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Civil War Talk Radio

by Gerry Prokopowicz

History

Since October 2004, host Gerry Prokopowicz (East Carolina University history professor) has held weekly in-depth conversations about Civil War history with various historians, authors, curators, artists and other people whose work is of interest to students of the Civil War era. Guests have included James McPherson, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Gary Gallagher, Caroline Janney, Peter Carmichael, Carol Reardon, and many others. Although the show is named "talk radio," it has little in common with traditional talk radio, in that the guests do most of the talking, on subjects of their choosing. There's no ranting by the host, and no callers. Lists and links to all previous episodes can be found at www.impedimentsofwar.org, along with titles of upcoming episodes.

From the show's RSS feed, refreshed Oct 24, 2026. Source feed.

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Episodes

  1. Civil War Talk Radio - October 28, 2026 (Bryan Cheeseboro: The Civil War Defenses of Washington)

    Bryan Cheeseboro, interpretive ranger at the National Park Service site "The Civil War Defenses of Washington."

  2. Civil War Talk Radio - October 21, 2026 (Karl L. Rubis & Timothy M. Gilhool: Teaching the Civil War to Today's Officers)

    Karl L. Rubis & Timothy M. Gilhool are civilian history instructors at CASCOM (U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command) at Fort Lee in Petersburg, Virginia. They teach officers about American military history, with emphasis on the Civil War, and conduct staff rides at Civil War sites.

  3. Civil War Talk Radio - October 14, 2026 (David A. Powell: The Atlanta Campaign, Volume 3)

    David A. Powell, The Atlanta Campaign: Volume 3: From the Chattahoochee to Peach Tree Creek, June 28 to July 20, 1864

  4. Civil War Talk Radio - September 30, 2026 (Angela M. Zombek: Penitentiaries, Punishment, and Military Prisons)

    Angela M. Zombek, Penitentiaries, Punishment, and Military Prisons: Familiar Responses to an Extraordinary Crisis during the American Civil War

  5. Civil War Talk Radio - September 23, 2026 (David S. Reynolds: Jamestown, Plymouth, and the Struggle for America's Soul)

    David S. Reynolds, Two Ships: Jamestown 1619, Plymouth 1620, and the Struggle for the Soul of America

  6. Civil War Talk Radio - September 16, 2026 (David A. Welker: The Invalid Corps)

    David A. Welker, "Now I'm With the Invalids": The Veteran Reserve Corps in America's Civil War

  7. Civil War Talk Radio - September 9, 2026 (Robert Gudmestad: The United States Mississippi River Squadron

    Robert Gudmestad, The Devil's Own Purgatory: The United States Mississippi River Squadron in the Civil War

  8. Civil War Talk Radio - September 2, 2026 (Anne Sarah Rubin: Sherman's March and America)

    Anne Sarah Rubin, Through the Heart of Dixie: Sherman's March and America

  9. Civil War Talk Radio - August 26, 2026 (Paul Quigley: The Man Behind the Cane)

    Paul Quigley, The Man Behind the Cane: Preston Brooks, Political Violence, and the Road to the Civil War

  10. Civil War Talk Radio - June 24, 2026 (M. Chris Bryan and Theodore Savas: The Chancellorsville Papers)

    M. Chris Bryan, compiler, and Theodore Savas, publisher, discuss the first two volumes of The Chancellorsville Campaign Papers and other collections of primary sources.

  11. Civil War Talk Radio - June 3, 2026 (Steve Gowler: The Burning Thoughts of William Goodell)

    Steve Gowler, Thoughts That Burned: William Goodell, Human Rights, and the Abolition of American Slavery

  12. Civil War Talk Radio - May 27, 2026 (Jared Peatman: To Gettysburg and Beyond with the Twentieth Maine )

    Jared Peatman, A Hell of a Regiment: To Gettysburg and Beyond with the Twentieth Maine

  13. Civil War Talk Radio - May 20, 2026 (W. Fitzhugh Brundage: A Fate Worse Than Hell)

    W. Fitzhugh Brundage, A Fate Worse than Hell: American Prisoners of the Civil War

  14. Civil War Talk Radio - April 29, 2026 (James A. Goecker: The Third Indiana Cavalry, East Wing)

    James A. Goecker, Hoosier Spies and Horse Marines: A History of the Third Indiana Cavalry, East Wing

  15. Civil War Talk Radio - April 22, 2026 (Joseph Michael Boslet: Reassessing Little Round Top)

    Joseph Michael Boslet, Little Round Top at Gettysburg: A Reassessment of July 2, 1863

  16. Civil War Talk Radio - April 15, 2026 (Kenneth Noe: Abraham Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief)

    Kenneth Noe, Abraham Lincoln and the Heroic Legend: Reconsidering Lincoln as Commander in Chief

  17. Civil War Talk Radio - April 8, 2026 (Aaron Sheehan-Dean: Fighting with the Past)

    Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Fighting with the Past: How Seventeenth-Century History Shaped the American Civil War

  18. Civil War Talk Radio - April 1, 2026 (J. Mark Powell: Witness to War)

    J. Mark Powell, Witness to War: The Story of the Civil War Told By Those Who Lived It

  19. Civil War Talk Radio - March 25, 2026 (Benjamin L. Cwayna: The Invincible Twelfth SC)

    Benjamin Cwayna, The Invincible Twelfth: The 12th South Carolina Infantry of the Gregg-McGowan Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia

  20. Civil War Talk Radio - March 18, 2026 (Lance J. Herdegen: Opening Manassas)

    Lance J. Herdegen, co-author (with Bill Backus), Opening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner's Farm, August 28, 1862

  21. Civil War Talk Radio - March 4, 2026 (Edward J. Hagerty: Soldier of the South Richard Anderson)

    Edward J. Hagerty, Soldier of the South: Lieutenant General Richard H. Anderson at War and Peace.

  22. Civil War Talk Radio - February 25, 2026 (Lindsay Rae Smith Privette: How Medicine Won the Vicksburg Campaign)

    Lindsay Rae Smith Privette, The Surgeon's Battle: How Medicine Won the Vicksburg Campaign and Changed the Civil War.

  23. Civil War Talk Radio - February 18, 2026 (Joseph Stahl & Matthew Borders: Faces of Union Soldiers)

    Joseph Stahl & Matthew Borders, Faces of Union Soldiers at Antietam and Faces of Union Soldiers at Culp's Hill

  24. Civil War Talk Radio - February 11, 2026 (John M. Kinder & Jennifer M. Murray: Civil War Memories in a Polarized America)

    John M. Kinder & Jennifer M. Murray, eds., They Are Dead and Yet They Live: Civil War Memories in a Polarized America

  25. Civil War Talk Radio - February 4, 2026 (Sarah Jones Weicksel: A Nation Unraveled)

    Sarah Jones Weicksel, A Nation Unraveled: Clothing, Culture, and Violence in the American Civil War Era

  26. Civil War Talk Radio - January 28, 2026 (Rob Edwards: Defiant, The Story of Robert Smalls)

    Rob Edwards, Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls

  27. Civil War Talk Radio - January 21, 2026 (Edwin P. Rutan II: Reclaiming the Honor of the High Bounty Men)

    Edwin P. Rutan II, High-Bounty Men in the Army of the Potomac: Reclaiming Their Honor

  28. Civil War Talk Radio - January 14, 2026 (Matthew Pinsker: Boss Lincoln)

    Matthew Pinsker, Boss Lincoln: The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln

  29. Civil War Talk Radio - December 10, 2025 (Jeffrey J. Harding & Jon M. Nese: Gettysburg Campaign Weather)

    Jeffrey J. Harding and Jon M. Nese, The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign

  30. Civil War Talk Radio - December 3, 2025 (Jonathan S. Jones: Opioid Slavery)

    Jonathan S. Jones, Opium Slavery: The Civil War, Veterans, and America's First Opioid Crisis

  31. Civil War Talk Radio - November 19, 2025 (Alexandre Caillot: Late to the Fight)

    Alexandre Caillot, Late to the Fight: Union Soldier Combat Performance from the Wilderness to the Fall of Petersburg

  32. Civil War Talk Radio - November 12, 2025 (Robert P. Watson: Rebels at the Gates)

    Robert P. Watson, Rebels at the Gates: The Confederacy's Final Gamble and the Battle to Save Washington.

  33. Civil War Talk Radio - October 29, 2025 (Damian Shiels: The Green and the Blue)

    Damian Shiels, Green and Blue: Irish Americans in the Union Military, 1861-1865

  34. Civil War Talk Radio - October 22, 2025 (Nigel Lambert: The Battle of Hatcher's Run)

    Nigel Lambert, www.HatchersRunBattle.com.

