WEBVTT

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It's important to us as Americans today

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because by all historical rights, we

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shouldn't be here.

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By all historical rights, the Civil War

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should have destroyed us as a nation. By

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all historical rights, the skeptics, the

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aristocrats, the despots

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should have rejoiced and should have

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watched the American democracy destroy

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itself.

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Yet nearly 150 years after the defining

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conflict in United States history, many

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stories of our civil war remain untold.

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Gettysburg,

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Bull Run, and Tedum

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familiar battles fought in the east.

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But hundreds of miles from the opposing

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capitals of Washington and Richmond,

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another series of campaigns were fought.

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These on the great expanse of lands

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between the Appalachian and the

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Mississippi River,

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[music]

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lands then considered to be the West.

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I think in our popular memory of the

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civil war, we tend to focus a lot on the

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east, on some of the battles in the

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east, but in fact, one could easily

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argue that the civil war was won in the

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west.

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It was where this Union Army managed to

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bisect the Confederacy, taking the

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Mississippi River.

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So if we want to understand the full

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impact of this war on the people,

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you have to understand what went on in

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the west. [music]

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[music]

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[music]

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It is a nation born

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of war.

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Emboldened by the idea that all men are

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created equal, American colonists unite

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to fight their British rulers.

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In a world dominated by kings and

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tyrants, [music]

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the American Revolution gives birth to a

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noble experiment in democracy. [music]

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SHAW THESE UP. SHAW THESE UP. PACK THAT

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DOWN. DIG THAT DIRT. TOTE THAT BAR. LIFT

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THAT BAIL. BETTER. BETTER. BUT I'M GOOD

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ENOUGH.

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Slavery is [music] the ugly exception to

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the cries of liberty

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at the country's founding.

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Move along now. Move along. Break your

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backs. I'll break them for you. save it.

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David,

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one way [music] to understand the irony

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or the paradox of how this could be a

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nation built on freedom [music] and yet

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keep people in unfreedom or in slavery

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is to realize that many of these white

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Americans didn't [music] see that as any

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sort of conflict at all. In fact, uh in

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their mind, these revolutionary

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principles only applied to white people.

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The idea that all men are created

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[music] equal was not a jarring

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contradiction for slaveholders and for

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most Americans in the 18th as well as

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the 19th century. [snorts]

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To our sensibilities [music] today, it's

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something that almost impossible for us

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to imagine [music] how people could

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reconcile or live with that. But they

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did. and they did so really with with

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ease.

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Many slaveholders regard their property

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as childlike, [music]

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although we think of [music]

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African-Ameans as human beings. Now, in

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the 18th century, there was scientific

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[music] evidence that proved they were

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the missing link between [music] animals

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and human beings.

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By the 1800s,

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Americans could point to the research of

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French scientist George Cuvier, then

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considered one of the world's great

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minds in the field of zoologology.

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Cuier was fascinated with a woman from

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South Africa named Sarah Bartman.

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Known throughout England and France as

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the hot and tot Venus, the large woman

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is displayed in a traveling sideshow

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that describes her as a phenomenon of

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nature.

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Upon her death, QVA's autopsy report

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concludes that Bartman was a species

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closer to the great apes than humans.

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And so when you have science that proves

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through evidence, through experimental

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research that African people are in fact

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subhuman or at least inferior, it gives

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the contradiction of democracy and

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slavery some weight because these people

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are not citizens. These people are not

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full human beings.

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The first Africans landed on the shores

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of North America in 1619,

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a year before the arrival of the

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pilgrims.

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By the time the Constitution was

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ratified in 1789,

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the new United States had a [music]

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slave population of almost 700,000.

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Yet many, particularly northern

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religious and political leaders,

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recognized the moral conflict between

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slavery and liberty.

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In 1808,

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Congress [music] bans the importation of

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slaves.

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At the time of the writing of the

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Declaration of Independence and [music]

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the Constitution,

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it was relatively easy to for the

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founders to think that slavery was going

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to go away because [music] slavery as an

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institution was declining. Well, then in

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the [music] 1790s, the cotton gin was

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invented.

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Suddenly from the institution [music]

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declining as it had been before it began

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to increase.

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The international slave trade is

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replaced with a thriving domestic slave

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trade. It becomes the [music] lifeblood

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of the cotton economy.

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The rise of cotton changes the face

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[music] of the nation. It changes the

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conditions of [music] life for black

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people across the United States.

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[music]

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75% of the South's cotton is shipped

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abroad,

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most of it to England and France.

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Cotton is the [music] white gold of the

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transatlantic economy. Cotton was for

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the 19th century economy, for the

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industrial revolution, what oil is today

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for the world economy that we live in.

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Southerners needed to make the profits

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that they needed to make from that

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cotton. But how to do it? You need a

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cheap labor force. If you can enslave

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that labor force, then you're getting it

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at the cheapest rates possible.

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By the time of the Civil War, the

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enslaved [music]

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people providing that labor are valued

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at about $3 billion.

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That's more than the combined value of

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all the railroads, factories, and banks

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then in America.

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And yet, it is not only Southerners who

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benefit from the cotton windfalls.

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Northern banks have a strangle hold on

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many southern planters.

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Cotton mills, shipping interests, even

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insurance companies in the [music] north

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reap great profits from America's white

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gold.

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The nation's economy was built on the

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back of slaves.

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This was not a [music] southern issue.

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It was a national issue and it was an

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issue that was not [music] a problem

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because the economy of slavery and the

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economy of wage labor in the north were

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compatible. They worked brilliantly

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together. The raw materials [music]

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produced by the hands of slaves fueled

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not just the rural south, [music] but it

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also helped energize a growing

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industrial north.

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All right, boys. We got a fresh load of

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brick. As soon as you done that break

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up, we need

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Let's tell a terrible truth that most

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northern whites, although they lived in

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where what were legally ostensibly free

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states, were thoroughly committed to

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white racial supremacy. as any random

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sampling you might take of slave holders

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in the southern states where slavery was

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legal.

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Take a census of black people in the

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north, free black people in the north,

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and you will find that only in a handful

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of locations did they have anything even

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approaching civil equality.

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For northern whites, slavery was a

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problem. Not because it was an act of

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racial injustice, but because slavery

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had permitted black people into North

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America. Northern whites wanted a nation

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that was in effect a sandbox for white

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people only.

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Northern states might be free states,

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they were also anti-lack states.

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A powerful minority called abolitionists

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preach of the evils of slavery.

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Most northerners denounce the

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abolitionists as paras and extremists.

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But by the 1850s, the abolitionist

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message begins to resonate with many who

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begin to rally around the anti-slavery

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[music]

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cause.

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And so faced with that challenge, these

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southern slaveholders begin to develop

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their own moral justification for

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slavery beginning in the 1830s. And they

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start talking about slavery as a

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positive good. that slavery is something

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that is redeeming the people of African

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descent and that we as southern

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slaveholders are taking care of and

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civilizing these people.

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So it's it's a it's a moral issue for

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them. It's an economic issue for them

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and we also can't forget it's a social

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racial issue for them. If you get rid of

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slavery, you get rid of the structure

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that is guaranteeing all white people in

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southern society status.

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And yet the catalyst for civil war comes

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not from north or south, but rather

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west.

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The United States is expanding. And so

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you there's a need for more land, for

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more cotton, and also for more slaves.

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By 1850, a nation of 13 original

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colonies has grown to 31 states.

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America stretches westward, not only to

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the Mississippi River, but all the way

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to the Pacific Ocean.

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A newspaper [music] editor actually

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coined the term and he said it was the

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manifest destiny of [music] the United

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States to overspread the continent to

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spread liberty. But wait a minute, what

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about slavery? Is slavery going to

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spread? We spread liberty. Are we going

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to spread slavery, too? Does slavery

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follow the flag?

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Southern politicians demand to not only

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preserve slavery, but to expand it.

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Political compromises in 1820, 1850, and

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then again in 1854 provide temporary

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solutions. But in the end, western

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expansion disrupts the balance [music]

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in Congress between free and slave

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states.

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A prelude of the bloodletting to come

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erupts in Kansas territory, where voters

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battle over whether their new state will

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be free or slave.

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Suddenly in 1860, a candidate is elected

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to the presidency who is unashamedly,

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unapologetically

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opposed to slavery. And when Southerners

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hear this, they hear the death nail

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ringing for them.

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Abraham Lincoln from Illinois is the

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candidate of the newly formed Republican

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party. He is elected without receiving a

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single electoral vote from the South.

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Lincoln's priority is to preserve the

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Union.

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The president-elect vows to not

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interfere with slavery in states where

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it already exists.

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That does little to comfort those in the

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South who fear Lincoln will use the

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federal government to trample states

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rights.

