Civil War Series

WKU professors Jack Thacker and Glenn LaFantasie talk about the contributions of African-American soldiers to the U.S. Civil War effort, and President Lincoln's role in arming former slaves. They also point out that black units were often placed under inexperienced and ineffective white officers.

This is the latest in WKU Public Radio's series of reports on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln had to face a number of challenges as he tried to hold the Union together and as he moved forward with the Emancipation Proclamation. The Union was far from unified in its attempts to bring and end to the Civil War.

WKU Historians Dr. Jack Thacker and Dr. Glenn LaFantasie say the season might best be described as the "winter of discontent."  In the next in our series of reports on the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, they describe the difficult situation Lincoln faced.

The Battle of Stone's River took place in cold, icy conditions  on New Year's Eve, 150 years ago. This battle near  Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was significant for military and political reasons. Dr. Glenn LaFantasie of the WKU Institute for Civil War Studies says President Abraham Lincoln needed a Union victory so he could proceed with the Emancipation Proclamation from a position of strength.

WKU Military Historian Dr. Jack Thacker says soldiers from both sides faced some of the most difficult weather conditions encountered during the Civil War, and that fact was reflected in the high casualties suffered by Confederate and Union troops.