Glenn & Helen podcast with Austin and Annabelle Bay

Professor, blogger, and Pajamas Media Blog Week in Review host Austin Bay, accompanied by his daughter Annabelle, are retracing the Civil War steps of their ancestor, Private Eli W. Jones of the 26th Illinois Infantry this summer. That trip brought them to Knoxville, where they went out to dine as the guests of Glenn Reynolds and Dr. Helen Smith.

The four discuss (of course) the Civil War, military history, and human nature.

Austin explains that among the reason the Civil War still fascinates Americans is that it is, particularly in the center of the eastern half of the United States, all around us.

That's something I was reminded of just a few days ago on my way home from my Kansas trip. In central Missouri, Interstate 70 passes very near the site of the 1861 Battle of Lexington. It ended in a Confederate victory. One of the major components of the Union forces was the 23rd Illinois Infantry, the "Irish Brigade" from Chicago.

Four years later, my great-grandfather, Joseph Henry Ruberry, joined the 23rd, and was present at the Battle of Petersburg and General Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Like Eli W. Jones, Ruberry was a private.

Yes, the Civil War is all around us.

Put on your blue or gray and listen to or download the podcast here. Free subscriptions to the Glenn & Helen Show are available from the iTunes web site.

The podcast is sponsored by Volvo Automobiles.

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