Digital Learning Commons: Civil War: Other Battles and Campaigns, 1861-1863

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Podcasts

The Battle of Ball's Bluff (72 minutes)
Pat Mountain and Jim Anderson discuss the significance of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff which took place near Leesburg, Virginia in the fall of 1861.

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O’Connor, Bob. “The Battle of Ball’s Bluff.” Bob O’Connor, 12 Oct. 2018, boboconnorbooks.com/the-battle-of-balls-bluff/.
The 1862 Peninsula Campaign (55 minutes)
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 goal was to roll over the Confederacy. The Rebels were not about to let that happen.

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Rank, Scott. “The 1862 Peninsula Campaign.” Key Battles of the Civil War, History on the Net, 7 Feb. 2019, podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-5-the-1862-peninsula-campaign/id1451661573?i=1000429404652.
Battle of Second Manassas (31 minutes)
General Jack Mountcastle joins Mark to discuss the Battle of Second Manassas, the major Confederate victory in August 1862 that gave Lee the thrust to invade Maryland that September.

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Bielski, Mark. “Battle of Second Manassas.” History with Mark Bielski, 6 Sept. 2018, historywithmarkbielski.com/civil-war/battle-of-second-manassas/.
Stones River (24 minutes)
Part one of six that sets the stage for the Battle of Stones River, which took place outside Murfreesboro, Tennessee from December 31, 1862 to January 2, 1863.

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Youngdahl, Richard. “Stones River (Part the First).” The Civil War Podcast, 7 June 2018, podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/240-stones-river-part-the-first/id579999452?i=1000413999822.
Battle of Chickamauga (38 minutes)
In Battle of Chickamauga , Confederate General Braxton Bragg retreated from Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, without a fight, with the supposed intent of setting up a masterful counterattack. He was pursued by hard-drinking, hard-swearing, Yankee General William S. Rosecrans.

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Rank, Scott. “Battle of Chickamauga.” History Unplugged Podcast, History on the Net, 3 Nov. 2018, podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-of-the-civil-war-in-10-battles-part-14-chickamauga/id1237796990?i=1000423756617.

The Battle of Ball's Bluff (October, 1861)

A Ball's Bluff Letter
A day after the Battle of Ball's Bluff, Captain Caspar Crowinshield of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry wrote a lengthy letter to his mother detailing his involvement in the lopsided engagement.

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Crowninshield, Caspar. “A Ball’s Bluff Letter.” The Civil War Monitor, 20 Oct. 2017, www.civilwarmonitor.com/blog/a-balls-bluff-letter.
Battle of Ball's Bluff Facts and Summary
Concise look at the Battle of Ball's Bluff. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.
Disaster at Ball's Bluff
In-depth look at the events leading up to the Battle of Ball's Bluff, the actions taken by both sides, and the fall out from the battle.

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“Disaster at Ball’s Bluff, 21 October 1861.” National Museum of the United States Army, The Army Historical Foundation, 17 July 2014, armyhistory.org/disaster-at-balls-bluff-21-october-1861/.

Battle of Glorieta Pass (March, 1862)

Battle of Glorieta Pass Facts and Summary
Snapshot of the Battle of Glorieta Pass. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.
Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass ‘Pointless'
Matthew Barbour, a state archaeologist, says the remains of Confederate soldiers discovered by a property owner in 1987 in a mass grave site in Glorieta speaks to the violence, loss and futility of war.

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Nott, Robert. “Archaeologist: Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass ‘Pointless.’” Santa Fe New Mexican, 17 Jan. 2016, www.santafenewmexican.com/life/features/archaeologist-civil-war-battle-of-glorieta-pass-pointless/article_22abbbeb-4b14-58a5-8338-6b89034b7770.html.
Dead Men Speak
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The more than 30 Texans who died at the Battle of Glorieta Pass were hastily interred together on the battlefield by comrades during a truce. The location of the burial site was eventually lost to time, and not re-discovered until 1987, when a farmer digging a foundation for a house uncovered a human jawbone.

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Johnston, Joe. "Dead men speak: morbid but fascinating details about soldiers who died at Glorieta Pass revealed at long-lost burial site." America's Civil War, Nov. 2015, p. 52+. Student Resources in Context, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A427959839/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=27a18634.
Winning the “War of Western Possession”: The Battle of Glorieta Pass
In-depth look at the events leading up to the Battle of Glorieta Pass, what transpired, and the after-effects of the battle.

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Morgan, Adam. “Winning the ‘War of Western Possession’: The Battle of Glorieta Pass.” National Museum of the United States Army, The Army Historical Foundation, 27 June 2016, armyhistory.org/winning-the-war-of-western-possession-the-battle-of-glorieta-pass/.