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For white southerners, with Lincoln's

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election, they saw the beginning of the

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end. They believed that a Republican

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party committed to stopping the

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expansion of slavery in the territories

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would spell their demise.

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They saw Lincoln as a wolf in sheep's

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clothing.

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Lincoln is [music] an arrow pointed at

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the heart of their entire social and

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economic system.

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[music]

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Come on now. Nice and tight. Yeah, I

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[music] got it. All right, that's good.

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That's good.

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Well, there were about 3.9 million

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enslaved people in uh the US in 1860.

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And that ended up being about 40% of the

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Confederate population. So, that's a

00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:37.839
significant proportion.

00:14:36.078 --> 00:14:39.039
I'm thirsty. I want some water.

00:14:37.839 --> 00:14:40.800
I'm going to tell you something right

00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:41.919
now. You remember what happened? The

00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:43.599
last one of y'all that got up here

00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:44.639
running your mouth at me. Do you

00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:46.720
remember that?

00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:48.560
Now, if you break the Confederacy down

00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:51.360
by region, you can see that it's in the

00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:53.198
deep south. uh where you see the

00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:55.759
greatest percentage of that slave

00:14:53.198 --> 00:14:58.958
population.

00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:00.159
Now you stop right there. I told you you

00:14:58.958 --> 00:15:02.399
was last.

00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:04.399
And so it's not really a coincidence

00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:06.399
that you see in those deep southern

00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:07.839
states are the first to secede.

00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:11.320
Yeah. You go ahead and you take you a

00:15:07.839 --> 00:15:11.320
drink this time.

00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:16.319
That's what I'd expect out of you, boy.

00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:20.039
Just wasting water. That'll be the last

00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:20.040
water you get today.

00:15:20.284 --> 00:15:24.000
[music]

00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:26.480
Just 2 months after Lincoln's election,

00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:29.440
Mississippi, the largest cotton [music]

00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:33.440
producing state, join South Carolina and

00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:35.600
secedes from the Union. Within a month,

00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:37.199
five more states from the Deep South

00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:38.800
follow.

00:15:37.198 --> 00:15:40.799
Jefferson Davis, [music]

00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:44.519
who recently resigned his US Senate

00:15:40.799 --> 00:15:45.120
seat, is chosen president of the new

00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:49.120
[music]

00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:50.639
Confederate States of America.

00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:52.399
Davis agrees with the official

00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:55.680
declaration made by the Mississippi

00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:58.399
secession delegates who defend secession

00:15:55.679 --> 00:16:00.638
by stating,

00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:03.120
"Our position is thoroughly identified

00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:05.919
with the institution of slavery, the

00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:08.320
greatest material interest in the world.

00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:10.719
Its labor supplies the product which

00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:12.639
constitutes by far the largest and most

00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.560
important portions of the commerce of

00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:16.639
the earth."

00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:19.518
These products are peculiar to the

00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:22.079
climate. verging on the tropical regions

00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:24.639
and by an imperious law of nature. None

00:16:22.078 --> 00:16:27.439
but the black race can bear exposure to

00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:29.680
the tropical sun. These products have

00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:31.839
become necessities of the world and a

00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:34.319
blow at slavery is a blow at commerce

00:16:31.839 --> 00:16:36.480
and civilization.

00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:38.480
That blow has been long aimed at the

00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:41.600
institution and was at the point of

00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:43.278
reaching its consummation.

00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:45.759
There was no choice left us but

00:16:43.278 --> 00:16:48.240
submission to the mandates of abolition

00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:50.480
or a dissolution of the union whose

00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:54.198
principles had been subverted to work

00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:54.199
out our ruin.

00:16:56.078 --> 00:17:02.000
One of the most poignant lines says we

00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:05.198
are thoroughly interested in maintaining

00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:06.640
the institution of slavery

00:17:05.199 --> 00:17:11.079
because it's one of the greatest

00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:11.079
benefits of mankind.

00:17:11.838 --> 00:17:18.639
And so that's an important

00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:21.519
acknowledgment of how vital slavery was

00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:24.400
not just to the state but also to that

00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:28.480
region that they made no bones about it.

00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:31.798
Slavery was the central issue of the

00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:31.798
civil war.

00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:37.199
The belief that liberty should be

00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:39.599
extended to all people regardless of

00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:42.720
class, color, or gender. that simply was

00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:45.678
not within thinking of most antibellum

00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:47.919
Americans and for slaveholders.

00:17:45.679 --> 00:17:50.798
They believed that liberty and freedom

00:17:47.919 --> 00:17:53.280
was actually depended upon the

00:17:50.798 --> 00:17:56.639
enslavement of African-Americans.

00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:59.918
So, uh, for white southerners on the eve

00:17:56.640 --> 00:18:01.600
of the Civil War, they could make the

00:17:59.919 --> 00:18:04.880
bold claim that they were fighting for

00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:07.519
their liberty and feel no remorse and

00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:09.679
feel no tension, feel no contradiction

00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:12.400
in the fact that they thought that that

00:18:09.679 --> 00:18:14.000
liberty was depended upon fighting and

00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:17.000
dying for the enslavement of

00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:17.000
African-Americans.

00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:24.480
If we're talking about uh politics, the

00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:26.720
political tensions uh that erupted uh

00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:29.599
sectional tensions and whatnot are

00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:33.200
rooted in slavery. The economic

00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:34.000
differences were rooted in slavery. And

00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:35.440
the states [clears throat] right

00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:37.200
argument, well, we're talking about a

00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:42.027
state's right to do what? The southern

00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:42.798
state seceded to protect slavery.

00:18:42.027 --> 00:18:44.880
[music]

00:18:42.798 --> 00:18:47.279
85 years after declaring itself

00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:50.480
independent from Great Britain,

00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:55.720
America's grand experiment in democracy

00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:55.720
is about to be put to its greatest test.

00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:05.038
April 12th, 1861,

00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:07.038
Charleston, South Carolina.

00:19:05.038 --> 00:19:10.160
Carrying out instructions from Jefferson

00:19:07.038 --> 00:19:12.480
Davis, Confederate forces bombard Fort

00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:15.360
Sumpter, forcing the surrender of the

00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:17.360
Union garrison. The next day,

00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:21.839
President Lincoln responds by calling

00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:25.119
for 75,000 troops. That order convinces

00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:28.558
Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and

00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:30.399
Tennessee to join the Confederacy.

00:19:28.558 --> 00:19:33.119
Lincoln refuses to recognize the

00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:35.440
Confederate government and instead

00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:37.678
considers the seceding states to be in

00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:40.080
rebellion.

00:19:37.679 --> 00:19:45.400
As an Illinois congressman, Lincoln had

00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:45.399
said, "A house divided cannot stand."

00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:52.880
Now, as president, Lincoln must use

00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:56.960
force to unite a divided nation or watch

00:19:52.880 --> 00:20:00.400
the United States be dissolved.

00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:03.200
There was the belief by many that um

00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:05.440
that there would not be um be a war and

00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:09.038
that certainly if there was going to be

00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:11.360
any sort of bloodshed um it would not be

00:20:09.038 --> 00:20:14.400
uh very extended.

00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:17.759
One or two engagements and both sides

00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:19.440
would come to their senses.

00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:21.200
Both sides believe the war would be over

00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:24.160
within 90 days. There would be little

00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:25.759
bloodshed. Uh, one politician stated

00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:29.640
that the amount of blood shed could be

00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:29.640
mopped up with a handkerchief.

00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:34.798
So when the war begins, you have men who

00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:36.798
are fighting for [music]

00:20:34.798 --> 00:20:38.558
preservation of the Union and you have

00:20:36.798 --> 00:20:40.319
men who are fighting for their homes,

00:20:38.558 --> 00:20:42.720
defending it from an what they perceive

00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:45.519
as an invasion.

00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:46.720
But they had no idea.

00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:49.759
They thought that it was going to be an

00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:53.038
adventure. Be home by Christmas. Oh,

00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:56.720
Brown Rosie, the rose of Alabama, the

00:20:53.038 --> 00:20:58.480
sweet tobacco pos.

00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:00.400
And what they found out is they ended up

00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:04.240
in camps

00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:07.360
dying of disease. Um,

00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:11.200
in incredible boredom,

00:21:07.359 --> 00:21:16.119
loneliness, hot and cold, punctuated by

00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:16.120
these incredible conflicts.

00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:23.839
The Union hopes to bring a quick end to

00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:25.759
the war by attacking a Confederate force

00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:29.558
near a crossroad in Virginia called

00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:29.558
Manasses Junction.

00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:34.400
Instead,

00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:38.878
federal troops led by Brigadier General

00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:40.899
Irvin McDow are routed.

