155 The West: The Midwest and Rocky Mountain States, 1865-1870
Release Date: 11/23/2023
America at War
We are continuing our exploration of professionalization and what kind of Army would emerge through a long period of introspection. In this episode we are going to explore these issues through the eyes of Emory Upton. A protege of William T. Sherman, Upton's experiences in the Civil War would trigger an intense interest in tactics and the shape of the Army in the future. This episode will focus on the formative stage of Upton's career - his experiences at West Point, serving in the Army during the Civil War, and navigating the pitfalls of the post war army, and how these fueled his interests....
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We are continuing our exploration of reform and revitalization of the US Army in the decades after the end of the Civil War. This is a critical topic that deserves some coverage if you want to understand the army’s performance in the future. One of the trends that emerged in this time period was an acceleration of moving the army toward a more professional organization. Will look at the key ingredients of this movement, in particular with a focus on education. A component of professionalization is education. We will spend some time looking at the emergence of the post-graduate education...
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In this episode, we will continue our story on the military's response to civil unrest. As we spoke of in the previous episode, we concentrated on how and why the National Guard and the US Army responded to civil disorders. We focused on the 1877 strike and in this episode we will talk about the Pullman strike and other actions as the nineteenth century began to draw down. The Army's response to unrest informed what was emerging as one of the chief responses to change. Have a question, comment, concern, or compliment? Contact us at . You can also leave comments and your questions on...
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We are back! Our series on the reform and revitalization of the American military continues with a focus on how the military responded to civil disorder. The rise of the factory system and the industrialization of the United States changed the economic landscape of the nation. Wage earners, feeling powerless at time of rampant profits as well as little in the way of protections during economic downturns, used collective action to put a stop to these abuses. Often, these labor stoppages would involve property destruction and violence. In response, both the National Guard and regular army troops...
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In this episode we kick off the Progressive Era with a brief overview of the National Guard in the late nineteenth century. The National Guard emerged from the volunteer militia's that dominated the scene from before the Civil War until the decades after. We will delve more into their activities in future episodes, namely responding to civil disturbances. In this episode we will introduce the desire for more federal recognition, while preserving its unique allegiance to the states in which they served. Have a question, comment, concern, or compliment? Contact us at . You can also leave...
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We have finished western expansion and the Army's campaigns 'out west'. With this episode we move into reform and revitalization of the Army and Navy until the end of the nineteenth century. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States remained insular. Without any external threats, the Army and Navy began to professionalize and think about the future. We will be focusing on a number of topics in this new series: the rise the National Guard, the expansion of officer education and professionalization, the modernization of the country's coastal defense infrastructure, and the rebirth of...
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In our last episode on the frontier army, it seems appropriate to highlight the African-Americans who served in the west - the Buffalo soldiers. Two infantry and cavalry regiments were set aside for African-American soldiers. They flocked to the colors to serve. Taking part in many of the campaigns in the west, they cemented their reputation. The officers who led these regiments were white. In the decades after the end of the Civil War, several men of color were admitted into the US military academy at West Point. Three men were able to finish their military schooling and build careers in the...
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This episode follows up with the previous. After focusing on what it was like to serve in the west after the Civil War, we close the circle with this episode where we focus on the campagin trail and combat. Rather than fighting standing armies as had occured in the Civil War, the 'wars' more often than not, these brushes with violence could be called skrimishes rather than set piece battles. Regardless of the size of the battles, combat was a very personal and, in many cases, terrifying experience. Some men excelled, others did not. Nevertheless, the crucible of serving on the frontier would...
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In this episode, we take a closer look at the life of officers and enlisted men on the frontier. We explore the motivations for joining and the challenges of serving. The post Civil War Army served in over 200 posts spread through the west. They had to endure tedium, hardships, and occassionally the terror of serving in a battle. This episode will provide a broad overview of life on the frontier. Have a question, comment, concern, or compliment? Contact us at . You can also leave comments and your questions on Facebook at . Thanks for listening!
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As we draw down the arc of episodes related to post-Civil War Indian Wars, in this episode we will concentrate on subduing Geronimo. Geronimo bedeviled the US Army as he left the reservation three separate times. For the last two campaigns, General George Crook successfully cornered the proud warrior and compelled him to return to the reservation. Unfortunately, Crook was not happy the second time Geronimo went on the campaign trail and he was sent into exile in Florida. The native peoples who have inhabited this continent are still here today. Despite the trauma of this period, they are...
info_outlineWe are moving to the center of the country with this episode. Before the beginning of the Civil War through the decade of the 1870s, the Army was busy in the center of the country. This episode will serve as bridge between the end of the Civil War and the Sioux and Lakota Wars of the 1870s. As settlement stretched west, there were clashes between native peoples and the Army. In a familiar story, dissatisfaction with treaties and the ongoing conquest of native lands, forced the hand of many Tribes, leading to war. The Fetterman fight, and Washita are bellwethers for the future of native peoples being able to coexist with Euro-American settlers. Take a listen!
Have a question, comment, concern, or compliment? Contact us at americawarpodcast@gmail.com. You can also leave comments and your questions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/americaatwarpodcast/. Thanks for listening!