Changed a Presidency, March 24 – April 8, 1865. · Stephen Davis -- A Long and Bloody Task: The Atlanta Campaign from Dalton through Kennesaw to the Chattahoochee, May 5-July 18, 1864, and its companion paperback, All the Fighting They Want: The Atlanta Campaign from Peach Tree Creek to the City’s Surrender, July 18-September 2, 1864.
Sam talks with Jan Croon, the editor of "The War Outside My Window - The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865." The book is an annotated version of the diary kept by a bedridden young Georgian who related his experiences in Georgia during the war years while suffering a crippling medical condition. The book is published by Savas Beatie and provides a unique firsthand account of events during the Civil War.
Sit alongside a disabled teenage Southerner as he records his experience in The War Outside My Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865 (Savas Beatie, 2018). This unique document—rare for its teenager’s perspective, rare for its register of daily pain across five years—is a testament to what it means to watch the world of the Confederacy slowly fall as one’s body fails, too. LeRoy Gresham, from Macon, Georgia, began writing his diary at twelve years old. His leg had been smashed by falling rubble from a chimney of a burned-out house that he and friends were exploring. LeRoy writes daily, most often from a reclined position and with a mind full of good humor and acid wit. Snark lurks quietly in his words. He covers the goings on of his home, family, slaves, and the people who pass through town and his house, as well as what he reads in newspapers and in a never-ending stream of novels. The war proceeds with fits and starts, and he adds his cheers for the Confederacy, until, finally, the dream of that nation comes to an end, and he also dies, at the age of seventeen. The cause, it is today decided in a detailed medical afterward written by a specialist in nineteenth-century medicine, was spinal tuberculosis, something much more insidious than a broken leg. Janet Elizabeth Croon—recently retired from teaching International Baccalaureate History in Fairfax County, Virginia—has transcribed, edited, and annotated the diary, and provides detailed information about the people around LeRoy, as well as the results of battles and the realities of his ailments at which he could only guess. Listen to my conversation with Janet as we talk about how the not so trivial details of food and weather and playing chess become momentous in his felt understanding of the world. Although he could see his body deteriorate, the point of LeRoy’s own written record is that the experience of pain is never completely localizable. The more his body was down, the more his ears were perked, receptive to the latest vagaries of the time. One of the ongoing themes in our conversation is that LeRoy’s physical separation from the fight opened a wider space to consider it, inciting much laughter at his own predicament (and the country’s), and a deep absorption of the trials and joys around him. Eventually his thoughts on the talents and blunders of the war’s commanders and his thoughts on his daily pain become one. He comes to an end, and the world has changed. Michael Amico holds a PhD in American Studies from Yale University. His dissertation, The Forgotten Union of the Two Henrys: A History of the “Peculiar and Rarest Intimacy” of the American Civil War, is about the romance between Henry Clay Trumbull and Henry Ward Camp of the Tenth Connecticut Regiment. He will be a Researcher at the Center for the History of Emotions in Berlin beginning this fall. He is the author, with Michael Bronski and Ann Pellegrini, of “You Can Tell Just by Looking”: And 20 Other Myths about LGBT Life and People (Beacon, 2013), a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Nonfiction. He can be reached at mjamico@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sit alongside a disabled teenage Southerner as he records his experience in The War Outside My Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865 (Savas Beatie, 2018). This unique document—rare for its teenager’s perspective, rare for its register of daily pain across five years—is a testament to what it means to watch the world of the Confederacy slowly fall as one’s body fails, too. LeRoy Gresham, from Macon, Georgia, began writing his diary at twelve years old. His leg had been smashed by falling rubble from a chimney of a burned-out house that he and friends were exploring. LeRoy writes daily, most often from a reclined position and with a mind full of good humor and acid wit. Snark lurks quietly in his words. He covers the goings on of his home, family, slaves, and the people who pass through town and his house, as well as what he reads in newspapers and in a never-ending stream of novels. The war proceeds with fits and starts, and he adds his cheers for the Confederacy, until, finally, the dream of that nation comes to an end, and he also dies, at the age of seventeen. The cause, it is today decided in a detailed medical afterward written by a specialist in nineteenth-century medicine, was spinal tuberculosis, something much more insidious than a broken leg. Janet Elizabeth Croon—recently retired from teaching International Baccalaureate History in Fairfax County, Virginia—has transcribed, edited, and annotated the diary, and provides detailed information about the people around LeRoy, as well as the results of battles and the realities of his ailments at which he could only guess. Listen to my conversation with Janet as we talk about how the not so trivial details of food and weather and playing chess become momentous in his felt understanding of the world. Although he could see his body deteriorate, the point of LeRoy’s own written record is that the experience of pain is never completely localizable. The more his body was down, the more his ears were perked, receptive to the latest vagaries of the time. One of the ongoing themes in our conversation is that LeRoy’s physical separation from the fight opened a wider space to consider it, inciting much laughter at his own predicament (and the country’s), and a deep absorption of the trials and joys around him. Eventually his thoughts on the talents and blunders of the war’s commanders and his thoughts on his daily pain become one. He comes to an end, and the world has changed. Michael Amico holds a PhD in American Studies from Yale University. His dissertation, The Forgotten Union of the Two Henrys: A History of the “Peculiar and Rarest Intimacy” of the American Civil War, is about the romance between Henry Clay Trumbull and Henry Ward Camp of the Tenth Connecticut Regiment. He will be a Researcher