00:21:38.878 --> 00:21:40.898
[screaming]

00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:49.038
The Union force scurries back to

00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:49.038
Washington only 30 m to the north.

00:21:51.919 --> 00:21:57.520
The battle of Bull Run is the first

00:21:54.558 --> 00:21:59.839
major battle in the east.

00:21:57.519 --> 00:22:02.400
But Union leaders realize that the

00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:04.399
ultimate defeat of the Confederacy means

00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:06.720
taking the fight beyond [music] the

00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:08.480
Appalachian.

00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:11.440
We underestimate the importance of the

00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:14.000
western theater at our peril because in

00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:17.919
the west [music] you have the single

00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:20.240
most important economic highway of the

00:22:17.919 --> 00:22:23.475
North American continent and that is the

00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:23.474
great Mississippi Valley. [music]

00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:28.659
If you wanted to put a finger on the

00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:29.599
most important commercial confluence,

00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:32.480
[music]

00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:35.038
the most important economic lifeline of

00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:37.919
the American Republic, then it flowed

00:22:35.038 --> 00:22:40.079
through the West.

00:22:37.919 --> 00:22:43.038
In Virginia, the [music] east west

00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:46.000
flowing rivers are obstacles. But in the

00:22:43.038 --> 00:22:48.640
West, they are avenues.

00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:50.960
One Union general writes, "Whatever

00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:53.840
nation gets control [music] of the Ohio,

00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:57.535
Mississippi, and Missouri rivers will

00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:57.534
control the continent." [snorts]

00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:05.679
In February 1862,

00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:09.720
15,000 Union soldiers land along the

00:23:05.679 --> 00:23:09.720
banks of the Tennessee River.

00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:15.079
It is an invasion to end a rebellion.

00:23:16.476 --> 00:23:21.039
[music]

00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:24.336
The 652mm Tennessee runs parallel to the

00:23:21.038 --> 00:23:25.759
Mississippi further to the west.

00:23:24.336 --> 00:23:27.519
[music]

00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:29.119
It cuts through the heart of the western

00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:31.200
Confederacy

00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:33.439
from the Ohio [music] River through the

00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:36.640
crucial border state of Kentucky and

00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:39.600
into the state of Tennessee.

00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:43.240
For nearly 200 miles, it even flows

00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:43.240
through northern Alabama.

00:23:43.330 --> 00:23:46.959
[music]

00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:48.720
Like the Mississippi and Ohio rivers,

00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:50.159
the Tennessee is wide enough for

00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:53.120
transport steamers [music] to quickly

00:23:50.159 --> 00:23:56.000
deliver troops and supplies.

00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:58.000
For the Union, this campaign will be a

00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:03.319
test for [music] the Navy's ironclad

00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:03.319
gunboats, state-of-the-art warships.

00:24:06.558 --> 00:24:10.558
The coming battle will also be a test

00:24:08.558 --> 00:24:12.240
for a littleknown graduate of West

00:24:10.558 --> 00:24:14.480
Point.

00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:19.759
A soldier with an average record whom

00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:22.240
many have unfairly branded a drunk.

00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:24.720
General Ulissiz S. Grant is the

00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:27.278
unlikeliest of heroes.

00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:29.759
Yet he will emerge from the west as the

00:24:27.278 --> 00:24:32.960
greatest soldier and general in the

00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:36.319
entire Union Army.

00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:39.360
Grant's orders, seize two strategic

00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:41.359
forts guarding the Confederate interior.

00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:44.959
Fort Henry overlooks the Tennessee

00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:47.359
River. 12 mi east, Fort Donaldelsson

00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:50.798
guards the Cumberland, a river leading

00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:52.719
to the Tennessee capital of Nashville.

00:24:50.798 --> 00:24:56.037
Those

00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:58.079
forts are important because it was hoped

00:24:56.037 --> 00:25:00.960
[music] by the Confederates that they

00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:02.240
would stop Union gunboats,

00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:04.798
Union [music] River boats carrying

00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:07.839
troops and supplies from penetrating

00:25:04.798 --> 00:25:11.558
farther up the Tennessee River and up

00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:11.558
the Cumberland River.

00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:19.200
On February 6th, naval gunboats pound

00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:20.880
Fort Henry into submission,

00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:22.892
but the Confederate defensive position

00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:24.559
at Fort Donaldelsson is much stronger.

00:25:22.892 --> 00:25:26.558
[music]

00:25:24.558 --> 00:25:28.000
Two river batteries containing more than

00:25:26.558 --> 00:25:30.480
a dozen heavy guns [music]

00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:33.519
point northward toward a sharp bend of

00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:36.240
the Cumberland.

00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:39.200
On February [music] 14th, Union

00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:42.880
ironclads fire hundreds of iron

00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:45.519
Valentines into Fort Donaldelsson.

00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:48.520
But this time, the Navy is decisively

00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:48.519
repulsed.

00:25:48.798 --> 00:25:55.038
Meanwhile, Grant's force of 27,000 moves

00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:58.480
overland and approaches the landward

00:25:55.038 --> 00:26:01.359
side of Fort Donaldelsson.

00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:03.200
Grant later summed up his idea of the

00:26:01.359 --> 00:26:06.959
art of war

00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:09.600
in a rather pathy way. He said, "Get at

00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:14.079
the enemy as quick as you can. Hit him

00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:16.798
as hard as you can, and keep moving on."

00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:21.639
The next morning, Grant's art of war

00:26:16.798 --> 00:26:21.639
philosophy is put to a serious test.

00:26:23.919 --> 00:26:28.880
Confederates inside Fort Donaldelsson

00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:32.359
attempt to break out and bust through

00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:32.360
Grant's lines.

00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:36.959
After furious fighting in the ravines

00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:40.000
and the steep terrain surrounding the

00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:44.120
fort, Grant forces the Confederates back

00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.119
inside Fort Donaldelsson.

00:26:45.038 --> 00:26:50.158
Confederate Brigadier General Simon

00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:52.159
Buckner asks for terms of surrender.

00:26:50.159 --> 00:26:54.159
Grant's response

00:26:52.159 --> 00:26:56.640
unconditional

00:26:54.159 --> 00:26:58.799
and immediate.

00:26:56.640 --> 00:27:02.080
I think what it what this unconditional

00:26:58.798 --> 00:27:04.480
surrender demand tells us about Grant is

00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:06.558
his determination.

00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:08.880
We've got a general here who's not going

00:27:06.558 --> 00:27:10.639
to fool around, who's going to prosecute

00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:14.000
this [music] war and is going to end it

00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:16.480
in a way that it ought to be ended.

00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:19.200
At Fort Donaldelsson, 12,000

00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:23.919
Confederates surrender and the Northern

00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:27.360
Press anoints a national hero.

00:27:23.919 --> 00:27:29.759
But Grant with his initials US Grant,

00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:32.879
unconditional surrender Grant, it came

00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:35.359
together brilliantly. Ulissiz Srant's

00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:38.320
victories, Fort Henry and Fort

00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:41.918
Donaldson, they captivated a northern

00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:43.918
nation craving good news, especially in

00:27:41.919 --> 00:27:46.919
the wake of what had happened at First

00:27:43.919 --> 00:27:46.919
Manasses.

00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:52.558
Just 9 days after the Confederate

00:27:49.919 --> 00:27:56.320
surrender, Nashville, the capital of

00:27:52.558 --> 00:27:59.038
Tennessee, falls to Union troops.

00:27:56.319 --> 00:28:01.200
More importantly, the victory enables

00:27:59.038 --> 00:28:04.158
Union forces to [music] seize control of

00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:05.989
the lower Tennessee River, the strategic

00:28:04.159 --> 00:28:08.240
pathway leading into the Confederate

00:28:05.989 --> 00:28:10.399
[music] heartland.

00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:12.319
Confederate forces in the West respond

00:28:10.398 --> 00:28:14.798
by abandoning Kentucky and Middle

00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:17.200
Tennessee, retreating [music] south into

00:28:14.798 --> 00:28:20.200
West Tennessee, northern Alabama, and

00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:20.200
Mississippi.

00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:25.679
You have to wonder how soon Confederates

00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:28.319
in deep south states like Mississippi

00:28:25.679 --> 00:28:31.519
and Alabama thought that they would have

00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:34.079
Union troops on their soil.

00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:36.319
March 1862,

00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:38.639
the Federals lease a fleet of steamboats

00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:40.240
to transport Grant's troops deeper into

00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:43.679
Tennessee.

00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:45.919
Over 12 dozen steam southward, equipped

00:28:43.679 --> 00:28:47.840
with everything an army needs to mount a

00:28:45.919 --> 00:28:50.799
major campaign.

