Season 3, Episode 54 After Grant’s army moved on from Pittsburg Landing, the horrors of the battle remained for the people living there. Focusing primarily on the story of nine-year-old Elsie Duncan, Chris recounts the terrible years that followed the Battle of Shiloh for the civilians left in its wake. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC. Subscribe today at Spotify, Google Play, iTunes, SoundCloud, Sti...
May 01, 2019•Season 3Ep. 92
This episode features a talk Chris Calton gave to Auburn’s Young Americans for Liberty on April 20, as part of the Reclamation of Liberties event. In the talk, Chris offers an overview of the history of the governmental efforts to stigmatize marijuana in order to justify criminalization and draconian enforcement policies. He traces the changing narrative and strategies for propaganda to illustrate the evolution of propaganda over time, providing insight into how the government and media work tog...
Apr 25, 2019•Season 1Ep. 91
Season 3, Episode 53 "Professor CJ" of the Dangerous History Podcast joins Chris Calton to tell the story of Shiloh from the perspective of two soldiers, from their own personal memoirs of the battle. One story follows the experiences of Henry Morton Stanley, a twenty-one-year-old Confederate. The other story involves the sixteen-year-old John Cockerill, a Union drummer boy. These two eloquently written memoirs illustrate the true history of the Civil War better than any account of officer death...
Apr 18, 2019•Season 3Ep. 90
Season 3, Episode 52 The second day of battle brought fresh Union soldiers to the battlefield. They could hardly comprehend the destruction they witnessed from the day before. The bloodshed resumed until the overwhelmed Confederates were forced to retreat to Corinth. This episode also tells the oft-neglected story of the Battle of Fallen Timbers, in which William Tecumseh Sherman and Nathan Bedford Forrest met each other in battle. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War...
Apr 10, 2019•Season 3Ep. 89
Season 3, Episode 51 As the Union line fell back, they condensed at the bottom of a ravine. As the thousands of soldiers in each army crowded in to fight in the narrowest portion of the battlefield, the area earned the nickname “The Hornet’s Nest.” Before the day was done, thousands of men would fall, including the highest ranking officer to lose his life during the entire war. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org...
Apr 05, 2019•Season 3Ep. 88
Season 3, Episode 50 At the beginning of the Battle of Shiloh, the Confederacy caught the Union by surprise. However, one Union Colonel suspected that an attack was coming, and he formed his men into a defensive line that bought the rest of the Union troops time to join the fight. Instead of a quick Confederate victory, both armies faced a bloody battle of attrition. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC....
Mar 27, 2019•Season 3Ep. 87
Season 3, Episode 49 Following the victories at Forts Henry and Donelson, Grant’s commanding officer still wanted to remove him from command. During this time, he formed a strong friendship with William Tecumseh Sherman. As the Union army was amassing troops at Pittsburg Landing, the Confederate forces in the West were concentrating at Corinth. The Confederates decided that they should take the initiative in the coming battle. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You...
Mar 20, 2019•Season 3Ep. 86
Season 3, Episode 48 While Confederates were facing disaster at Leetown, General Van Dorn and his Confederates at Elkhorn Tavern were fighting the Union forces with more success. But after pushing the Union forces back on the first day of fighting, they found out that they would not be reinforced by General Ben McCulloch’s 7,000 man division. This two-day battle is often overshadowed by other battles that were fought shortly before and after it, but at the time it took place, the Battle of Pea R...
Mar 13, 2019•Season 3Ep. 85
Season 3, Episode 47 The Battle of Pea Ridge was fought on two fronts, one at Leetown, and the other at Elkhorn Tavern. The combat at Leetown was led by Ben McCulloch, who commanded a force that greatly outnumbered the Union opponents. But due to a series of unfortunate disasters, the Confederate assault would fall apart, demonstrating what is likely the greatest example of a breakdown in leadership during the entire war. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may ...
Mar 06, 2019•Season 3Ep. 84
Season 3, Episode 46 After Grant pushes the Confederates back to Fort Donelson, the southern leaders had to decide whether to attempt escape or surrender. Ultimately, the surrender was carried out in a way that created scandal for the Confederate leaders who did manage to escape, and it gave Grant the opening to earn his nickname in the North: “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/S...
