On this episode of Our American Stories on July the Union army suffered a loss that just so happened to save the United States and help solidify Lincoln's re-election Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories Des Moines WHO listener Joy Neal Kidney the recipient of our Great American Storyteller Award tells the story of several Iowa Civil War volunteers to the Union Army and their lasting impact on her community Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories on July th the Union army suffered a loss that just so happened to save the United States and help solidify Lincoln's re-election Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

During the American Civil War President Abraham Lincoln once found himself wanting to please a politician so he issued a command to transfer certain Union Army regiments When the secretary of war Edwin Stanton received the order he refused to carry it out He said that the president was a fool Lincoln was told what Stanton had said and he replied ldquo If Stanton said I rsquo m a fool then I must be for he is nearly always right I rsquo ll see for myself rdquo As the two men talked the president quickly realized that his decision was [... more]

During the American Civil War the penalty for desertion was execution But the Union armies rarely executed deserters because their commander-in-chief Abraham Lincoln pardoned nearly all of them This infuriated Edwin Stanton the Secretary of War who believed that Lincoln rsquo s leniency only enticed would-be deserters But Lincoln empathized with soldiers who had lost their nerve and who had given in to their fear in the heat of battle And his empathy endeared him to his soldiers They loved their ldquo Father Abraham rdquo and their affection led the soldiers to want to serve Lincoln all the more When [... more]