00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:54.000
A journey requiring weeks overland now

00:28:50.798 --> 00:28:56.398
takes only days on the Tennessee.

00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:59.440
The Union forces unload at Pittsburgh

00:28:56.398 --> 00:29:01.759
Landing, where roads provide easy access

00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:05.000
to rail lines crucial to the Confederate

00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:05.000
war effort.

00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:15.038
By early April 1862,

00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:17.439
Grant's force of 48,000 stretches across

00:29:15.038 --> 00:29:20.440
a high wooded plateau in southwest

00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:20.440
Tennessee.

00:29:21.038 --> 00:29:26.398
Grant's most inexperienced troops camp

00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:28.640
over 2 miles from Pittsburgh Landing

00:29:26.398 --> 00:29:32.879
near a simple Methodist meeting house

00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:36.640
named Shiloh. Roughly translated the

00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:38.480
Hebrew word Shiloh means a place of

00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:42.399
peace.

00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:44.640
Grant's mission sever two vital western

00:29:42.398 --> 00:29:48.000
Confederate railroads which intersect at

00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:50.080
the small town of Corinth, Mississippi.

00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:51.919
A lot of the the federal high command

00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:54.000
will talk about how we have to go down

00:29:51.919 --> 00:29:55.520
to Corinth. CF Smith talks about we have

00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:57.839
to route them out like you would a

00:29:55.519 --> 00:30:00.319
badger out of a hole.

00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:02.639
Running through Corinth is the South's

00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:05.439
only complete rail connection linking

00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:07.278
the Mississippi to the Atlantic.

00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:10.640
One Confederate official called it the

00:30:07.278 --> 00:30:13.200
vertebrae of the Confederacy. So that

00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:13.715
that's what makes Shiloh, I think, so

00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:13.840
important.

00:30:13.714 --> 00:30:16.240
[music]

00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:20.319
And if you're a Confederate,

00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:22.720
you know that if the Union captures

00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:25.200
Corinth and captures control of those

00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:27.839
railroads, [music] your supply situation

00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:30.159
is difficult. Your movement of troops is

00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:32.240
difficult. Your railroad system, which

00:30:30.159 --> 00:30:35.720
isn't very good anyway, is going to be

00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.720
even worse.

00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:41.839
Grant knows a large enemy force has

00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:44.880
gathered to defend the Corinth Railroad

00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:46.558
junction, but he is unaware those same

00:30:44.880 --> 00:30:50.840
Confederates [music] are now marching

00:30:46.558 --> 00:30:50.839
forward to attack him.

00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:57.840
General Albert Sydney Johnston [music]

00:30:55.119 --> 00:31:00.798
commands the Western Confederate Army.

00:30:57.839 --> 00:31:02.798
President Jefferson Davis boasts, "If

00:31:00.798 --> 00:31:06.398
Johnston is not [music] a general, then

00:31:02.798 --> 00:31:06.398
we have no general.

00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:11.200
For Johnston, it is a race against the

00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:13.120
clock.

00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:15.360
He has received intelligence that more

00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:19.079
Union troops will soon be joining Grant

00:31:15.359 --> 00:31:19.079
at Pittsburgh Landing.

00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:26.000
Marching Overland from Nashville to

00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:28.798
Shiloh is a [music] second Union Army,

00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:33.079
35,000 soldiers under the command of

00:31:28.798 --> 00:31:33.079
General Don Carlos Buell.

00:31:33.919 --> 00:31:37.038
The opportunity that is presented to

00:31:35.590 --> 00:31:38.639
[music] Johnson, of course, is to hit

00:31:37.038 --> 00:31:39.839
one at a time. And this is not rocket

00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:41.919
science. You don't need a military

00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:44.720
academy education to figure out that you

00:31:41.919 --> 00:31:47.840
want to fight one army instead of two.

00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:50.000
Johnston has a bold plan to destroy

00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:51.678
Grant's army before Bule's forces

00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:55.119
arrive.

00:31:51.679 --> 00:31:56.720
Surprise and turn Grant's left flank.

00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:59.439
Cut off his line of retreat to the

00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:02.960
Tennessee River. Pin his army against

00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:06.600
the swampy lowlands of Owl Creek. force

00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:06.600
Grant to surrender.

00:32:08.798 --> 00:32:15.158
The Confederate advance toward Shiloh is

00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:15.158
troubled from the start.

00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:24.440
A spring storm turns crude roads into

00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:24.440
rivers of mud.

00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:32.038
A march which should have taken a single

00:32:26.640 --> 00:32:32.038
day to accomplish consumes three.

00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:39.640
In a coming battle, this delay will

00:32:34.798 --> 00:32:39.639
haunt Johnston and his Confederate army.

00:32:47.642 --> 00:32:50.000
[music]

00:32:47.919 --> 00:32:52.882
US Grant is under explicit orders from

00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:56.640
the Union Command. Do not advance

00:32:52.882 --> 00:32:59.038
[music] until Buell and his army arrive.

00:32:56.640 --> 00:33:03.480
Grant is convinced Johnston lacks the

00:32:59.038 --> 00:33:03.480
resolve and ability to attack.

00:33:04.159 --> 00:33:10.720
If Grant has a weakness at at this time

00:33:06.558 --> 00:33:14.960
in the war, it's that he doesn't always

00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:17.600
consider what his opposition will do.

00:33:14.960 --> 00:33:20.319
Johnston wouldn't be stupid enough to to

00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:22.398
leave those entrenchments at Corinth and

00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:26.798
march 20 miles and attack us in the

00:33:22.398 --> 00:33:26.798
open. Never happened. Never happened.

00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:32.000
16-year-old Thomas Duncan from

00:33:29.759 --> 00:33:34.720
Mississippi is a courier for the

00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:36.319
Confederates.

00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:38.480
Riding out to a high point in front of

00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:40.480
our center,

00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:42.960
I hear the Union troops drilling in

00:33:40.480 --> 00:33:44.640
their encampment. The drum and F and the

00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:47.640
commands of the officers are plainly

00:33:44.640 --> 00:33:47.640
heard.

00:33:47.839 --> 00:33:53.038
It suddenly struck me.

00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:57.000
The Union Army is absolutely unaware of

00:33:53.038 --> 00:33:57.000
the presence of our army.

00:34:08.208 --> 00:34:11.280
[music]

00:34:09.039 --> 00:34:14.320
Brigadier General William Tecumpsa

00:34:11.280 --> 00:34:16.800
Sherman receives reports of large groups

00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:19.280
of Confederates, but he dismisses them

00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:21.307
as mere scouting parties. What the hell

00:34:19.280 --> 00:34:21.359
is this garbage? You people are staring.

00:34:21.307 --> 00:34:23.519
[music]

00:34:21.358 --> 00:34:25.838
The preceding year, Sherman had gotten

00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:28.000
in trouble for overestimating the number

00:34:25.838 --> 00:34:29.759
of Confederates he was facing. The

00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:32.760
newspapers had even reported that he was

00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:32.760
insane.

00:34:33.280 --> 00:34:38.159
So, in the days leading up to Shiloh,

00:34:35.679 --> 00:34:42.280
Sherman was very determined that he was

00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:42.280
not going to have that happen again.

00:34:42.878 --> 00:34:48.163
Just a mile beyond Sherman's camp is the

00:34:45.760 --> 00:34:48.960
leading edge of Johnston's 43,000

00:34:48.164 --> 00:34:51.960
[music]

00:34:48.960 --> 00:34:51.960
Confederates

00:34:52.398 --> 00:34:56.799
and they camp there [music] and some of

00:34:54.800 --> 00:34:59.920
them are even firing their weapons

00:34:56.800 --> 00:35:01.920
testing them and yet nobody pays that

00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:06.079
much attention to it. [music] And he

00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:09.119
said unto them, "When you pray, say, Our

00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:11.519
Father, which art in heaven,

00:35:09.119 --> 00:35:14.880
hallowed [music] be thy name. Thy

00:35:11.519 --> 00:35:17.519
kingdom come, thy will be done, as in

00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:18.640
heaven [music] so and on earth.

00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:20.480
Give us day by day."

00:35:18.639 --> 00:35:21.838
Most of the Confederates are like Thomas

00:35:20.480 --> 00:35:23.838
Duncan.

00:35:21.838 --> 00:35:26.078
Forgive us our sins. [music]

00:35:23.838 --> 00:35:30.078
Raw recruits who have never tasted

00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:32.400
battle. We also forgive everyone.

