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The Peninsula Campaign in the Civil War (1862)

The Peninsula Campaign-In early 1862 the Union Army launched a major operation in southeastern Virginia, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. Lincoln replaced McDowell with George B. McClellan as commander. He reorganized the army, whipped it into shape, and also renamed it the Army of the Potomac. The…

The Battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862)

The Background of the Battle of Shiloh The behind scene of Battle of Shiloh is that in Virginia, Stonewall Jackson kept the Federals baffled in the Shenandoah Valley and fearful of a possible Confederate attack on Washington; that, and the fact that General George McClellan was now in command of…

History of the Civil War in 10 Battles, Part 3: Border States and the War in the West

In the summer of 1861, four slave states had still not seceded. If even two or three joined the Confederacy, the Union would be in big trouble. Lincoln was determined to keep all four in (Maryland, Kentucky, Delaware, and Missouri). We will look at these developments, along with the The…

First Battle of Bull Run

First Battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861) The Background: Background of Bull Run Battle is that, the Confederate commanders were generals Joseph E. Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard. Johnston, the highest-ranking U.S. Army general to join the Confederacy, was a Virginian, a West Pointer, and would prove himself…

History of the Civil War in 10 Battles, Part 1: Background to the Civil War

The origins of the Civil War go back decades, even before the United States became an independent nation The federal union had always been precarious, ever since the framing of the Constitution, with the institution of slavery led to two distinct cultures and societies. In this inaugural episode of the…

How a 1522 Battled Transformed Russia from a Minor Duchy into Earth’s Largest Empire

The Russian Siege of Kazan in 1552 and the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan by Muscovy can be seen as the birth of a Russian Empire. It had profound consequences for the steppe region and beyond, allowing Russian expansion eastwards, eventually as far as the Pacific. Today's guest is Carl…

The Most Famous Founding Father You’ve Never Heard Of Was Hamilton’s Arch-Nemesis and a Deficit Hawk

Alexander Hamilton had a nemesis… and it was not Aaron Burr. After Hamilton enacted a wide-scale spending program to build up America's military and infrastructure, and thus send it into debt, newly-elected President Thomas Jefferson chose a Secretary of the Treasury to dismantle his system—Albert Gallatin. Considered a “foreigner, a…

Lost Civilizations, Part 3: European Visitors to the New World Before Columbus

Learn about cultures that came to America long before Columbus, suggesting that trans-oceanic voyages could be accomplished well back into the Bronze Age.

Lost Civilizations, Part 2: The Egyptian Pyramid Builders, the Nabateans, and the Aksumites

Welcome to part two on our series on the greatest lost civilizations in history. Today we are looking at three groups: The Egytian Pyramid Builders, the Nabateans, and the Aksumites. These three groups are particularly beloved by believers in extra-terrestrials and religious myths. They ask questions like these: Did the…

Lost Civilizations: Ancient Societies that Vanished Without a Trace, Part 1

A stock trope of literature is the king who believes that his kingdom will last forever, only to see it collapse under his own hubris (Exhibit A is Percy Bysshe Shelly's Ozymandias). But the trope is based on historical fact. Many great civilizations vanished without a trace, and their disappearance…