Battles Of The American Civil War

Simon Bolivar Buckner was a Confederate general and one of the most unique figures of the Civil War. A West Point graduate from Kentucky, Buckner chose the Confederacy when the war began, even though his personal ties to Grant ran deep. In 1862, Buckner surrendered Fort Donelson to Grant after receiving the famous demand for unconditional surrender, a moment that helped launch Grant’s rise to national fame. After the war, Buckner rebuilt his life in the United States. He served as Governor of Kentucky, promoted reconciliation between North and South, and later ran for Vice President in 1896.

Major General John Schofield was one of the most steady and reliable Union commanders of the Civil War. Rising fast through the ranks, he played key roles in Missouri, the Atlanta Campaign, and the Carolinas, often serving as the calm problem solver between stronger personalities like Sherman and Hood. Known more for discipline and judgment than flashy battlefield heroics, Schofield helped keep Union armies moving when coordination mattered most.

Alexander H. Stephens was one of the most contradictory figures of the Civil War. A longtime U.S. congressman from Georgia, he became Vice President of the Confederacy while openly doubting secession and warning it would end badly.We cover Stephens’ rise, his infamous Cornerstone Speech, his uneasy role inside the Confederate government, and his unlikely return to Congress and the Georgia governorship after the war. His story exposes the political contradictions at the heart of the Confederacy and the rocky road of Reconstruction.

All three battles of the Chickamauga Campaign ending with one of the bloodiest battles in all of the Civil War.

Discover the story of Edwin Stanton, the hard driving Secretary of War who helped steer the Union to victory. This episode looks at his rise from Ohio lawyer to one of the most powerful men in Washington, his tense early relationship with Lincoln, and how the two became an unstoppable team during the Civil War. We cover Stanton’s reforms, his clashes with generals, his role in shaping Union strategy, and the legacy he left on America long after the war ended.