PODCAST · history
America at War
by Marc Blackburn
Explore the rich history of our past through the lens of our military institutions. From the settlement of North America to the present, this podcast encompasses traditional military history and goes the extra step to address the evolution of ideas and institutions. Join us!
Episodes
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183 The Spanish-American War: The Root Reforms Part II: The General Staff
We continue our story of reform with a focus on the creation and establishment of a General Staff. Lead by a Chief of Staff, Secretary of War Elihu Root wanted to create an institution that would serve as the brain of the Army. Despite the best efforts of the General in Chief, Nelson Miles, the...
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182 The Spanish-American War: The Root Reforms, Part I
In this episode we focus on one of the most pivotal moments in American Military History. When Elihu Root was confirmed as Secretary of War, he needed a War Department that could meet the task at hand - pacifying the Philippines. Well aware of the short comings of the Army that emerged during the...
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181 The Spanish-American War: Imperial Obligations
With the assumption of an Empire and growing economic and military power, the United States flexed its muscles in the Philippines, Central America, and the Caribbean. Since the nineteenth century, the United States wanted to keep European powers and interests out of countries in close proximity…
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180 The Spanish-American War: The Philippine Insurrection
Once Americans landed in Manila, tensions simmered between the Filipino independence movement and emerging power of the United States in the Pacific. Attempts to come to any accommodation failed. Emilio Aguinaldo led an Army but failed to wrest control from the United States. Rather than give up...
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179 The Spanish-American War: Puerto Rico and the Philippines
In this episode we will wind up the story of the campaign against Spain. After the fall of Santiago de Cuba, American forces landed on the island of Puerto Rico. With the capture of the largest city on the island, the colony was for the most part secured quickly. Half way around the world…
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178 Happy Tenth Anniversary to the America At War Podcast!
In February of 2016 I embarked on a new project, a podcast that would go through the timeline of American Military History. Ten years later we are finally on the cusp of the twentieth century. This episode will focus on where we are headed in the coming months and some general reflections. Thank...
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177 The Spanish-American War: Santiago de Cuba
The story of the Spanish American War continues. In this episode we focus on the actions of the US Army and Navy in the aftermath of General Shafter's first moves. After capturing El Caney and San Juan Hill, the Spanish squadron that was in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba left their anchorage to...
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176 The Spanish-American War: El Caney and San Juan Hill
Welcome to the first episode of the year! We are continuing our series on the Spanish-American War. We are transitioning from Tampa, Florida to the Island of Cuba. The commanding general of V Corps, William Shafter, landed outside of Santiago de Cuba. Rather than reduce the fortifications at the...
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175 The Spanish-American War: Preparations For Cuba
Once war was declared in April, plans to send an American expeditionary force evolved. Once a Spanish flotilla was trapped in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, rather than striking at Havana, the decision was to send the force to Santiago. The size and complexity of the force grew from a projected...
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174 The Spanish-American War: It's War Part II
We are continuing our narrative on the Spanish-American War. In this episode we will concentrate on Admiral Dewey's victory in Manila Bay in the spring of 1898 as well as naval movements around the island of Cuba. Dewey's easy victory would open opportunities in the Philippines, but more on that…
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173: The Spanish-American War: It's War!
After discussing the origins of the Spanish-American War in our last episode, we bring the story forward to the declaration of war and the plans of the United States and Spain. Spain was unable to pour reinforcements, either naval or ground into Cuba and the Philippines. They had no choice but to...
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172: The Spanish-American War: Origins
We have done it! We have reached the end of the nineteenth century with the beginning of the Spanish-American War. In the first of a string of episodes, we will be exploring the country's first overseas venture - war with Spain over its island possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. In the...
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171: Reform and Revitalization: The Rise of the Modern Navy, Part II
The second and final episode of this arc take the story of the new steel navy to the beginning of the Spanish-American War. From the mid-1880s to the 1890s, the necessary infrastructure was put in place to expand the capabilities of the ships joining the fleet. Moreover, there was a shift in…
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170: Reform and Revitalization: The Rise of the Modern Navy, Pt. I
Perhaps one of the most prominent aspects of this period is the rise of the steel navy. After several decades of decline, the navy made a bold move and built a small fleet of steel warships. There was a growing, often fractious, political consensus that the navy needed to move forward. The move...
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169 Reform and Revitalization: The Endicott and Taft Eras of Harbor Defense
In this episode we take a look at Harbor Defense in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One of the most consistent missions of the US Army since the founding of the republic was defending the nation's harbors. The Civil War demonstrated that the granite of bricks of yore were...
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168 Reform and Revitalization: Emory Upton Part II
In this episode we will continue and conclude our discussion of Emory Upton. We left off with the beginning of Upton's around the world journey. Upton traveled overseas on a mission to observe the armies of Asia and Europe. It was an important time for Upton. His observations of some of the most...
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167 Reform and Revitalization: Emory Upton Part I
We are continuing our exploration of professionalization and what kind of Army would emerge through a long period of introspection. In this episode we are going to explore these issues through the eyes of Emory Upton. A protege of William T. Sherman, Upton's experiences in the Civil War would...