00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:35.920
As night came [music] home, we lay down

00:35:32.400 --> 00:35:38.599
in line of battle to rest and slumber,

00:35:35.920 --> 00:35:40.079
realizing the danger of the coming mourn

00:35:38.599 --> 00:35:43.200
[music]

00:35:40.079 --> 00:35:45.760
and the certainty that for many the next

00:35:43.199 --> 00:35:48.759
sunrise would be their [music] last on

00:35:45.760 --> 00:35:48.760
earth.

00:35:58.719 --> 00:36:04.159
Colonel Everett Peabody [music] commands

00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:06.400
a brigade on the Union front line.

00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:08.000
Unlike his superiors,

00:36:06.400 --> 00:36:12.559
Peabody believes the Confederate

00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:15.440
presence is more than scouting parties.

00:36:12.559 --> 00:36:18.320
Despite orders not to engage the enemy,

00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:22.039
Peabody [music] orders 250 men out on a

00:36:18.320 --> 00:36:22.039
pre-dawn patrol.

00:36:26.719 --> 00:36:32.959
Just after 5:00 a.m. they step onto the

00:36:29.838 --> 00:36:37.320
farm of James Freilley, some 2 mi

00:36:32.960 --> 00:36:37.320
southwest of Shiloh Church.

00:36:54.159 --> 00:36:59.759
They are the opening shots

00:36:56.880 --> 00:37:04.119
of what will become the first epic

00:36:59.760 --> 00:37:04.119
battle of the Civil War.

00:37:05.199 --> 00:37:10.239
After an hour,

00:37:07.679 --> 00:37:13.239
Peabody's troops withdraw from Freighy

00:37:10.239 --> 00:37:13.239
Field.

00:37:14.885 --> 00:37:19.359
[music]

00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:22.880
It wasn't really until about sunrise

00:37:19.358 --> 00:37:24.880
that it really became clear on the Union

00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:27.329
side that they were up against

00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:29.349
Johnston's whole army.

00:37:27.329 --> 00:37:29.349
[cheering]

00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:35.358
Johnston realizes that he has the

00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:38.719
opportunity to alter the course of the

00:37:35.358 --> 00:37:42.920
war. He says to his men, "Today we must

00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:42.919
conquer or perish.

00:37:43.838 --> 00:37:48.400
And there had been warning signs for

00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:49.838
days that the Confederates were were not

00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:54.119
just up to something. There was

00:37:49.838 --> 00:37:54.119
something big in the works.

00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:08.639
And when it exploded,

00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:11.680
I mean, just all hell breaks loose.

00:38:08.639 --> 00:38:15.639
And the Confederate attack

00:38:11.679 --> 00:38:15.639
is really like a sledgehammer.

00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:25.679
Colonel Peabody's superior is General

00:38:23.920 --> 00:38:27.838
Benjamin Apprentice.

00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:29.679
Colonel Peabody, report.

00:38:27.838 --> 00:38:31.199
Sir, all indications are that there's a

00:38:29.679 --> 00:38:32.960
sizable force of Confederates that are

00:38:31.199 --> 00:38:34.879
coming up from the Coran.

00:38:32.960 --> 00:38:37.039
Apprentice accuses the young colonel of

00:38:34.880 --> 00:38:39.200
violating orders and bringing on the

00:38:37.039 --> 00:38:40.880
engagement. I didn't bring on an

00:38:39.199 --> 00:38:42.639
engagement. The whole Confederate army's

00:38:40.880 --> 00:38:45.039
marching on me, sir.

00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:45.679
Prenice was furiously

00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:48.000
on your shoulder.

00:38:45.679 --> 00:38:50.639
This had been contrary to orders and

00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:53.440
Peabody had not gotten permission. And

00:38:50.639 --> 00:38:56.159
Prentice confronted Peabody and scolded

00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:59.030
him very severely for bringing on a

00:38:56.159 --> 00:38:59.679
fight.

00:38:59.030 --> 00:39:01.358
[cheering]

00:38:59.679 --> 00:39:05.279
Apprentice's heavily outnumbered

00:39:01.358 --> 00:39:07.838
division puts up stubborn resistance.

00:39:05.280 --> 00:39:11.720
But by 900 a.m.

00:39:07.838 --> 00:39:11.719
their defense crumbles.

00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:18.960
Killed while trying to rally his troops

00:39:15.358 --> 00:39:22.078
is Colonel Everett Peabody.

00:39:18.960 --> 00:39:25.358
In 4 hours of fighting at Shiloh, the

00:39:22.079 --> 00:39:27.920
Union suffers over 2,000 casualties.

00:39:25.358 --> 00:39:31.639
Half of Grant's soldiers at Shiloh have

00:39:27.920 --> 00:39:31.639
never been in combat.

00:39:38.331 --> 00:39:40.351
[music]

00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:49.838
There's that first time you get shot at

00:39:48.159 --> 00:39:53.838
and there's that [music] first time you

00:39:49.838 --> 00:39:56.726
realize that this is for real

00:39:53.838 --> 00:39:56.726
and that you could die. [music]

00:39:58.239 --> 00:40:04.039
You're seeing what artillery fire does

00:40:00.320 --> 00:40:04.039
to the [music] human body.

00:40:04.960 --> 00:40:11.480
You're seeing blood spilled in ways that

00:40:07.519 --> 00:40:11.480
that [music] you can't imagine.

00:40:11.679 --> 00:40:18.799
Those moments that really haunt men for

00:40:15.358 --> 00:40:20.400
the rest of their lives.

00:40:18.800 --> 00:40:23.200
This is some of the [music] experience

00:40:20.400 --> 00:40:26.240
in the woods around the Shiloh Church

00:40:23.199 --> 00:40:28.000
that morning is they're experiencing all

00:40:26.239 --> 00:40:30.639
the horrors of combat [music] for the

00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:33.679
first time. And you're seeing things

00:40:30.639 --> 00:40:36.679
that really violate all sense of

00:40:33.679 --> 00:40:36.679
decency.

00:40:45.199 --> 00:40:51.039
18-year-old Leander Stillwell is a

00:40:48.000 --> 00:40:53.519
private with the 61st Illinois.

00:40:51.039 --> 00:40:55.199
I was astonished at our first retreat in

00:40:53.519 --> 00:40:57.599
the morning.

00:40:55.199 --> 00:41:01.199
It seemed to me we were forever

00:40:57.599 --> 00:41:05.559
disgraced. I keep thinking to myself,

00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:05.559
what will they say about this at home?

00:41:11.199 --> 00:41:16.000
Instead of advancing, many of the

00:41:13.679 --> 00:41:18.480
Confederates break ranks to ransack

00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:20.239
Union camps.

00:41:18.480 --> 00:41:23.679
Some have not eaten since leaving

00:41:20.239 --> 00:41:26.559
Corinth, Mississippi 3 days earlier.

00:41:23.679 --> 00:41:30.719
For many of the raw recruits, the spoils

00:41:26.559 --> 00:41:32.400
of war are too tempting to pass up.

00:41:30.719 --> 00:41:35.279
Johnston is infuriated [music] when he

00:41:32.400 --> 00:41:37.440
catches an officer plundering.

00:41:35.280 --> 00:41:39.519
Cut that down.

00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:42.720
To rally his men, Johnston [music] takes

00:41:39.519 --> 00:41:45.838
his own plunder, a simple tin cup.

00:41:42.719 --> 00:41:48.838
Let this be my fortune of the poor

00:41:45.838 --> 00:41:48.838
today.

00:41:52.400 --> 00:41:59.559
By midm morning, the Confederate advance

00:41:55.358 --> 00:41:59.559
reaches Shiloh Church.

00:42:01.119 --> 00:42:07.000
It is the scene of some of the most

00:42:02.719 --> 00:42:07.000
savage fighting for battle.

00:42:07.119 --> 00:42:11.119
Horses are screeching. Horses are dying.

00:42:09.679 --> 00:42:14.118
People are getting hit. They're

00:42:11.119 --> 00:42:14.119
screaming.

00:42:14.639 --> 00:42:18.960
They're calling for their mothers.

00:42:16.559 --> 00:42:23.358
They're calling on God.

00:42:18.960 --> 00:42:23.358
It just it's just mass confusion.

00:42:23.920 --> 00:42:30.639
Most soldiers engaged at Shiloh are

00:42:26.719 --> 00:42:33.838
between 18 and 30 years old. At a battle

00:42:30.639 --> 00:42:36.879
like Shiloh, they realize it's not all

00:42:33.838 --> 00:42:39.039
about adventure. It's not all about

00:42:36.880 --> 00:42:42.720
lofty concepts like honor and

00:42:39.039 --> 00:42:46.559
independence. They realize it's about

00:42:42.719 --> 00:42:49.598
killing. And for many of them, this is

00:42:46.559 --> 00:42:51.599
an uncomfortable to say the least

00:42:49.599 --> 00:42:53.838
realization.

