It's May 1864 and the Union has entered its fourth year of war against the Confederacy. President Abraham Lincoln has fired yet another general and is looking for an officer who will take the fight to the rebels. Enter Major General Ulysses S. Grant, the Hero of Vicksburg, and the type of general Lincoln knows will change the direction of the war in favor of the Union.

Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General -- a rank only held in wartime by George Washington -- Lincoln tasks Grant with the job of leading all Union troops against the Confederate Army.

Grant wasted no time in forming a new aggressive strategy that will attack the Confederacy from five different directions and take him, the new commander of the Army of the Potomac, into the field to face General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.

Howdy, I am Kyle Bondo, a US Navy veteran, resident of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and amateur civil war history buff, inviting you to join me for my new podcast - War Yankee.

Follow me as I explore the history of the American Civil War beginning with Grant's Overland Campaign of May/June 1864. Why am I starting in the middle of the war? Because I live in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where the 40+ days of fighting started only a few miles away from my house at the Battle of the Wilderness, and then tore through my backyard into Spotsylvania Courthouse before concluding 80 miles to the south at Petersburg, Virginia.

To make this podcast, I actually walked the path of destruction from Culpeper to Petersburg, Virginia, and stood where General Grant and the brave soldiers of the Army of the Potomac stood, 156 years ago. I now truly understand what it took the Union Army, in both courage and sacrifice, to end slavery once and for all, and ultimately reunite the United States of America.

War Yankee - Overland is my American Civil War history podcast created by me, Kyle Bondo, and produced by Gagglepod. I hope you can join me as I follow the history hiding in my own backyard.

In This Episode
Introducing War Yankee - Overland, my American Civil War history podcast that follows General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Potomac on its 47-day, 113-mile military campaign south from Culpeper to Petersburg, Virginia.

This is the first episode in this War Yankee series and begins by setting some expectations. You may be asking yourself: - Who is the War Yankee, why the Overland Campaign, and why are you starting in the middle of the Civil War? To answer these questions, I begin with some background about myself and my family history, which will provide context for my perspective on the American Civil War and the focus of War Yankee.

Notable Quotes
"That Grant, he was the only War Yankee Lincoln had that was worth anything."
-- Grandpa

"The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."
-- President Abraham Lincoln, From the Gettysburg Address

Support the War Yankee Podcast
Every episode is a work of passion that requires a lot of coffee. I research, read, visit, host, mix, edit, and produce every episode myself. I would greatly appreciate it if you could do two things for me: First, COFFEE! If you enjoy this podcast, please consider supporting the show by buying me a cup of coffee (or two)! Second, FEEDBACK! Please give this podcast a rating and review to let me know what you liked, what I can improve on, or that you're enjoying the show. Meanwhile, thank you for taking the time to listen. You are appreciated!

War Yankee Supports ABT
American Battlefield Trust knows that there is no substitute for experiencing history in the places where it took place and has worked to become the only national organization working to save America's historic battlefields today. Discover how you can help preserve American history forever. Join me in the fight to save our nation's historic battlefields by visiting the American Battlefield Trust website at battlefields.org.

In This Episode
It is March 1864, and President Lincoln is concerned. The first real victory in the East -- The Battle of Gettysburg -- is short-lived when General George Meade, Commander of the Army of the Potomac, fails to capture General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia before they slip back into the Virginia wilderness. Now political pressure is mounting on Lincoln with Northern Democrats and Copperheads pushing him to make peace with the Confederacy. Combined with the growing number of Union causalities, New York Draft Riots, and a mix of results in the West, Lincoln is faced with the possibility of a divided nation and the continuation of slavery in North America for generations to come. The wartime stakes could never be higher!

Notable Quotes
"I can't spare this man–he fights."
-- President Abraham Lincoln after Grant falters during the first day of the Battle of Shiloh, April 1862

"My personal relations with him were as close and intimate as the nature of our respective duties would permit... [To] know him personally was to love and respect him for his great qualities of heart and head, and for his patience and patriotism."
-- Lt.Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on being a "Lincoln Man"

"I think it was Grant’s aggressive, fighting spirit that endeared him to Lincoln. Too many of Lincoln’s generals were quick to scapegoat him for their failures, whereas Grant, as a matter of both pride and honesty, never blamed the president.”
--Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Grant

Support the War Yankee Podcast

Every episode is a work of passion that requires a lot of coffee. I research, read, visit, host, mix, edit, and produce every episode myself. I would greatly appreciate it if you could do two things for me: First, COFFEE! If you enjoy this podcast, please consider supporting the show by buying me a cup of coffee (or two)! Second, FEEDBACK! Please give this podcast a rating and review to let me know what you liked, what I can improve on, or that you're enjoying the show. Meanwhile, thank you for taking the time to listen. You are appreciated!

War Yankee Supports ABT

American Battlefield Trust knows that there is no substitute for experiencing history in the places where it took place and has worked to become the only national organization working to save America's historic battlefields today. Discover how you can help preserve American history forever. Join me in the fight to save our nation's historic battlefields by visiting the American Battlefield Trust website at battlefields.org.