Portraits of Blue & Grey: The Biographical Civil War Podcast

Recorded History Podcast Network

4.8 (10)
SOCIETY & CULTURE

Portraits of Blue & Grey, hosted by Christopher Moore, is a biographical Civil War podcast that examines the lives of the most prominent, interesting, and influential figures of the United States Civil War Era.

16 JUNE

Confederate Intelligence and Espionage, Part 1

This episode surveys Civil War intelligence-gathering and espionage on the Confederate side. We look at the cavalry's role, the Confederate Signal Corps and Secret Service, and introduce a few Rebel spy stories. Part 2 will examine some of the best-known Confederate spies and a few of the strange operations pursued by the Rebel Secret Service. In this Episode: 12:10 - Jedidiah Hotchkiss, Shenandoah Valley Cartographer 16:30 - Confederate spy Antonia Ford 21:30 - Union General Grenville Dodge, Grant's spy master 24:00 - Sam Davis, the South's Nathan Hale 29:45 - Will Talbot, Virginia cavalryman caught spying in Maryland 31:10 - Frank Stringfellow, top-gun Confederate spy 41:30 - The Iron Scouts and the Beefsteak Raid 47:00 - Confederate Secret Service 53:45 - UK blockade policy 59:20 - Confederate Signal Corps; encryption 1:03:00 - George "Lightning" Ellsworth, Rebel telegraph trickster Email the show at CivilWarPodcast@protonmail.com. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1h 16m
1 JAN

Copperheads

President Lincoln called them "fire in the rear." Northern anti-war Democrats--called Copperheads--advocated for a peaceful resolution of the war and sharply criticized the Lincoln Administration's restrictions on civil liberties in the North. This episode explores the Copperhead movement, introduces a few prominent Copperheads, and evaluates their arguments against Lincoln and the war. 11:00 - Copperheads in the Press. 16:00 - Marcus "Brick" Pomeroy. 29:00 - Copperheads in Politics; Ohio Rep. Clement Vallandigham. 34:00 - Ohio Rep. Alexander Long; Censure and Expulsion in the House of Representatives. 44:00 - Indiana Rep. Daniel Voorhees. 50:00 - NY Mayor and House Rep. Fernando Wood; NY Police Riot. 59:00 - NYC Secession? 1:04:00 - 1864 Democratic Party Convention. 1:10:00 - Lincoln Administration Constitutional Restrictions; Suspension of Habeas Corpus; Martial Law; 1st Amendment Violations. 1:24:00 - Knights of the Golden Circle. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1h 38m
03/07/2023

Union Spies and Intelligence in the U.S. Civil War

This is the second half of our look at Union intelligence operations and spies during the American Civil War. This episode finishes up the discussion of Col. George Sharpe's Bureau of Military Information and the big influence Col. Sharpe had on intelligence during and after the war. We then introduce several charismatic Union spies--including Richmond socialite Elizabeth Van Lew, former slave Mary Bowser, actress Pauline Cushman, and Canadian master of disguise Sarah Edmonds. We also meet "the Tsar of the Underground"--counter-intelligence specialist Lafayette Baker--and explore his role in the Lincoln assassination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1h 2m
11/06/2023

Civil War Espionage (Part 1 - Union Spies)

This episode explores Civil War espionage, starting with the intelligence operation and spies on the Union side. Allan Pinkerton, Kate Warne, Timothy Webster, and Col. George Sharpe feature prominently in this episode. A follow-up episode will be out soon finishing up our look at Union spies with figures like Elizabeth Van Lew, Lafayette Baker, Mary Richards Bowser, Pauline Cushman, and Sarah Emma Edmonds. A future show will discuss Civil War spies on the Confederate side. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

56 min
22/01/2023

The Red River Campaign - Part 3

The third (and final) episode of our series on the Red River Campaign finishes up the action in Louisiana. We look at the Union withdrawal, an unorthodox cavalry-vs-navy battle at Blair's Landing, the Camden Expedition, and some nifty impromptu dam-building by a Wisconsin engineer named Lt. Col. Joseph Bailey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1h 6m
09/01/2023

Red River Campaign, Part 2 (Mansfield and Pleasant Hill)

Part 2 of the Red River Campaign explores the Battle of Mansfield and follow-up Battle of Pleasant Hill--which proved to be the pivotal confrontations of the campaign. Then, we digress into some Civil War trivia. Look for Part 3, which will wrap up the series, in the near future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

56 min
14/11/2022

The Red River Campaign - Part 1

Part 1 of our Red River Campaign episode explores the dichotomy between political generals and hard-nosed professional soldiers before surveying American Civil War action in Louisiana. We also get to meet Union General (and former Speaker of the House) Nathaniel Banks and U.S. Navy hero Admiral David Dixon Porter--along with Rebel Generals Richard Taylor and Kirby Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1h 37m
01/05/2022

The New Mexico Campaign: Good Intentions, Bad Logistics, Ugly Results

Portraits of Blue & Grey makes its triumphant return with a look at the New Mexico Campaign's good intentions, bad logistics, and ugly results. While we're at it, we'll explore civil war in Ol' Mexico, Napoleon III's imperialist opportunism, and figure out how a Habsburg archduke briefly became Emperor of Mexico. "General Sibley. He looks dead." I definitely should have re-watched the movie before recording the episode. If you have questions or comments about the show, you can reach us at blueandgreypodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1h 31m

See All (35)

4.8

out of 5

10 Ratings

A Really Great Podcast!

30/11/2020

Aussie_oy

Thank you very much for such a wonderful and informative podcast. It’s a really great listen!! And one I can thoroughly recommend :)
Great podcast

06/09/2018

krmhargrave

Big fan of this podcast, the podcast goes into so much depth

Portraits of Blue & Grey, hosted by Christopher Moore, is a biographical Civil War podcast that examines the lives of the most prominent, interesting, and influential figures of the United States Civil War Era.