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166: Reform and Revitalization: Professionalization
We are continuing our exploration of reform and revitalization of the US Army in the decades after the end of the Civil War. This is a critical topic that deserves some coverage if you want to understand the army's performance in the future. One of the trends that emerged in this time period was…
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165 Reform and Revitalization: The Military and Civil Disorder II
In this episode, we will continue our story on the military's response to civil unrest. As we spoke of in the previous episode, we concentrated on how and why the National Guard and the US Army responded to civil disorders. We focused on the 1877 strike and in this episode we will talk about the...
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164 Reform and Revitalization: The Military and Civil Disorder, Part I
We are back! Our series on the reform and revitalization of the American military continues with a focus on how the military responded to civil disorder. The rise of the factory system and the industrialization of the United States changed the economic landscape of the nation. Wage earners…
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163 Reform and Revitalization: The National Guard
In this episode we kick off the Progressive Era with a brief overview of the National Guard in the late nineteenth century. The National Guard emerged from the volunteer militia's that dominated the scene from before the Civil War until the decades after. We will delve more into their activities…
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162 Reform and Revitalization: Introduction
We have finished western expansion and the Army's campaigns 'out west'. With this episode we move into reform and revitalization of the Army and Navy until the end of the nineteenth century. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States remained insular. Without any external threats, the...
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161 The West: Buffalo Soldiers
In our last episode on the frontier army, it seems appropriate to highlight the African-Americans who served in the west - the Buffalo soldiers. Two infantry and cavalry regiments were set aside for African-American soldiers. They flocked to the colors to serve. Taking part in many of the…
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160 The West: Combat
This episode follows up with the previous. After focusing on what it was like to serve in the west after the Civil War, we close the circle with this episode where we focus on the campagin trail and combat. Rather than fighting standing armies as had occured in the Civil War, the 'wars' more…
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159 The West: A Soldier's Life
In this episode, we take a closer look at the life of officers and enlisted men on the frontier. We explore the motivations for joining and the challenges of serving. The post Civil War Army served in over 200 posts spread through the west. They had to endure tedium, hardships, and occassionally...
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158 The West: Geronimo
As we draw down the arc of episodes related to post-Civil War Indian Wars, in this episode we will concentrate on subduing Geronimo. Geronimo bedeviled the US Army as he left the reservation three separate times. For the last two campaigns, General George Crook successfully cornered the proud...
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157 The West: The Navajo, The Apache, and the Border
In the episode we move from the Lakota and Sioux to the border region. Long before the United States controlled what we know today as the Southwest, Spanish and then Mexican authorities had to contend with Navajo and Apache raids. Once the Americans established themselves, the pressures of...
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Special Holiday Message - 2023
I wanted to ask you all a question and wish you a happy and safe holiday season. If you would like to respond to the query, you can either respond through the podcast's facebook page or drop me a line through the podcasts email at [email protected]. Thank you for listening to this…
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156 The West: The Great Sioux War
The death of George Armstrong Custer and the destruction of the Seventh Cavalry is a touchstone for the Indian Wars. It is the one event that in many people's mind, is the touchstone for the post-Civil War conflicts with Native Armericans. We will focus on that in this episode of the podcast. The...
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155 The West: The Midwest and Rocky Mountain States, 1865-1870
We are moving to the center of the country with this episode. Before the beginning of the Civil War through the decade of the 1870s, the Army was busy in the center of the country. This episode will serve as bridge between the end of the Civil War and the Sioux and Lakota Wars of the 1870s. As...
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154 The West: The Nez Perce War, Part VI
This is our last episode concerning the Nez Perce War of 1877. In the aftermath of Big Hole, the Nez Perce continued east, traveling through the newly established Yellowstone National Park. As it became clear that they were not welcome in Crow Country, the Nez Perce decided to head north to…
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153 The West: The Nez Perce War, Pt. V.
We continue our narrative on the Nez Perce War, concentrating on what happened at Big Hole Montana. After successfully eluding the army in Montana, they camped in the Big Hole valley, thinking they were safe. They were not. Colonel John Gibbon was in pursuit. In what could best described as a...
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152 The West: The Nez Perce War, Pt. IV
We continue the Nez Perce War with this episode. After the various missteps and mistakes by General Howard, the Army struck the Nez Perce again at the Battle of the Clearwater. While it could be seen as a victory, the Nez Perce escaped, leaving their household goods behind. A council among the…
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151 The West: Nez Perce War of 1877 Pt. III
We are continuing our story of the Nez Perce War of 1877. In this episode, we will concentrate on the start of hostilities. With emotions running high, Joseph and his band left the Wallowa's of northeast Oregon for the now reduced Nez Perce reservation. When they gathered at a place called Tolo...
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150 The West: Nez Perce War of 1877 Pt. II
With this episode, we continue the story of the Nez Perce War of 1877. With the onset of the colonization of the Pacific Northwest, tensions gradually rose between the Tribes of the Northwest and these newcomers. Once the border between British Canada and the United States was agreed to, the U.S....