at the Center for the History of Emotions in Berlin beginning this fall. He is the author, with Michael Bronski and Ann Pellegrini, of “You Can Tell Just by Looking”: And 20 Other Myths about LGBT Life and People (Beacon, 2013), a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Nonfiction. He can be reached at mjamico@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sit alongside a disabled teenage Southerner as he records his experience in The War Outside My Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865 (Savas Beatie, 2018). This unique document—rare for its teenager’s perspective, rare for its register of daily pain across five years—is a testament to what it means to watch the world of the Confederacy slowly fall as one’s body fails, too. LeRoy Gresham, from Macon, Georgia, began writing his diary at twelve years old. His leg had been smashed by falling rubble from a chimney of a burned-out house that he and friends were exploring. LeRoy writes daily, most often from a reclined position and with a mind full of good humor and acid wit. Snark lurks quietly in his words. He covers the goings on of his home, family, slaves, and the people who pass through town and his house, as well as what he reads in newspapers and in a never-ending stream of novels. The war proceeds with fits and starts, and he adds his cheers for the Confederacy, until, finally, the dream of that nation comes to an end, and he also dies, at the age of seventeen. The cause, it is today decided in a detailed medical afterward written by a specialist in nineteenth-century medicine, was spinal tuberculosis, something much more insidious than a broken leg. Janet Elizabeth Croon—recently retired from teaching International Baccalaureate History in Fairfax County, Virginia—has transcribed, edited, and annotated the diary, and provides detailed information about the people around LeRoy, as well as the results of battles and the realities of his ailments at which he could only guess. Listen to my conversation with Janet as we talk about how the not so trivial details of food and weather and playing chess become momentous in his felt understanding of the world. Although he could see his body deteriorate, the point of LeRoy’s own written record is that the experience of pain is never completely localizable. The more his body was down, the more his ears were perked, receptive to the latest vagaries of the time. One of the ongoing themes in our conversation is that LeRoy’s physical separation from the fight opened a wider space to consider it, inciting much laughter at his own predicament (and the country’s), and a deep absorption of the trials and joys around him. Eventually his thoughts on the talents and blunders of the war’s commanders and his thoughts on his daily pain become one. He comes to an end, and the world has changed. Michael Amico holds a PhD in American Studies from Yale University. His dissertation, The Forgotten Union of the Two Henrys: A History of the “Peculiar and Rarest Intimacy” of the American Civil War, is about the romance between Henry Clay Trumbull and Henry Ward Camp of the Tenth Connecticut Regiment. He will be a Researcher at the Center for the History of Emotions in Berlin beginning this fall. He is the author, with Michael Bronski and Ann Pellegrini, of “You Can Tell Just by Looking”: And 20 Other Myths about LGBT Life and People (Beacon, 2013), a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Nonfiction. He can be reached at mjamico@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sit alongside a disabled teenage Southerner as he records his experience in The War Outside My Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865 (Savas Beatie, 2018). This unique document—rare for its teenager’s perspective, rare for its register of daily pain across five years—is a testament to what it means to watch the world of the Confederacy slowly fall as one’s body fails, too. LeRoy Gresham, from Macon, Georgia, began writing his diary at twelve years old. His leg had been smashed by falling rubble from a chimney of a burned-out house that he and friends were exploring. LeRoy writes daily, most often from a reclined position and with a mind full of good humor and acid wit. Snark lurks quietly in his words. He covers the goings on of his home, family, slaves, and the people who pass through town and his house, as well as what he reads in newspapers and in a never-ending stream of novels. The war proceeds with fits and starts, and he adds his cheers for the Confederacy, until, finally, the dream of that nation comes to an end, and he also dies, at the age of seventeen. The cause, it is today decided in a detailed medical afterward written by a specialist in nineteenth-century medicine, was spinal tuberculosis, something much more insidious than a broken leg. Janet Elizabeth Croon—recently retired from teaching International Baccalaureate History in Fairfax County, Virginia—has transcribed, edited, and annotated the diary, and provides detailed information about the people around LeRoy, as well as the results of battles and the realities of his ailments at which he could only guess. Listen to my conversation with Janet as we talk about how the not so trivial details of food and weather and playing chess become momentous in his felt understanding of the world. Although he could see his body deteriorate, the point of LeRoy’s own written record is that the experience of pain is never completely localizable. The more his body was down, the more his ears were perked, receptive to the latest vagaries of the time. One of the ongoing themes in our conversation is that LeRoy’s physical separation from the fight opened a wider space to consider it, inciting much laughter at his own predicament (and the country’s), and a deep absorption of the trials and joys around him. Eventually his thoughts on the talents and blunders of the war’s commanders and his thoughts on his daily pain become one. He comes to an end, and the world has changed. Michael Amico holds a PhD in American Studies from Yale University. His dissertation, The Forgotten Union of the Two Henrys: A History of the “Peculiar and Rarest Intimacy” of the American Civil War, is about the romance between Henry Clay Trumbull and Henry Ward Camp of the Tenth Connecticut Regiment. He will be a Researcher at the Center for the History of Emotions in Berlin beginning this fall. He is the author, with Michael Bronski and Ann Pellegrini, of “You Can Tell Just by Looking”: And 20 Other Myths about LGBT Life and People (Beacon, 2013), a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Nonfiction. He can be reached at mjamico@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices