PODCAST · history
Historical Insights
by Jordan Collier
Exploring the events of the American Civil War in the Tennessee Valley using official records and surviving eyewitness experiences.
Episodes
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Caught in the Crossfire: The Civilian Toll in November 1864
We will press pause on the progression of events, and zoom into some of the lives caught up in those events
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November 8 - 11, 1864: Federals regain the upper hand
We will slow down and parse the increasing volume of dispatches related to Lauderdale County, Alabama, in the context of the Civil War in the western theatre. Any information may yet prove crucial, and no one knew where the tide would turn next.
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November 6 & 7, 1864 -- Standoff on Shoal Creek
*This is my first episode I've recorded since Spotify eliminated mobile recording. The sound may be different than what you're used to. Feedback will be appreciated as I consider how best to adapt to the transition.
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November 1-5, 1864
We will examine the events of a very tense five days at the start of 1864, as General Croxton cautiously watches the alarming Confederate movements at the Shoals, Federal high command scramble to make sense of the developments, and local people find themselves caught up in the events in…
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Hood crosses the Tennessee
We will examine the details of Hood's movements from October 29 to November 1, 1864, culminating in the Confederates establishing a foothold at Florence, and the at times awkward Federal response. We will hear from surprisingly detailed and insightful first-person sources to these movements who...
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Hood goes West
We will follow the frustrated and often inscrutable events that placed General John Bell Hood at Decatur, Alabama in the last week of October 1864.
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October 1864: Rising action ahead of Hood's move west
We will examine the tense time between the end of the pursuit of Forrest and the movement of General Hood out of Georgia toward the Shoals. We'll see how reaction, contingency, uncertainty and strategy all coalesced to lay the groundwork for the Shoals to find itself centerstage in the drama to come
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Forrest's Raid: Part 2
We will follow Forrest from Elk River to his incredibly daring crossing of the Tennessee at Florence, as he continues his destructive path throughout Middle Tennessee - with wide reaching and unintended consequences.
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Forrest's Raid, part 1
We will explore the swift and stunning movement of General Forrest north of the Tennessee River late in September 1864, as the surprised and skeletal Federal garrisons scramble to meet the threat, with disastrous results
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September 1864: Wheeler's Raid
We will learn the fate of Atlanta and follow General Wheeler's retreat out of Middle Tennessee and across the Tennessee River at the Shoals. We'll see how the Federals were mired in misinformation, surrounded by disparate rebel groups everywhere they looked, and how local people were impacted by...
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Late summer 1864: Battle at Tupelo and Atlanta
We will follow action in Northeast Mississippi - the largest engagement within 100 miles of the Shoals in the summer of 1864; see how the Union cavalry around Decatur didn't rule the roost unopposed; and visit action at Atlanta, as fateful strategic choices are brewing to bring the Shoals back to...
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July 1864
We will see how North Alabama played into the Atlanta Campaign, as General Sherman is within sight of capturing the city, despite critical losses. We'll see a massive shakeup in the Confederate command. We'll visit a skirmish at Courtland where we encounter some stunning experiences of…
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June 1864: Johnston vs. Sherman as Forrest eyes the Shoals
We will discuss dramatic events in the Atlanta campaign in June 1864 which will set into motion fateful consequences for North Alabama before the year's end
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Early Summer 1864 - Gangs of horse thieves and the "Very Devil" Forrest
We will discuss lawlessness and depredations committed in and out of uniform in the Tennessee valley, and the delicate military situation revolving around Sherman's fateful thrust into Georgia in the early summer of 1864
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May 1864: Battle at Florence
We will explore a stunning upset in the balance of power north of the Tennessee River and examine conditions in the region at large, as General Sherman launches the Atalanta Campaign
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Spring 1864
We will discuss havoc inflicted by the rebel General Forrest, soldiers from Illinois headquartering in very famous and familiar places, and a shocking capture of Ohio cavalry which lives on today in popular memory. *Note, I said "David" when I should have said Daniel Leib Ambrose.
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February and March 1864
We will discuss fateful and monumental shifts in the Federal high command, as well a skirmishing along the Tennessee River in North Alabama
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January and February 1864: sociopolitics of occupation
We will explore the complicated and murky legal status of slavery in Tennessee after the emancipation proclamation, and hardships faced by local people at the hands of lawless gangs in and out of federal uniform
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January 1864
We will encounter some of the dramatic skirmishing that took place in North Alabama along the Tennessee River in January 1864.
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Supplement to Episode 20 - The Battle of Chattanooga
We will hear from two eyewitnesses - one Union and one Confederate - of the Battles at Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain late in November 1863, that drove the Rebel army out of the Tennessee Valley
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November and December 1863
We will discuss General Dodge's movement through Lauderdale County in November 1863, with the heavy impacts it had on the local population, and the increasingly bitter skirmishing among small groups as the Union presence became solidified in and around Pulaski, TN.