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149 The West: The Nez Perce War of 1877, Pt. I
As we move to the Pacific Northwest from California, it is time to consider the Nez Perce War of 1877. The conflict captured the public's imagination, much like the Modoc War, of a Tribe wanting to establish a home, but not allowed. To understand the full measure of the Nez Perce War, this…
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148 State of the Podcast 2023
Once a year I post a short episode on the state of the podcast. It is an overview of where we are and where we are going. No someone who enjoys history? Tell them about this podcast! We could use some more listeners. Have a question, comment, concern, or compliment? Contact us at...
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147 The West: The Modoc War Part III
In this episode we will be concluding our series on the Modoc War of 1872-73. With the Modoc on the run, they retreated to a stronghold on the toe of a lava field, providing a bastion to protect their families from the U.S. Army. It took time to gather soldiers and supplies and did not attack…
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146 The West: The Modoc War Part II
This is part two of a three episode arc on the Modoc War of 1872-73. With an increasing number of Euro-Americans settlers coming into the Klamath Basin astride the Oregon/California border after the end of the Civil War, tensions rose. Modoc's feared a loss of access to their homeland and it…
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145 The West: The Modoc War Part I
We are moving into our season on the wars of the western frontier. We are starting on the Pacific coast with the Modoc War of 1872-73, California's only large post Civil War conflict with a native people. This episode sets up the events of the war. The Modoc homeland, in the far reaches of…
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144 The West: Introduction
We are now moving beyond the Civil War and examining the armies role in the western United States. In the decades after the Civil War came to an end, the regular army was sent west. After 1865, with the completion of the transcontinental railroad and the Homestead Act, settlement of the west...
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143 The Civil War: Reconstruction
The period from the end of the Civil War until 1877 was known as Reconstruction. As the name suggests, it was the country's attempt to reconstruct and, perhaps, transform the South. The hope was to not only stitch the country back together again, but provide the freedmen a step up, to integrate…
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142 The Civil War: The War Comes to An End
We have reached the penultimate episode of our series on the Civil War. We briefly touch on the surrender of the Confederate field armies but devote most of our time to looking at issues related to the winners and loosers of the war. It is fair to say that Lincoln won the war, but lost the peace....
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141 The Civil War: Petersburg Falls and the War Draws to a Close
In this episode, we concentrate on the siege at Petersburg, VA. With Grant unable to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia in the 1864 campaign season, instead he maneuvered Lee's Army into Petersburg for an extended siege. While Lee's army was able to fight another day, as Grant extended the…
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140 The Civil War: Sherman's March Through The Carolinas
In our last full episode devoted to the western theater, we know turn our attention to Sherman's next act, his march through the Carolina's. When he completed his march across Georgia, the thought was to reunite with Grant. Instead, Sherman wanted to march through the heart of the Carolina's to…
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139 The Civil War: Sherman's March Through Georgia
Once Atlanta was secured, Sherman considered next steps. Sherman mulled over an idea - marching through Georgia. After deliberations with the Lincoln Administration and General Grant, Sherman convinced them to back his plan. He wanted retribution and to demonstrate what the Union could do. In a...
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138 The Civil War: Petersburg and Shenandoah
In this episode we journey east. In the aftermath of the disaster at Cold Harbor, Grant turned his eyes toward Petersburg, the critical supply hub for the rebel capital at Richmond. While giving Lee the slip, Grant's tired troops bungled the capture of Petersburg. A siege ensued. In the meantime,...
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137 The Civil War: The Siege and Fall of Atlanta
In our last episode we covered Sherman's march to Atlanta. In this episode we cover the siege and fall of Atlanta. Dissatisfied with General Johnston's penchant for retreat, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced him with John B. Hood. Hood was the polar opposite of Johnston - aggressive…
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136 The Civil War: Sherman's March on Atlanta
In this episode we head west and focus on General Sherman's march on Atlanta, Georgia. After the victory at Chattanooga, moving into the Confederate heartland and neutralizing Atlanta seemed a prudent next step. Over the summer of 1864, General Sherman and his opponent, General Johnston…
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135 The Civil War: North Anna and Cold Harbor
In this episode we continue our coverage of Grant's overland campaign. After the wilderness and Spotsylvania Grant continued to move south with Lee moving in concert with him. After being stopped at North Anna, Grant continued south and wandered into the battlefields of McClellan's campaign in...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Explore the rich history of our past through the lens of our military institutions. From the settlement of North America to the present, this podcast encompasses traditional military history and goes the extra step to address the evolution of ideas and institutions. Join us!
HOSTED BY
Marc Blackburn
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does America at War have?
America at War currently has 189 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is America at War about?
Explore the rich history of our past through the lens of our military institutions. From the settlement of North America to the present, this podcast encompasses traditional military history and goes the extra step to address the evolution of ideas and institutions. Join us!
How often does America at War release new episodes?
America at War publishes regularly with 189 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to America at War?
You can listen to America at War on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts America at War?
America at War is created and hosted by Marc Blackburn.
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