First Person Civil War Podcast
Are you ready for a First Person account of a Civil War battle? Union and Confederate Soldiers and Officers wrote in journals and published books during and after the war. Join Bill Coghlan every week as he retells what these men saw and did on the battlefield.
Episodes
47 episodes
Episode 46: 1LT Charles T. Clark and the 125th Ohio at the Battle of Missionary Ridge
At the Battle of Missionary Ridge, 25 November 1863, 1LT Charles T. Clark and the 125th Ohio advanced in the Second Line of their brigade in what was intended to be the seizure of Confederate Rifle Pits at the base of the ridge. Once completing...
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19:48
Episode 45: SGT William V. Izlar and the 25th South Carolina at the Battle of Globe Tavern
At the Battle of Globe Tavern, 21 August 1864, SGT William V. Izlar and the 25th South Carolina advanced alongside the rest of Hagood’s Brigade against what was perceived to be an open flank of the Union V Corps, but in reality occupied by BG L...
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19:31
Episode 44: MAJ James H. Kidd and the 6th Michigan Cavalry at the Battle of Yellow Tavern
At the Battle of Yellow Tavern, 11 May 1864, MAJ James H. Kidd, commander of the 6th Michigan Cavalry faced the Confederate Cavalry under MG J.E.B. Stuart. After a fight that lasted several hours, MG Sheridan, commander of the Union Cavalry Cor...
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16:49
Episode 43: SGT William H. Tunnard and the 3rd Louisiana at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek
At the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, 10 August 1861, SGT William H. Tunnard and the 3rd Louisiana advanced north against an artillery battery which opened upon them only to run into a Battalion of US Infantry. After being repulsed, the regiment has...
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20:05
Episode 42: PVT Herbert W. Beecher and the 1st Connecticut Light Artillery Battery at the Battle of Secessionville
At the Battle of Secessionville, PVT Herbert W. Beecher and the 1st Connecticut Light Artillery Battery supported the advance of the 2nd Division upon the Tower Battery on James Island with their 4x 14-inch James Rifles. Though the Confederate ...
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20:21
Episode 41: CPL Ephraim M. Anderson and the 2nd Missouri (Confederate) at the Battle of Champion Hill
At the Battle of Champion Hill, 16 May 1863, CPL Ephraim M. Anderson and the 2nd Missouri (Confederate) rush north along with their entire division to bolster the Confederate left flank which was crumbling under an advance by the Union Army of ...
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19:15
Episode 40 PVT Martin A. Haynes and the 2nd New Hampshire at the Battle of Cold Harbor
At the Battle of Cold Harbor, 3 June 1864, PVT Martin A. Haynes and the 2nd New Hampshire, just days from the expiration of their enlistments, advanced into what would become one of the great debacles of the Civil War as the XVIII, VI and II Co...
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19:29
Episode 39: Seaman Magee of the USS Kearsarge face Captain Semmes and the CSS Alabama at the Battle of Cherbourg
At the Battle of Cherbourg, 19 June 1864, Seaman Magee aboard the USS Kearsarge spotted the CSS Alabama, commanded by CPT Semmes as it departed the safety of Cherbourg Harbor to do battle in the English Channel. While both sloops-of-war were al...
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27:05
Episode 38 MAJ Joseph L. Brent and the Expedition to capture the USS Indianola
On the evening of 24 February 1863, the expedition that captured the USS Indianola involved a Confederate force of four ships: CSS Queen of the West, CSS Webb, CSS Batey and CSS Grand Era, the latter two being support vessels only. MAJ Joseph L...
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24:12
Episode 37: CH Frederick Denison and the 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery at the Second Battle of Charleston Harbor
At the Second Battle of Charleston Harbor, July – September 1863, CH Denison and the 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery supported the X Army Corps as it occupied Morris Island at the mouth of the Harbor and assaulted Fort Wagner in July. In the w...
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23:06
Episode 36: Cadet CPT Frank Preston and the VMI Cadets at the Battle of New Market
At the Battle of New Market, 15 May 1864, Cadet Captain Frank Preston and the Cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, as an infantry battalion, marched north from Lexington to the town of New Market Virginia, where they joined the Confederat...
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21:31
Episode 35: 2LT Camille Baquet and the 1st New Jersey at the Battle of the Wilderness
At the Battle of the Wilderness, 5-7 May 1864, 2LT Camille Baquet and the 1st New Jersey marched to the aid of the V Corps which discovered the Confederate 2nd Corps along the Orange Turnpike. The thick vegetation of the Wilderness meant the Je...