Feb 27, 2019•Season 3Ep. 83
Season 3, Episode 45 The Battle of Fort Donelson would take place over several days. Waged from two fronts, the land and the river, the battle would seem to be turning in favor of the Confederates. While Ulysses S. Grant was off the battlefield consulting with the naval commander, Captain Foote, the Confederates would push the Union back, opening the door for escape. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC....
Feb 20, 2019•Season 3Ep. 82
Season 3, Episode 44 By taking Fort Henry, Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Hull Foote gained access to the Tennessee River. This waterway gave them access to the Confederate heartland, and by taking the Fort, they were able to probe deep into Alabama. This earned the Union a bounty of new supplies, and also struck a tremendous psychological blow against the Confederates in the Deep South who believed that they were, up to that point, secure from Yankee invasion. Chris Calton recounts the controversi...
Feb 13, 2019•Season 3Ep. 81
Season 3, Episode 43 As Lincoln grew impatient with his generals, he sent an order demanding action. In the West, Ulysses S. Grant was eager to comply, while other Union generals dithered and delayed offensive operations. Confederate forces were building forts on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers – Forts Henry and Donelson – and they believed that the Union attack would focus on the Mississippi. But coming into 1862, the Union officers had realized that it was this pair of rivers running throu...
Feb 06, 2019•Season 3Ep. 80
Season 3, Episode 42 On March 9th, 1862 — the day after the ironclad Merrimack destroyed two Union warships — the Confederate navy would meet its match in battle against the USS Monitor. Both sides would claim victory in the battle, but the true legacy would be the transformation of naval warfare across the globe. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC. Subscribe today at Spotify, Google Play, iTunes, Soun...
Jan 30, 2019•Season 3Ep. 79
Season 3, Episode 41 John Ericsson’s design for the Monitor was only a skeleton when he was awarded the contract to have it built. In a race to match the feared Merrimack, Ericsson had to quickly construct a working, combat-ready iron ship that would receive its first test in combat. If the ship proved a failure, Ericsson would be forced by the US government to pay back every penny invested in the experimental ship – which most people expected to sink like a rock. This episode details the incred...
Jan 23, 2019•Season 3Ep. 78
Season 3, Episode 40 The Union’s response to the Confederate ironclad was an iron warship of its own. Unlike the Merrimack, the USS Monitor was a tremendous technological innovation, nearly single-handedly designed by a Swedish engineer named John Ericsson. This episode details his incredible life and the many failures that would culminate in the successful Monitor that would make him famous. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financial...
Jan 16, 2019•Season 3Ep. 77
Season 3, Episode 39 On March 8, 1862, the ironclad Merrimack — renamed the CSS Virginia — was tested in battle against three of the Union’s most powerful wooden ships. The outcome of the battle would usher in a new age of naval warfare, in which wooden ships would be rendered entirely obsolete. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC. Subscribe today at Spotify, Google Play, iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, o...
Jan 09, 2019•Season 3Ep. 76
Season 3, Episode 38 To combat the superior size of the United States Navy, the Confederacy believed that its best strategy was to build a technologically superior — if much smaller — Navy. The cornerstone of this strategy was to recover the USS Merrimack and plate it with iron, making it the first ironclad warship in North America. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC. Subscribe today at Spotify, Google...
Jan 02, 2019•Season 3Ep. 75
Season 3, Episode 37 Early in 1862, General Ambrose Burnside conquered the North Carolina coast, providing an important — but often overlooked — strategic victory for the Union. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC. Subscribe today at Spotify, Google Play, iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or via RSS.
Dec 26, 2018•Season 3Ep. 74
Season 3, Episode 36 In this mini-episode, Chris Calton briefly reviews the important themes and takeaways from the first year of the war. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC. Subscribe today at Spotify, Google Play, iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or via RSS.
