Civil War Series

150 Years ago Union and Confederate forces were involved in some bloody fighting that became known as the "Peninsula Campaign." The Union developed a plan to attack the Confederate Capital of Richmond, Virginia, but a combination of factors, including indecisive command decisions,  kept the North from succeeding with that plan. This fighting led to the emergence of Confederate Commander  Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, according to WKU historians Dr. Glenn LaFantasie and Dr. Jack Thacker.

150 years ago this month, Union and Confederate forces met in some bloody fighting in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.  Stonewall Jackson distinguished himself in the field, in fighting that demonstrated the importance of good maps and accurate military intelligence. 

In April of 1862, both the Union and Confederate leadership considered New Orleans to be an important strategic location. The battle that took place there involved chains in the river and a Mayor who refused to surrender, even after Union forces had won the battle. WKU Military Historian Jack Thacker and Glenn LaFantasie of the WKU Institute for Civil War Studies talk with WKU Public Radio in the latest of our ongoing series of reports marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.