The Forgotten Story of the Black Man Who Was the First to Shed Blood in the Civil War
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2025
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, Nicholas Biddle died broke, never received a pension, and was never officially recognized as a Union soldier because of his age and the color of his skin—but he was treated as a soldier by his company and was the first to shed blood in the Civil War, just days after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. |
| 0:03.8 | This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild-haired priests, |
| 0:08.5 | trading blows with Jay Edgar Hoover in a hell-bent effort to sabotage a war. |
| 0:14.1 | Jay Edgar Hoover was furious. He was out of his mind, and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees. |
| 0:23.1 | Listen to Divine Intervention on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:30.4 | You Feelin This, too, is a horror anthology podcast. It brings different creators to tell 10 vile. |
| 0:39.3 | No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Grotesque. Horrific stories on what scares them the most. |
| 0:47.9 | You feel in this this too. |
| 0:59.3 | Listen on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:04.6 | The legendary escapologist Harry Houdini was obsessed with the afterlife. |
| 1:09.2 | I see a little boy. He is in a happy place. |
| 1:14.8 | Join me, Tim Harford, for a cautionautionary Tales trilogy on the world's most famous magician and his campaign to ban mediums, a mission that would cost him friends and leave him fearing for his life. |
| 1:21.7 | They're going to kill me. |
| 1:23.8 | Listen to Cautionary Tales on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:31.0 | If you truly believe in liberation, if you have to cover everybody. |
| 1:35.2 | Hi, I'm George M. Johnson, a bestselling author with the second most fan book in America. |
| 1:40.2 | In this week's episode of my new podcast, Fighting Words, I talked with the iconic actress Gabrielle Union about some of her pivotal roles |
| 1:46.5 | and how to be a good parent in the face of today's backlash against black and queer communities. |
| 1:51.8 | If you are more concerned about what your fellow racists think about you, you've already lost. |
| 1:58.7 | Listen to Fighting Words on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. |
| 2:05.1 | Are you hungry? |
| 2:06.4 | Colleen Witt here and eating while broke is back for season four every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.