Henry Wilson & The Civil War
A Podcast Exploring the Heroic Life of Civil War Senator, Vice President, and Champion of Civil Rights, Henry Wilson, through gripping stories of Tragedy and triumph. Sign Up Below to Get Notified When New Episodes Are Released.
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WHo is Henry Wilson?
A Brief BIOGRAPHY
Henry Wilson was an American general, senator, and later vice president who played a key role in the political lead up to the Civil War, handling military affairs during the war, and fighting for civil rights for all Americans during Reconstruction. Wilson was born in 1812 in Farmington, New Hampshire, and was sold into indentured servitude until the age of 21. Shortly following the end of his contract, Wilson moved to Natick Massachusetts where he began his career as a shoemaker. Wilson got involved in local politics and was elected to the Massachusetts state legislature. Wilson was central in forming the Free Soil party in 1848 to fight slavery's expansion. Wilson was elected to the US Senate in 1855 and remained a senator until he was elected as Ulysses Grant's Vice President in 1872. During his career, Wilson drafted much of the military legislation governing the war, worked closely with the Lincoln administration to handle military affairs, emancipated the slaves of Washington DC, and was central in the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, along with many other political successes. It's difficult to find a political event in the 1850s-1870's which was not in some way touched by Henry Wilson. Wilson died in 1875 in the US Capitol during his tenure as vice president. The Senate commemorated his death with a vice-presidential bust which still is displayed in the vice president's office in the Capitol aside from the vice-presidential desk whose dedication is also in honor of Wilson. Despite being one of the most iconic Americans of his time, today Wilson is largely forgotten. Henry Wilson & the Civil War seeks to tell the fascinating story of Wilson's rise from poverty and his political success to reassert his rightful place in history.
The Podcast
Guests
Joan Waugh - Professor Emeritus of Histroy at UCLA, author of U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth
Robert S. Levine - Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Maryland, author of The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Betty Koed - Assistant Historian for the United States Senate
Michelle Krowl - Civil War and Reconstruction specialist in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress
Samuel W. Haynes - Professor of History and Director of the Center for Greater Southwestern Studies at the University of Texas Arlington
Jeffrey Boutwell - Author of Reedeeming Americas Promise: George S. Boutwell and the Politics of Race, Money and Power
TJ Fallon - Vice Presidential Historian, host of Dead History
John L Myers - Professor Emeritus of History at State University of New York, Plattsburgh, author of Henry Wilson and the Coming of the Civil War, Senator Henry Wilson and the Civil War, and Henry Wilson and the Era of Reconstruction
Joe Weisse - Ammature Historian of Natick and Henry Wilson
Jon-Erik Gilot - Author of John Brown's Raid, contributor to Emerging Civil War
Kevin Pawlak - Author of John Brown's Raid, U.S National Parks Battlefield Ranger
Nicole Etcheson - Alexander M. Bracken Professor of History at Ball State University, author of Bleeding Kansas: Contested Liberty in the Civil War Era
Kyle Leach - Director of the Farmington Historical Museum
Daniel Kevles - Professor Emeritus of History of Medicine & American Studies at Yale University
Elizabeth Leonard - Professor of History at Colby College, author of Benjamin Franklin Butler: A Noisy, Fearless Life
Episodes
Who was Henry Wilson?
Jeremiah Jones Colbath
The Natick Shoemaker
The Texas Question
Free Soil-Democratic Coalition
Loss & Failure
Senator Wilson
Bloodshed in Congress
The Republican Party & Dred Scott
Abe Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, John Brown
The Election of 1860
Secession & Fort Sumter
Military Affairs & Emancipation
1863: The Defining Year
Victory In Sight
Surrender & Reunion
The Assassination of President Lincoln & Andrew Johnson
Change in Character: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Renewed Reconstruction: The Election of 1868
Grant & Wilson
Vice President Henry Wilson
The Nation in Mourning: The Legacy of Henry Wilson
Bonus Episodes
Slavery in Politics
Henry Wilson Shoe Shop
The Mexican American War: Interview with Sam W Haynes
Bleeding Kansas: Interview with Nicole Etcheson
Slavery, The Underground Railroad, and Revolt
The National Academy of Science: Interview with Daniel Kevles
Using the Library of Congress for Research: Interview with Michelle Krowl
George Boutwell: Interview with Jeffery Boutwell
Grant & Reconstruction: Interview with Joan Waugh
Vice Presidential Graves: Interview with TJ Fallon
The Slave Power Lives On
Benjamin Franklin Butler: Interview with Elizabeth Leonard
Host
Lincoln Anniballi
Lifelong resident of Natick Massachusetts, the home town of Henry Wilson, Lincoln grew up in the Henry Wilson Historic District, lived on the same road Wilson did, drove past the Henry Wilson Shoe Shop every day, and even went to Wilson Middle School, yet knew very little about the person whose name was all over town. In 2020 Lincoln began researching Wilson's life and in 2021 got the idea to turn his research into a biographical podcast on . A student of political science and history at Hofstra University, Lincoln has spent much of his free time researching and producing Henry Wilson & The Civil War. If you have any questions for Lincoln or would like to request an interview or presentation email HenryWilsonHistory@gmail.com!
