Welcome to the second episode in The Rest Is History's 'American Civil War' series.

The release schedule of the remaining two episodes is as follows:Gettysburg (Thursday 30th June)Aftermath & Legacy (Monday 4th July)

However, members of The Rest Is History Club get all episodes RIGHT NOW, so head to restishistorypod.com to sign up.

In today's pod, Dominic, Tom and historian Adam Smith discuss the opening exchanges of the war and the tactics both sides used. They also look at some of the big characters including Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, and ask whether there was ever any realistic chance of the European nations joining the conflict.

Producer: Paul King

Twitter:@TheRestHistory@holland_tom@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]