Dec 19, 2018•Season 3Ep. 73
Season 3, Episode 35 In this episode, Chris Calton details how technological innovations changed the course of naval warfare. By taking advantage of this new technology, the Union Navy was able to easily capture Hatteras Inlet and Port Royal Sound, which would prove strategically important in the establishment of their blockade. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC. Subscribe today at Spotify, Google Pla...
Dec 12, 2018•Season 3Ep. 72
Season 3, Episode 34 At the outset of the war, Winfield Scott came up with his “Anaconda Plan” to blockade the entire southern coast. This looked to be easier said than done, as the Union had a very small navy. The Confederates, by contrast, had no navy at all. This episode details the ways that both countries tried to overcome these problems in order to fight a war on the waters. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises....
Dec 05, 2018•Season 3Ep. 71
Season 3, Episode 33 With many of the Civilized Indians wishing to remain neutral in the Civil War, a Muscogee leader named Opothle Yahola led a group of thousands of fugitives to Kansas. As they fled, Confederate soldiers, along with their Native American allies, gave chase, fighting a series of battles known as the Trail of Blood on Ice. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC. Subscribe today at Spotify,...
Nov 29, 2018•Season 3Ep. 70
Season 3, Episode 32 After being forced to move west during the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee Nation was bitterly divided into two factions. Although they remained officially unified, the factionalism remained through the Civil War and reemerged as a division between the Cherokee who favored the Union, or at least neutrality, and those who wanted to ally with the Confederacy. Similar to the border states, the decision to join the Confederacy was controversial, and many Native Americans refused to...
Nov 21, 2018•Season 3Ep. 69
Season 3, Episode 31 In 1861, the Five Civilized Tribes — the Cherokees, Creeks, Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Seminoles — would be faced with the decision of staying neutral or choosing a side in the Civil War. To understand their decision, Chris Calton takes a look at the long history of Indians becoming, in the eyes of Americans, "civilized". Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. This is the 31st episode in the third season of Historical Controversies. You may support ...
Nov 15, 2018•Season 3Ep. 68
Season 3, Episode 30. After months of growing tension between the United States and Britain, a single event nearly plunged the two countries into war. When a Union naval officer illegally boarded a British mail ship and arrested two Confederate diplomats, many British leaders saw it as a deliberate provocation, engineered by William Seward, to provoke Britain into a war over its Canadian territory. After news of the arrest reached London, tempers were so high that many people, in reflection, bel...
Nov 07, 2018•Season 3Ep. 67
Season 3, Episode 29. Even before taking office, Secretary of State William Seward had a history of making threatening statements toward Britain. After the war began, he continued to make one diplomatic faux pas after another, worrying Britain enough that they started sending troops to Canada in preparation for a possible war with the United States. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. This is the 29th episode in the third season of Historical Controversies. You may ...
Oct 31, 2018•Season 3Ep. 66
Season 3, Episode 28. The Union defeat at Ball’s Bluff would prove to be the final straw for the Congressional Republicans, who had been growing increasingly distressed by the Union failures at the outset of the war. Their response was to form a committee tasked with investigating the war—which really meant a political witch hunt determined to find alleged secessionist sympathizers and military scapegoats upon whom the politicians could place the blame for the Union failures. Chris Calton recoun...
Oct 24, 2018•Season 3Ep. 65
Season 3, Episode 27. After General Stone’s “slight demonstration” erupted into a small-scale battle, communication errors and battlefield mistakes continued to make matters worse for the Union army. The battle would not only end in a Union defeat, but it would also claim the life of one of President Lincoln’s closest personal friends. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. This is the 27th episode in the third season of Historical Controversies. You may support this p...
Oct 17, 2018•Season 3Ep. 64
Season 3, Episode 26. The Battle of Ball’s Bluff was a minor battle with major consequences. In this episode, Chris Calton details all the mistakes that were made leading up to the battle, setting the stage for a Union catastrophe. Chris Calton recounts the controversial history of the Civil War. This is the 26th episode in the third season of Historical Controversies. You may support this podcast financially at Mises.org/SupportHC.
Oct 10, 2018•Season 3Ep. 63