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Sherman in Florence
We will discuss the military conditions that brought General Sherman, an infamous visitor, to Florence in the fall of 1863, and the impacts it had upon the lives of local people.
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Supplement to Episode 18 - Sherman's letter to Halleck
This letter is very revealing of Sherman's mindset about Southern society and the war - well worth the time for us to look at in full.
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The summer of 1863 and the battle of Chickamauga
We will examine the events of the summer of 1863, which culminated in the horrible battle of Chickamauga, and set the stage for a very infamous visitor to the Shoals in the fall of 1863
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A Tale of Two Raids - Part 2 - Cornyn's and Streight's Raids
We will discuss the dramatic details of two infamous Union raids into North Alabama - one a spectacular failure, and the other a horrible success.
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A Tale of Two Raids - Part 1 - Gunboats on the Tennessee and Fighting at Tuscumbia
We will meet some of the key players in the upcoming drama of Cornyn's and Streight's Raids, and discuss the dramatic rising action that led to these two notorious events.
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A Recap of 1862 and bitter living conditions in Florence
We will review what we have discussed so far for the eventful year 1862, discuss General Buell's removal, and explore the hardships faced by the people of the Shoals as 1862 turned to 63.
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The sacking of the city of Athens on May 2, 1862
We will discuss the shocking acts of vengeance committed against the citizens of Athens, Alabama, by soldiers under command of the Russian-born Colonel Turchin, and the aftermath in the courts and the press regarding the government's official policy toward the seceded South.
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Summer 1862 - Part 2 - The experience of occupation
We will visit First-Person accounts of the many surprising ways the presence of the Union Army affected life in the Tennessee Valley during the hot and dusty summer of 1862
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Summer 1862 - Part 1 - Union struggles and Reversals of Fortune
We will discuss the dramatic obstacles the Army of the Ohio faced as they moved through North Alabama in the hot and dusty summer of 1862, and the shocking reversals of fate they were destined to endure
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Supplement to Episode 9 - The Railroad Raid
In April 1862, a courageous group of Union soldiers snuck behind Rebel lines to steal a locomotive and disrupt a vital artery of the Confederacy. But all did not go according to plan
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Spring 1862 - Federal Occupation of North Alabama
Immediately following Shiloh, Federal forces occupy stretegic points in North Alabama, while Rebels attempt to undermine their position in every way possible.
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The Battle of Shiloh - Day 2
We will explore the events of the second day's fighting at Shiloh, and the aftermath in the nation and the Tennessee Valley. At the 15:39 mark, I state incorrectly Buell's forces arrived as late as 11:00 a.m. Tuesday. I should have said Monday
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Supplement to Shiloh, Day 1
Here you'll find unabridged eyewitness accounts of the battle of Shiloh, with brief biographical blurbs about the authors. (I let my Southern accent slip a little bit with Sam Watkins, but it seemed appropriate) You can follow the link below to see pictures of the authors as well as a transcript…
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The Battle of Shiloh - Day 1
We will examine the bloody struggle which took place one lovely Sunday morning on the banks of the Tennessee River from the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand. See the link below for the excerpted quotations I gathered for my research:...
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The Battle of Shiloh - Introduction
We will discuss the historical context leading up to the monumental battle of Shiloh, early in April 1862. *At 10:53 and 16:25 I forget to say "end quote"
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The Battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
The Valley of the Tennessee is opened to Union invasion with a dramatic turn of events for life in the Shoals.
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1861: days of optimism, excitement, and naivete
We will discuss the events of the Civil War between Lincoln's inauguration and the aftermath of Bull Run; a time characterized by naive misconceptions about the bloody nature of the war to come.
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The Election of 1860 and the Alabama Secession Convention
We will discuss the fractious election of 1860, the Alabama state secession convention, with detailed eyewitness narratives and demographic information. At the 13:33 mark, it's Seward, not Steward. I know that, just misspoke!
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The Long Road to Secession
What were the events that led to the Southern leaders deciding to secede from the Union in 1860?
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The American Civil War in the Shoals and the Tennessee Valley: An Introduction
We will examine key terms and definitions and also explore the various sources that will be our guides as we journey back in time to the 1860s.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Exploring the events of the American Civil War in the Tennessee Valley using official records and surviving eyewitness experiences.
HOSTED BY
Jordan Collier
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Historical Insights have?
Historical Insights currently has 42 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Historical Insights about?
Exploring the events of the American Civil War in the Tennessee Valley using official records and surviving eyewitness experiences.
How often does Historical Insights release new episodes?
Historical Insights has 42 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Historical Insights?
You can listen to Historical Insights 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 Historical Insights?
Historical Insights is created and hosted by Jordan Collier.
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