Age of Revolution podcast Dave Inglehart

Following a succession of failed efforts in the East, Union forces score a narrow victory in the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg, Maryland). Though the battle falls short of capturing Lee's army, its result boosts northern morale and provides President Lincoln with an opportunity to reframe the purpose of the war by means of the Emancipation Proclamation. For complete text plus animated maps, music, and more, visit www.ageofrevolution.net.

McClellan's Peninsula Campaign having come to nothing, President Lincoln calls upon John Pope to lead Union forces in a fresh advance upon Lee's army near Gordonsville. Outmaneuvered and befuddled, Pope eventually attacks Stonewall Jackson's corps near the Warrenton Turnpike, only to be taken in flank by Longstreet's Rebels and driven back as far as the battlefield of First Bull Run. Music by Dennis Kennedy, text by Wiliam Hillenbrand, narration by Dave Inglehart. For complete text including animated maps, visit www.ageofrevolution.net.

In the wake of the Union defeat at First Bull Run, George B. McClellan turns the Army of the Potomac into a formidable fighting force yet reveals few instincts for field command. After advancing to the outskirts of Richmond via a round-about, amphibious route, McClellan retreats and the Peninsular Campaign ends in humiliating failure. For related content, including animated maps, visit www.ageofrevolution.net

With an army of 15,000 men, Ulysses S. Grant sets out from Cairo, Illinois, in an effort to end Kentucky's bid to remain neutral in the Civil War. Seizing Fort(s) Henry and Donelson, he next launches an even more ambitious campaign deep into Tennessee, where a large Confederate force under Albert Sidney Johnston awaits. The ensuing confrontation will be referred to by General William T. Sherman as "The devil's own day."

Following the Battle of First Bull Run, the war's center of gravity shifts westward to western Virginia (soon to become its own state), Kentucky, and Missouri. Though relatively obscure, these lesser engagements in the border states will play an oversized role in the larger conflict, bringing to the national stage two rising stars in the Union war effort: George B. MacClellan and Ulysses S. Grant.

Following the attack on Fort Sumter, both North and South prepare for war, racing to redress the country's military complacency after a decade unthreatened by foreign wars. Responding to calls to prevent the first session of the Confederate Congress from meeting in Richmond, Virginia, President Lincoln orders an advance upon Rebel forces in the vicinity of Manassas Junction. The ensuing battle (First Bull Run) provides early evidence of the ferocity of the looming crisis. Text by William Hillenbrand, music by Dennis Kennedy, narration by Dave Inglehart.