00:42:51.599 --> 00:42:56.720
They don't easily transition into

00:42:53.838 --> 00:42:58.639
becoming killing machines. They have a

00:42:56.719 --> 00:43:00.318
great deal of ambivalence about

00:42:58.639 --> 00:43:03.799
shouldering these weapons and actually

00:43:00.318 --> 00:43:03.800
killing people.

00:43:04.400 --> 00:43:10.160
16-year-old musician John Cocker arrived

00:43:07.599 --> 00:43:14.039
with his father, the commander of the

00:43:10.159 --> 00:43:14.039
70th Ohio Infantry.

00:43:14.880 --> 00:43:20.519
John and his father become separated

00:43:16.719 --> 00:43:20.519
near Shiloh Church.

00:43:25.519 --> 00:43:30.318
Young cockro soon finds himself aiding

00:43:27.760 --> 00:43:32.560
the wounded.

00:43:30.318 --> 00:43:36.599
Near Shiloh Church, passing soldiers

00:43:32.559 --> 00:43:36.599
called for me to assist them.

00:43:37.358 --> 00:43:41.679
We carried the poor fellow to the rear

00:43:39.119 --> 00:43:45.559
and found there a scene of disorder.

00:43:41.679 --> 00:43:45.559
Have to say panic.

00:43:48.480 --> 00:43:52.880
The enemy began pressing closely and

00:43:50.719 --> 00:43:55.759
Shiloh Church was no more a desirable

00:43:52.880 --> 00:43:59.680
place for my military observations. I

00:43:55.760 --> 00:44:01.700
started towards the Tennessee River.

00:43:59.679 --> 00:44:01.699
[music]

00:44:02.559 --> 00:44:06.400
I had not proceeded more than a mile

00:44:04.639 --> 00:44:08.318
when I encountered General John

00:44:06.400 --> 00:44:09.920
MacArthur's Highland Brigade of Illinois

00:44:08.318 --> 00:44:11.679
troops.

00:44:09.920 --> 00:44:14.720
A chipper young lieutenant stopped me

00:44:11.679 --> 00:44:17.358
and asked where did I belong? I replied

00:44:14.719 --> 00:44:20.078
that [music] I belonged to Ohio. He said

00:44:17.358 --> 00:44:21.598
that Ohio was making a bad show of it,

00:44:20.079 --> 00:44:24.800
then asked if [music] I wanted to fight

00:44:21.599 --> 00:44:27.760
with them. I responded I was willing to

00:44:24.800 --> 00:44:30.079
take a temporary birth in his regiment.

00:44:27.760 --> 00:44:33.200
Thus, I became attached to company B of

00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:36.079
the 9th Illinois regiment.

00:44:33.199 --> 00:44:37.679
John Cochrell doesn't realize it, but he

00:44:36.079 --> 00:44:40.160
has joined a unit that will have the

00:44:37.679 --> 00:44:43.440
highest casualty rate of all Union

00:44:40.159 --> 00:44:45.920
regiments at Shiloh.

00:44:43.440 --> 00:44:47.760
In 5 hours of brutal fighting, the

00:44:45.920 --> 00:44:50.880
Confederates managed to overrun the

00:44:47.760 --> 00:44:53.040
forward Union camps. Fresh Union

00:44:50.880 --> 00:44:56.240
divisions move forward from Pittsburgh

00:44:53.039 --> 00:44:58.079
landing to help stop the onslaught.

00:44:56.239 --> 00:45:02.000
Johnston [music] personally supervises

00:44:58.079 --> 00:45:05.760
the Confederate right while General PGT

00:45:02.000 --> 00:45:08.400
Bogard oversees the left.

00:45:05.760 --> 00:45:12.520
By 11:00 a.m., the battle rages along a

00:45:08.400 --> 00:45:12.519
crooked 3mile front.

00:45:13.920 --> 00:45:18.960
US Grant has completely underestimated

00:45:16.719 --> 00:45:20.719
the Confederates.

00:45:18.960 --> 00:45:22.800
It is a mistake he will never make

00:45:20.719 --> 00:45:24.719
again.

00:45:22.800 --> 00:45:27.720
At noon, Grant orders Sherman to

00:45:24.719 --> 00:45:27.719
counterattack.

00:45:34.400 --> 00:45:40.280
You begin to see the Confederate attack

00:45:36.639 --> 00:45:40.279
start to splinter.

00:45:42.719 --> 00:45:48.959
They're not able to deal that that final

00:45:45.920 --> 00:45:51.358
lethal blow.

00:45:48.960 --> 00:45:54.800
The Confederate attack

00:45:51.358 --> 00:45:56.639
is beginning to lose a lot of its steam.

00:45:54.800 --> 00:45:59.599
After some of the most severe fighting

00:45:56.639 --> 00:46:01.358
at Shiloh, Sherman grudgingly gives

00:45:59.599 --> 00:46:03.039
ground.

00:46:01.358 --> 00:46:06.639
But their decimated divisions have

00:46:03.039 --> 00:46:10.279
bought Grant what he needs most,

00:46:06.639 --> 00:46:10.279
precious time.

00:46:13.920 --> 00:46:19.358
Adding to the Confederates woe at Shiloh

00:46:16.159 --> 00:46:22.000
is the hellish terrain itself.

00:46:19.358 --> 00:46:24.078
A morass of dense woods, thick

00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:27.719
undergrowth, and deep ravines through

00:46:24.079 --> 00:46:27.720
which they must advance.

00:46:28.719 --> 00:46:34.358
Most serious is the awful carnage.

00:46:37.838 --> 00:46:42.639
Earlier in the day at Rave Field, the

00:46:40.480 --> 00:46:46.920
Sixth Mississippi marched straight into

00:46:42.639 --> 00:46:46.920
a murderous Union crossfire.

00:46:49.838 --> 00:46:57.358
In mere moments, 300 of the regiment's

00:46:53.039 --> 00:47:00.079
425 soldiers were cut down.

00:46:57.358 --> 00:47:02.639
The slaughter of the Sixth Mississippi

00:47:00.079 --> 00:47:07.839
is one of many such scenes repeated

00:47:02.639 --> 00:47:10.239
again and again at Shiloh.

00:47:07.838 --> 00:47:13.119
I think that the reason for the

00:47:10.239 --> 00:47:16.559
extremely high casualty list at Shiloh

00:47:13.119 --> 00:47:18.559
was simply that you had two sides that

00:47:16.559 --> 00:47:20.880
were very similar

00:47:18.559 --> 00:47:23.599
in the motivation

00:47:20.880 --> 00:47:28.599
and they were simply very determined to

00:47:23.599 --> 00:47:28.599
prevail and and not to be beaten.

00:47:29.920 --> 00:47:34.639
I think if they had been using short

00:47:32.480 --> 00:47:36.800
swords, they probably would have stood

00:47:34.639 --> 00:47:38.719
up against each other and hacked at each

00:47:36.800 --> 00:47:42.079
other until they had killed about that

00:47:38.719 --> 00:47:44.318
many of each other.

00:47:42.079 --> 00:47:46.640
Though staggered, the majority of

00:47:44.318 --> 00:47:49.920
Johnston's army continues to engage the

00:47:46.639 --> 00:47:52.400
Union left and right.

00:47:49.920 --> 00:47:54.639
Meanwhile, another fight erupts. This

00:47:52.400 --> 00:47:58.039
one in an oak thicket choking the center

00:47:54.639 --> 00:47:58.039
of the battlefield.

00:48:00.880 --> 00:48:05.119
Since midm morning, Union soldiers have

00:48:03.440 --> 00:48:08.679
been putting up a stubborn defense in

00:48:05.119 --> 00:48:08.680
the thick underbrush.

00:48:09.039 --> 00:48:12.960
And the Confederate soldiers hearing the

00:48:11.519 --> 00:48:15.519
Union bullets whistling through the

00:48:12.960 --> 00:48:19.000
thicket referred to the area as the

00:48:15.519 --> 00:48:19.000
Hornets's Nest.

00:48:28.079 --> 00:48:34.079
Over the course of 4 hours,

00:48:31.599 --> 00:48:37.039
Confederate troops repeatedly storm the

00:48:34.079 --> 00:48:40.440
Hornets's nest. Each time they are

00:48:37.039 --> 00:48:40.440
driven back,

00:48:40.559 --> 00:48:47.319
Colonel Randall Lee Gibson commands a

00:48:42.719 --> 00:48:47.318
brigade from Louisiana and Arkansas.

00:48:47.358 --> 00:48:51.440
Four times the assault proved [music]

00:48:49.358 --> 00:48:53.519
unavailing.

