Breaking Nation: A Civil War Podcast
When the political system of compromise that had served the United States for decades utterly and epically fails to deal with slavery at a national level, the mid-nineteenth century leaders of the nation and states must choose where their loyalties lie.
Will they save their way of life and solve the sins of cruel bondage before the land and its people are torn apart and shredded by violence and prejudice?
When Abraham Lincoln takes the oath of office as the sixteenth President on March 4, 1861, he faces a crisis unlike any other faced by his predecessors.
The country is on the brink of breaking as a nation…
Breaking Nation: A Civil War Podcast will take you on a revelatory and surprising journey through the years of the American Civil War, as if you had no idea how the events surrounding you would play out.
Recent Episodes
S2E1 – Little Napoleons
Interview with Chris Mowery
Interview with Robert Tracy McKenzie
S1E6 – The Island in the Harbor
S1E5 – Stars and Banners
S1E4 – A Political Free-For-All
Listen On
Recent Blog Posts
How Fort Henry Opened the Door to Union Victory in the West
The surrender of Fort Henry, Tennessee, on February 6, 1862, marked one of those deceptively small moments in the Civil War that carried outsized strategic consequences. On paper, Fort Henry was a modest Confederate earthwork on the Tennessee River.…
When the Confederacy Begged Its Soldiers to Stay
In February 1862, Confederate generals faced a crisis that threatened to unravel their armies just as the war was intensifying. Most Confederate soldiers had enlisted for twelve months in the flush of enthusiasm following secession, confident the co…
Lincoln’s Push for Unified Action in the Civil War
On January 27, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued General War Order No. 1, a directive that may seem like a footnote in Civil War history but carries significant strategic weight. The order called for a coordinated Union offensive, combining lan…