  35. Civil War Talk Radio - October 8, 2025 (James Marten: Biography of the 6th Wisconsin)

    James Marten, The Sixth Wisconsin and the Long Civil War: The Biography of a Regiment

  36. Civil War Talk Radio - October 1, 2025 (Scott Ellsworth: Midnight on the Potomac)

    Scott Ellsworth, Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America

  37. Civil War Talk Radio - September 17, 2025 (Jerilyn James Lee: Stories of the USCT)

    Jerilyn James Lee, The Kinship of War: Stories of the United States Colored Troops. Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/182460225500764

  38. Civil War Talk Radio - September 10, 2025 (Jonathan White & Lucas Morel: F. Douglass on A. Lincoln)

    Jonathan White and Lucas Morel, Measuring the Man: The Writings of Frederick Douglass on Abraham Lincoln

  39. Civil War Talk Radio - September 3, 2025 (Ryan Quint: Battle of Dranesville)

    Ryan Quint, Dranesville: A Northern Virginia Town in the Crossfire of a Forgotten Battle, December 20, 1861

  40. Civil War Talk Radio - August 27, 2025 (A. Wilson Greene: Petersburg Trilogy, vol. 2)

    A. Wilson Greene, A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg, Vol. 2: From the Crater's Aftermath to the Battle of Burgess Mill

  41. Civil War Talk Radio - November 18, 2005 (Live from Gettysburg, with David Long)

    Listen to an audio snapshot of Gettysburg as the town prepares to commemorate the anniversary of Lincoln's Address, with host Gerry Prokopowicz and guest David Long, author of The Jewel of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln's Re-election and the End of Slavery.

  42. Civil War Talk Radio - September 23, 2005 (Thomas Desjardin: One, Two, Many Gettysburgs)

    In These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory, historian Thomaas Desjardin describes how the postwar efforts of John Bachelder, Dan Sickles, and others helped to create the modern view of what happened at the battle.

  43. Civil War Talk Radio - September 9, 2005 (Chris Fonvielle, Jr.: The Last Port)

    Professor Christopher Fonvielle of UNC- Wilmington, author of The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope, analyzes the important and fascinating events that marked the war in North Carolina in 1864-65.

  44. Civil War Talk Radio - March 4, 2005 (Catherine Clinton: Civil War the Next Generation)

    Prof. Catherine Clinton, biographer of Mary Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, and others, discusses her work.

  45. Civil War Talk Radio - June 11, 2025 (Michael Hardy: Feeding Lee's Army)

    Michael C. Hardy, Feeding Lee's Army of Northern Virginia

  46. Civil War Talk Radio - June 4, 2025 (KT Shively and Peter C. Luebke: The Second Manassas Campaign)

    Editor KT Shively and essay contributor Peter C. Luebke discuss The Second Manassas Campaign, edited by Kathryn J. Shively and Caroline E. Janney.

  47. Civil War Talk Radio - May 28, 2025 (Matthew Locke: Charleston's Castle Pinckney)

    Matthew Locke (co-author with Cliff Roberts), Holding Charleston by the Bridle: Castle Pinckney and the Civil War

  48. Civil War Talk Radio - May 21, 2025 (James Robbins Jewell and Eugene S. Van Sickle: Memoir from the 54th)

    James Robbins Jewell and Eugene S. Van Sickle, eds., Waging War for Freedom with the 54th Massachusetts: The Civil War Memoir of John W. M. Appleton

  49. Civil War Talk Radio - April 30, 2025 (Michael deGruccio: George Cole's Strange and Tragic Wounds)

    Michael deGruccio, The Strange and Tragic Wounds of George Cole's America: A Tale of Manhood, Sex, and Ambition in the Civil War Era

  50. Civil War Talk Radio - April 23, 2025 (Carol E. Harrison and Thomas J. Brown: Zouave Theaters)

    Carol E. Harrison and Thomas J. Brown, Zouave Theaters: Transnational Military Fashion and Performance

View all 713 episodes →

About this show

Since October 2004, host Gerry Prokopowicz (East Carolina University history professor) has held weekly in-depth conversations about Civil War history with various historians, authors, curators, artists and other people whose work is of interest to students of the Civil War era. Guests have included James McPherson, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Gary Gallagher, Caroline Janney, Peter Carmichael, Carol Reardon, and many others. Although the show is named "talk radio," it has little in common with traditional talk radio, in that the guests do most of the talking, on subjects of their choosing. There's no ranting by the host, and no callers. Lists and links to all previous episodes can be found at www.impedimentsofwar.org, along with titles of upcoming episodes.

Hosted by

Gerry Prokopowicz

Categories

History Education

Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does Civil War Talk Radio have?

Civil War Talk Radio has 713 episodes on PodParley. The most recent episode was published on October 31, 2026.

What is Civil War Talk Radio about?

Since October 2004, host Gerry Prokopowicz (East Carolina University history professor) has held weekly in-depth conversations about Civil War history with various historians, authors, curators, artists and other people whose work is of interest to students of the Civil War era. Guests have...

How often does Civil War Talk Radio release new episodes?

Civil War Talk Radio publishes every two weeks, based on its 713 episodes since September 2004.

Who hosts Civil War Talk Radio?

Civil War Talk Radio is created and hosted by Gerry Prokopowicz.
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