Hello and welcome to Civil War Stories. I'm your host, Steve Matthews. Today we're going to explore one of the most extraordinary and mysterious phenomena of the American Civil War - a story that sounds like something from a fairy tale but may very well be grounded in scientific fact. So settle in as we journey to the muddy fields of Shiloh, Tennessee, where wounded soldiers reported seeing their wounds glow with an otherworldly blue light - and where that strange glow may have been the difference between life and death.

Hello and welcome to Civil War Stories. I'm your host, Steve Matthews. Today we're going to explore a fascinating and often overlooked consequence of the American Civil War - how the conflict's end gave birth to one of America's most enduring cultural phenomena: the hobo. So settle in as we journey from the battlefields of 1865 to the railroad tracks of the Gilded Age, where hundreds of thousands of Civil War veterans found themselves riding the rails in search of work, home, and meaning in a rapidly changing America.

Hello and welcome to Civil War Stories. I'm your host, Steve Matthews. Today we're going to explore one of the most innovative yet overlooked aspects of the American Civil War - the Union Army Balloon Corps and the remarkable story of the man who pioneered aerial reconnaissance for the military. So settle in as we journey back to 1861, when a determined aeronaut named Thaddeus Lowe convinced the United States Army to literally rise above the battlefield and see war from an entirely new perspective.

Hello and welcome to Civil War Stories. I'm your host, Steve Matthews. Today we're going to tell one of the most remarkable and inspiring stories from the Battle of Gettysburg - the tale of a 69-year-old man who refused to let his age keep him from defending his hometown when the greatest battle ever fought on American soil erupted in his backyard. So settle in as we explore the extraordinary story of John Burns, a civilian who became a legend by grabbing his old musket and marching off to war against one of the most formidable armies in American history.

Hello and welcome to Civil War Stories. I'm your host, Steve Matthews. Today we're going to explore one of the most unusual and entertaining stories from the early days of the Civil War - the brief, chaotic, and ultimately hilarious military service of a young man named Samuel Clemens, who would later become famous as Mark Twain. So settle in as we journey back to the summer of 1861, when America's greatest humorist found himself reluctantly playing soldier in the backwoods of Missouri.

Hello and welcome to Civil War Stories. I'm your host, Steve Matthews. Today we're going to explore one of the most remarkable yet often overlooked stories of the American Civil War - the tragic tale of the University Grays, a company of young men from the University of Mississippi who paid the ultimate price for their cause. So settle in as we journey back to the spring of 1861, when patriotic fervor swept through the halls of academia and transformed students into soldiers.

In the heat of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln famously proclaimed, "Vicksburg is the key." The key to the heart of the Confederacy, the key to control over the mighty Mississippi River, and ultimately, the key to the Union victory. Vicksburg, perched on a bluff overlooking the river, was an unassailable fortress in the eyes of the Confederacy - their "Gibraltar." Yet, the very strength of Vicksburg became its weakness as it drew the unerring focus of Union General Ulysses S. Grant.

In the heart of Mississippi, a small town named Raymond stood unassuming, nestled amidst the verdant landscapes of rolling hills and languid creeks. Yet, the tranquility of this southern township was destined to be shattered as it became the stage for one of the most crucial battles of the American Civil War - the Battle of Raymond. 

Join us as we take a deep dive into the intricate tapestry of events that culminated in this pivotal battle. It was here in Raymond that Union General James B. McPherson and Confederate General John Gregg led their forces into a face-off that would dramatically influence the Union's strategic objectives and the Confederate South's will to fight.

Our story unfolds with vivid details about the political tensions simmering in the Confederate South, the Union's objectives in the Mississippi Valley, and the instrumental figures steering the course of history. The story further examines the Union's strategic advances, the mistakes and misjudgments by Confederate intelligence, and the life in Raymond as it stood on the precipice of a war that would indelibly mark its history.