The Peninsular Campaign (March - July, 1862)

Balloon Operations in the Peninsula Campaign
Interesting look at the role that hot-air balloons played during the Peninsula Campaign, including background information on how balloons became a viable military tool.

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Clifford, James. “Balloon Operations in the Peninsula Campaign.” National Museum of the United States Army, The Army Historical Foundation, 17 July 2014, armyhistory.org/balloon-operations-in-the-peninsula-campaign/.
Peninsula Campaign
Nice overview of the Peninsular Campaign. Includes background information, the campaign, a time line, and more.

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Burton, Brian. “Peninsula Campaign.” Encyclopedia Virginia, Virginia Humanities, 2018, www.encyclopediavirginia.org/peninsula_campaign.
The Peninsular Campaign
By early April 1862, the Army of the Potomac — over 120,000 strong — had been transported to the tip of the Virginia peninsula between the York and James Rivers and was in position to move on the Confederate capital of Richmond. The training was over; this would prove the ultimate test.

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Quarstein, John V. “The Peninsula Campaign.” American Battlefield Trust, 23 Oct. 2018, www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/peninsula-campaign-0.

Battle of Bull Run, Second Manassas (August, 1862)

'Stand To It, Boys'
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A Buckeye Brigade's bravado on Chinn Ridge saves the Union Army from annihilation at Second Bull Run.

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Patchan, Scott C. "'Stand To It, Boys': A Buckeye Brigade's Bravado on Chinn Ridge Saves the Union Army From Annihilation at Second Bull Run." America's Civil War, July 2018, p. 44+. Student Resources in Context, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A553115335/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=af6a1858.
Battle of Bull Run, Second Manassas Facts and Summary
Great overview of the Battle of Bull Run, Second Manassas. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.
The Battle of Second Manassas
Links to loads of primary sources related to the Battle of Bull Run, Second Manassas. Includes official reports from both the Union and Confederate armies.
Stonewall's silent ally
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Unfinished railroads figured in at least four major eastern Civil War battles: Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and Second Manassas. Only at Second Manassas, however, did an uncompleted railroad bed actually define the battlefield--in the sense that a battle was fought there largely because of the abandoned railroad grade.

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McElfresh, Earl B. "Stonewall's silent ally: a railroad to nowhere gave Confederates a tactical advantage at Second Manassas." Civil War Times, Dec. 2011, p. 54+. General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A270461782/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=19d8de5b.
Vindication Maps
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A cartographic reexamination of the Second Battle of Bull Run exonerated a general wrongly blamed for the Union defeat

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Beck, Tobin. "Vindication maps: a cartographic reexamination of the Second Battle of Bull Run exonerated a general wrongly blamed for the union defeat." Civil War Times, Oct. 2007, p. 61+. General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A213079808/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=ae129e82.

Battle of Stones River (December, 1862 - January, 1863)

Battle of Stones River Facts and Summary
Concise look at the Battle of Stone's River. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.
Battle of Stones River
Treasure trove of primary sources related to the Battle of Stone's River. Includes official reports from both the Union and Confederate armies.
The Battle of Stones River: Into the Cauldron
On the last day of 1862, Confederates under General Braxton Bragg launched a surprise attack on Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans’s Army of the Cumberland.

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Sheperd, Joshua. “The Battle of Stones River: Into the Cauldron.” Warfare History Network, Sovereign Media, 21 Dec. 2018, warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/civil-war/the-battle-of-stones-river-into-the-cauldron/.

Battle of Chickamauga (September, 1863)

Battle of Chickamauga Facts and Summary
Informative overview of the Battle of Chickamauga. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.
On They Came Like an Angry Flood: The Battle of Chickamauga
James Longstreet’s bloody assault at the Battle of Chickamauga broke the Union’s string of victories, but failed to make gains for the Confederates.

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Blumberg, Arnold. “On They Came Like an Angry Flood: The Battle of Chickamauga.” Warfare History Network, Sovereign Media, 12 Oct. 2018, warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/civil-war/on-they-came-like-an-angry-flood-the-battle-of-chickamauga/.
The Chickamauga Campaign
Great resource that provides access to many primary sources related to the Battle of Chickamauga including official reports, reminiscences, and more.
Pure Chaos: Braxton Bragg's Subordinates Sabotaged Victory at Chickamauga
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Confederate General Braxton Bragg was arguably the Civil War's most hated commander. President Jefferson Davis, who gave him command of the principal field army in the war's Western Theater, didn't much like the general and, in the wake of the Confederates' hard-won tactical victory at the Battle of Chickamauga, Bragg's major subordinates petitioned Davis to relieve their despised leader of his command.

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Kennedy, Edwin L., Jr., and Jerry Morelock. "Pure Chaos: Braxton Bragg's Subordinates Sabotaged Victory at Chickamauga." America's Civil War, Mar. 2019, p. 18+. Student Resources in Context, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A569607359/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=f157dcb1.

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