00:48:51.440 --> 00:48:56.240
the strong and almost inaccessible

00:48:53.519 --> 00:48:57.920
position of the enemy. His infantry

00:48:56.239 --> 00:48:59.838
well-coveted an ambush and his [music]

00:48:57.920 --> 00:49:02.000
artillery skillfully posted and

00:48:59.838 --> 00:49:05.039
efficiently served was found to be

00:49:02.000 --> 00:49:09.400
impregnable to infantry alone. [music]

00:49:05.039 --> 00:49:09.400
We were repulsed.

00:49:10.639 --> 00:49:16.000
It's one of those situations where the

00:49:13.280 --> 00:49:19.359
geography plays a role. The hornets nest

00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:21.838
is a very difficult place to get to. So

00:49:19.358 --> 00:49:25.239
it does come down to geography and just

00:49:21.838 --> 00:49:25.239
sheer determination.

00:49:26.960 --> 00:49:31.440
Johnston [music] is determined to crush

00:49:28.800 --> 00:49:33.280
the federal stronghold.

00:49:31.440 --> 00:49:34.800
Stubborn over there.

00:49:33.280 --> 00:49:36.880
The Confederate commander will

00:49:34.800 --> 00:49:39.119
personally rally a group who has refused

00:49:36.880 --> 00:49:40.960
to [music] charge.

00:49:39.119 --> 00:49:42.400
The Yankees were stubborn, he said. And

00:49:40.960 --> 00:49:44.480
and you're going to have to give them

00:49:42.400 --> 00:49:45.838
the bayonet. Johnston leaned out and

00:49:44.480 --> 00:49:48.079
tapped their bayonets with [music] his

00:49:45.838 --> 00:49:49.199
tin cup. We're going to have TO USE THE

00:49:48.079 --> 00:49:51.200
BAYONET.

00:49:49.199 --> 00:49:52.960
AS he got to the middle of their line,

00:49:51.199 --> 00:49:57.368
he turned his horse toward the enemy and

00:49:52.960 --> 00:49:57.369
he said, "I will lead you." [cheering]

00:49:59.119 --> 00:50:03.519
They are advanced by Johnston into a

00:50:01.199 --> 00:50:06.519
peach orchard just east of the Hornets's

00:50:03.519 --> 00:50:06.519
nest.

00:50:07.039 --> 00:50:12.800
At the peach orchard is some of the most

00:50:09.440 --> 00:50:15.599
bitter fighting of Shiloh, Private Sam

00:50:12.800 --> 00:50:18.400
Watkins of the First Tennessee.

00:50:15.599 --> 00:50:21.359
I had heard and read of battlefields,

00:50:18.400 --> 00:50:24.800
seen pictures of battlefields,

00:50:21.358 --> 00:50:26.558
horses and men, cannon and wagons all

00:50:24.800 --> 00:50:29.680
jumbled together while the ground was

00:50:26.559 --> 00:50:34.720
strewn with dead and dying and wounded.

00:50:29.679 --> 00:50:37.039
But I must confess that I never realized

00:50:34.719 --> 00:50:42.480
the pomp and circumstance of the thing

00:50:37.039 --> 00:50:46.159
called glorious war till I saw this.

00:50:42.480 --> 00:50:49.769
It all seemed to me

00:50:46.159 --> 00:50:49.769
a dream. [music]

00:50:50.480 --> 00:50:55.599
With the battle raging around the peach

00:50:52.719 --> 00:50:58.639
orchard, an aid to General Johnston

00:50:55.599 --> 00:51:00.480
finds the Confederate commander

00:50:58.639 --> 00:51:02.719
reeling in his saddle.

00:51:00.480 --> 00:51:04.400
Said, "General, are you wounded?"

00:51:02.719 --> 00:51:06.480
Johnston said, "Yes, [music] and I fear

00:51:04.400 --> 00:51:08.318
seriously."

00:51:06.480 --> 00:51:09.760
This subornet led Johnston into a place

00:51:08.318 --> 00:51:12.480
that was sheltered and held him off his

00:51:09.760 --> 00:51:14.319
horse.

00:51:12.480 --> 00:51:15.358
General, [music] sir, please respond to

00:51:14.318 --> 00:51:17.358
us. I see nothing.

00:51:15.358 --> 00:51:18.239
He began looking for the wound. He

00:51:17.358 --> 00:51:19.838
couldn't find it.

00:51:18.239 --> 00:51:20.639
I don't see anything else, Captain

00:51:19.838 --> 00:51:22.239
myself.

00:51:20.639 --> 00:51:23.519
He's poking around in Johnston's

00:51:22.239 --> 00:51:24.159
clothes. Where's the wound? He couldn't

00:51:23.519 --> 00:51:25.838
find it.

00:51:24.159 --> 00:51:27.759
We don't know what's wrong with him.

00:51:25.838 --> 00:51:28.318
Johnston had quickly lost consciousness

00:51:27.760 --> 00:51:31.520
completely.

00:51:28.318 --> 00:51:33.039
You know me? Do you know me? Justin.

00:51:31.519 --> 00:51:34.880
Justin.

00:51:33.039 --> 00:51:37.679
Johnston.

00:51:34.880 --> 00:51:40.400
Behind Johnston's knee, a bullet has

00:51:37.679 --> 00:51:43.039
lacerated a large artery.

00:51:40.400 --> 00:51:46.039
In less than 20 minutes, he bleeds to

00:51:43.039 --> 00:51:46.039
death.

00:51:46.699 --> 00:51:50.078
[music]

00:51:47.838 --> 00:51:52.159
General Albert Sydney Johnston will be

00:51:50.079 --> 00:51:55.480
the highest ranked officer killed in the

00:51:52.159 --> 00:51:55.480
Civil War.

00:51:55.760 --> 00:52:00.240
The day that began with so much promise

00:51:58.800 --> 00:52:02.079
ends with [music] the death of the man

00:52:00.239 --> 00:52:06.399
Jefferson Davis considered to be the

00:52:02.079 --> 00:52:08.480
finest officer in the Confederacy.

00:52:06.400 --> 00:52:10.559
Word of Johnston's death slowly makes

00:52:08.480 --> 00:52:13.559
its way through the Confederate ranks at

00:52:10.559 --> 00:52:13.559
Shiloh.

00:52:15.199 --> 00:52:22.000
A soldier from Louisiana remarks,

00:52:18.318 --> 00:52:25.346
"A chilliness of gloom crept over our

00:52:22.000 --> 00:52:27.365
entire command."

00:52:25.346 --> 00:52:27.365
[music]

00:52:33.519 --> 00:52:38.559
I think for the Confederate forces, you

00:52:36.800 --> 00:52:41.200
know, east and west, because this is a

00:52:38.559 --> 00:52:43.040
two-f frontont war, there are several

00:52:41.199 --> 00:52:47.838
episodes early on where they had a

00:52:43.039 --> 00:52:50.159
legitimate chance to really drive a a a

00:52:47.838 --> 00:52:52.639
knife into the heart of the US war

00:52:50.159 --> 00:52:56.639
effort. And I would say that in the west

00:52:52.639 --> 00:52:59.440
that Shiloh's that first that first day,

00:52:56.639 --> 00:53:03.078
that was their chance to totally alter

00:52:59.440 --> 00:53:03.079
the course of the war.

00:53:03.990 --> 00:53:06.010
[music]

00:53:19.280 --> 00:53:24.400
In the hellish terrain surrounding a

00:53:21.599 --> 00:53:26.000
simple log structure known as Shiloh

00:53:24.400 --> 00:53:29.039
Church

00:53:26.000 --> 00:53:32.039
rages the first epic battle of the Civil

00:53:29.039 --> 00:53:32.039
War.

00:53:42.639 --> 00:53:48.639
In a dawn attack, nearly 44,000

00:53:46.079 --> 00:53:50.160
Confederates, led by General Albert

00:53:48.639 --> 00:53:54.279
Sydney Johnston, [music]

00:53:50.159 --> 00:53:54.279
surprised the Union Army.

00:53:55.679 --> 00:54:00.799
The federal troops had boldly advanced

00:53:57.920 --> 00:54:02.880
into southwest Tennessee. with the hopes

00:54:00.800 --> 00:54:06.920
of winning a grand battle that they

00:54:02.880 --> 00:54:06.920
believe will end the war.

00:54:07.199 --> 00:54:14.358
A few hours into the Battle of Shiloh,

00:54:10.000 --> 00:54:14.358
those hopes are all but dashed.

00:54:16.000 --> 00:54:20.239
By midday,

00:54:17.838 --> 00:54:22.719
Union generals Ulyses Srant and William

00:54:20.239 --> 00:54:25.598
Tecumpsa Sherman rally their stunned

00:54:22.719 --> 00:54:28.879
troops.