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20:58
Episode 34: PVT John W. Munson and the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion at the Action at Mount Zion Church
At the Action at Mount Zion Church, 6 July 1864, PVT John W. Munson and the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion, or Mosby’s Rangers, intercepted a Union Cavalry detachment that had perused them for three days after their successful raid of the Army...
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18:54
Episode 33: CPT William H. Chamberlin and the 81st Ohio at the Second Battle of Corinth
At the Second Battle of Corinth, 3-4 October 1862, CPT William H. Chamberlin and the 81st Ohio alongside the entire 2nd Division are driven from their first position but manage to rally around a White House. After holding the line for the rest ...
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20:22
Episode 32: 1LT C. Seton Fleming and the 2nd Florida at the Battle of Williamsburg
At the Battle of Williamsburg, 5 May 1862, the 2nd Florida engaged two Union regiments southeast of the town. COL Ward, the 2nd Florida’s commander, was killed in action and the regiment was forced to retreat to a second position. Once the line...
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18:12
Episode 31: CPL Henry M. Dysart and the 3rd Iowa Cavalry at the Battle of Pea Ridge
At the Battle of Pea Ridge, on the morning of 7 March 1862, an advance Cavalry and Artillery force which included CPL Dysart and the 3rd Iowa Cavalry witnessed some of the first shots of the battle as three artillery pieces fired into the Confe...
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20:27
Episode 30: 2LT Lot D. Young and the 4th Kentucky (Confederate) at the Battle of Dallas
At the Battle of Dallas, 28 May 1864, 2LT Lot D. Young and the 4th Kentucky as part of the Orphan Brigade advanced upon a heavily entrenched Union Army. What was intended to be a three-brigade advance was cancelled by the division commander, bu...
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18:42
Episode 29: 1LT Lemuel A. Abbott and the 10th Vermont at the Third Battle of Winchester
At the Third Battle of Winchester, 19 September 1864, 1LT Lemuel A. Abbott and the 10th Vermont, form as part of a two Corps advance upon the first Confederate position east of the town of Winchester Virginia. By virtue of rugged terrain and a ...
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18:54
Episode 28: 1LT James Dinkins and the 18th Mississippi Cavalry Battalion at the First Battle of Collierville
At the First Battle of Collierville, 11 October 1863, 1LT Dinkins and the 18th Mississippi Cavalry Battalion form in the center of an attacking Confederate force that possessed five times the men against a fort and ammunition depot held by appr...
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22:07
Episode 27: 3LT Rogers and the 47th North Carolina face CPL Strong and the 121st Pennsylvania on 1 July and 1LT Seville and the 1st Delaware on 3 July at the Battle of Gettysburg
At the Battle of Gettysburg, 3LT Rogers and the 47th North Carolina on 1 July advance through a wood line into an open field. As they march toward McPherson’s Ridge, a line of infantry appears on its crest, CPL Strong and the 121st Pennsylvania...
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31:41
Episode 26: CPL John R. McBride and the 33rd Indiana at the Battle of Thompson’s Station
At the Battle Thompson’s Station, 5 March 1863, CPL McBride and the 33rd Indiana, alongside their reinforced brigade meet MG Earl Van Dorn’s Cavalry while conducting a reconnaissance from Brentwood TN toward Spring Hill. Sources use...
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20:32
Episode 25: PVT William E. Bevens and the 1st Arkansas at the Battle of Ringgold Gap
At the Battle of Ringgold Gap, PVT William E. Bevens and the 1st Arkansas are ordered to the top of White Oak Mountain, just north of the gap, to repel advancing Union Regiments and give the retreating Army of Tennessee time to reach Dalton Geo...
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22:07
Episode 24: SGT Charles Augustus Fuller and the 61st New York at the Battle of Glendale
At the Battle of Glendale, the evening of 30 June 1862, SGT Charles Augustus Fuller and the 61st New York advance at the head of their brigade north of the Long Bridge Road. As night descends on their position, an unfamiliar voice asks the 61st...
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19:34
Episode 23: COL James Cooper Nisbet and the 66th Georgia at the Battle of Peach Tree Creek
At the Battle of Peach Tree Creek on 20 July 1864, COL James Cooper Nisbet and the 66th Georgia, participate in an echelon assault upon the Army of the Cumberland. After being repulsed, COL Nisbet reforms his command and advances again in suppo...
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18:05
Episode 22: CPT Goldsborough and the 1st Maryland Face PVT Bicknell and the 5th Maine at the Battle of First Manassas
At the Battle of First Manassas, also known as First Bull Run, CPT William W. Goldsborough and the 1st Maryland meet PVT Bicknell and the 5th Maine on the battlefield at Chinn Ridge late in the afternoon of 21 July 1861.Sources used for...
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22:41