00:54:25.599 --> 00:54:31.760
The Confederate attack loses steam. For

00:54:28.880 --> 00:54:36.318
most, Shiloh is their first taste of

00:54:31.760 --> 00:54:39.200
battle. The casualties are unimaginable.

00:54:36.318 --> 00:54:41.759
Even Johnston, considered by many to be

00:54:39.199 --> 00:54:42.960
the best of the Confederate generals,

00:54:41.760 --> 00:54:45.520
lies dead.

00:54:42.960 --> 00:54:46.720
Johnston. Johnston, do you know me? Do

00:54:45.519 --> 00:54:50.079
you know me?

00:54:46.719 --> 00:54:53.759
Now, Shiloh becomes the first of the big

00:54:50.079 --> 00:54:56.318
slaughters of the Civil War. The loss of

00:54:53.760 --> 00:54:58.079
life, the [snorts] wounds at Shiloh are

00:54:56.318 --> 00:55:01.599
on a scale that the United States had

00:54:58.079 --> 00:55:03.519
not previously encountered.

00:55:01.599 --> 00:55:06.400
By midafternoon,

00:55:03.519 --> 00:55:08.480
the fight shifts from the Union flanks

00:55:06.400 --> 00:55:10.559
to a dense thicket in the center of the

00:55:08.480 --> 00:55:13.280
battlefield.

00:55:10.559 --> 00:55:17.040
At a place survivors would later dub the

00:55:13.280 --> 00:55:22.359
Hornets's nest, 6,000 stubborn Union

00:55:17.039 --> 00:55:22.358
soldiers repulsed attack after attack.

00:55:22.853 --> 00:55:24.873
[music]

00:55:29.838 --> 00:55:34.480
After hours of failed peacemeal

00:55:32.000 --> 00:55:36.400
assaults, Confederate leaders begin

00:55:34.480 --> 00:55:39.519
shifting every available cannon on the

00:55:36.400 --> 00:55:41.838
Shiloh battlefield,

00:55:39.519 --> 00:55:45.777
the batteries now take aim at the

00:55:41.838 --> 00:55:47.797
Hornets's Nest just 300 yd away.

00:55:45.777 --> 00:55:47.797
[screaming]

00:55:56.079 --> 00:56:00.318
For more than an hour,

00:55:58.400 --> 00:56:03.599
Confederate guns pound away at the

00:56:00.318 --> 00:56:08.838
Hornets's nest.

00:56:03.599 --> 00:56:08.838
The barrage pins down the Union forces.

00:56:10.079 --> 00:56:14.798
The brutal combat at Shiloh marks the

00:56:12.639 --> 00:56:16.639
first Titanic battle of the Western

00:56:14.798 --> 00:56:18.480
campaign.

00:56:16.639 --> 00:56:20.719
The federal armies have invaded,

00:56:18.480 --> 00:56:23.679
intending to sever a crucial railroad

00:56:20.719 --> 00:56:25.279
junction just 20 mi south at Corinth,

00:56:23.679 --> 00:56:27.519
Mississippi.

00:56:25.280 --> 00:56:29.920
The railroad is the Confederacy's only

00:56:27.519 --> 00:56:34.519
complete line connecting the Mississippi

00:56:29.920 --> 00:56:34.519
Valley to the Atlantic Ocean.

00:56:35.838 --> 00:56:41.679
In the East, the Union has already been

00:56:38.559 --> 00:56:45.760
humiliated at Bull Run, a battle just 20

00:56:41.679 --> 00:56:47.679
m from the White House. Another defeat,

00:56:45.760 --> 00:56:50.480
this time in lands then known as the

00:56:47.679 --> 00:56:53.358
West, will be a crushing blow to Abraham

00:56:50.480 --> 00:56:56.358
Lincoln's hope of reunifying a divided

00:56:53.358 --> 00:56:56.358
nation.

00:56:56.559 --> 00:57:02.798
The Western Theater, I argue, is the

00:56:59.280 --> 00:57:05.359
most significant part of the war. Had it

00:57:02.798 --> 00:57:07.280
not been for that activity in the

00:57:05.358 --> 00:57:09.199
Western theater, that war might have

00:57:07.280 --> 00:57:11.599
gone on forever and the number of

00:57:09.199 --> 00:57:13.439
casualties would have been greater. It's

00:57:11.599 --> 00:57:16.400
clear to me in any way that that the

00:57:13.440 --> 00:57:18.480
western theater is where the war war was

00:57:16.400 --> 00:57:22.000
either won if you're a Union supporter

00:57:18.480 --> 00:57:24.639
or lost if you're a Confederate.

00:57:22.000 --> 00:57:27.119
A Confederate victory at Shiloh would be

00:57:24.639 --> 00:57:29.440
a giant step toward the goal of southern

00:57:27.119 --> 00:57:31.280
independence.

00:57:29.440 --> 00:57:33.358
Steady, boys. Steady.

00:57:31.280 --> 00:57:36.480
While the battle rages in the Hornets's

00:57:33.358 --> 00:57:38.400
Nest, another fight is about to explode

00:57:36.480 --> 00:57:40.079
in the steep terrain overlooking the

00:57:38.400 --> 00:57:41.519
Tennessee River.

00:57:40.079 --> 00:57:44.720
We can do it, boys.

00:57:41.519 --> 00:57:46.798
There, a frightened John Cocherel stands

00:57:44.719 --> 00:57:48.239
among the ranks of the 9inth Illinois.

00:57:46.798 --> 00:57:51.039
Rebels are coming, but we're going to

00:57:48.239 --> 00:57:53.358
hold our ground. You understand that?

00:57:51.039 --> 00:57:55.358
Ohio, you're going to stick with us.

00:57:53.358 --> 00:57:57.759
We'll get you through this today. We

00:57:55.358 --> 00:58:01.960
will be victorious, boys. We'll get you

00:57:57.760 --> 00:58:01.960
back to your family and to your unit.

00:58:06.480 --> 00:58:11.519
Earlier in the day, the 16-year-old from

00:58:09.280 --> 00:58:14.000
Ohio became separated from his father's

00:58:11.519 --> 00:58:17.480
regiment during the fierce clash near

00:58:14.000 --> 00:58:17.480
Shiloh Church.

00:58:20.880 --> 00:58:25.358
A lieutenant with the 9inth Illinois

00:58:23.199 --> 00:58:28.358
convinced the young Ohio to fight with

00:58:25.358 --> 00:58:28.358
them.

00:58:28.639 --> 00:58:35.358
Now Cochril and the others wait for an

00:58:32.079 --> 00:58:38.400
attack that is sure to come.

00:58:35.358 --> 00:58:40.480
Everything looked weird and unnatural.

00:58:38.400 --> 00:58:42.079
The leaves on the trees, though scarcely

00:58:40.480 --> 00:58:47.079
out of [music] the bud, seemed greener

00:58:42.079 --> 00:58:47.079
than I had ever seen leaves and larger.

00:58:51.144 --> 00:58:53.164
[cheering and screaming]

00:59:06.480 --> 00:59:13.519
With a suddeness, there came from all

00:59:08.798 --> 00:59:15.599
along our front a crash of musketry.

00:59:13.519 --> 00:59:18.599
Actions took the grotesque form of

00:59:15.599 --> 00:59:18.599
nightmares.

00:59:19.119 --> 00:59:24.079
The roar and den of the battle and all

00:59:21.119 --> 00:59:27.280
its terror outstripped my most fanciful

00:59:24.079 --> 00:59:30.240
dreams of pandemonium.

00:59:27.280 --> 00:59:33.040
For nearly 3 hours, Confederates deliver

00:59:30.239 --> 00:59:36.039
what Cocharo calls a dreadful baptism of

00:59:33.039 --> 00:59:36.039
fire.

00:59:40.079 --> 00:59:44.640
Among those killed is Frederick E.

00:59:42.239 --> 00:59:46.798
Voggler, the chipper young lieutenant

00:59:44.639 --> 00:59:49.496
who invited young Cocharel to fight with

00:59:46.798 --> 00:59:49.496
his regimen. [music]

00:59:51.679 --> 00:59:56.960
The enemy fire became so terrible, we

00:59:54.159 --> 00:59:59.920
were driven into the ravine. We kept

00:59:56.960 --> 01:00:03.639
firing as long as cartridges lasted.

00:59:59.920 --> 01:00:03.639
Let's go. Let's go.

01:00:06.960 --> 01:00:12.400
It was at this point our blue line

01:00:09.199 --> 01:00:14.558
wavered. Out of the ravine we survivors

01:00:12.400 --> 01:00:17.559
poured, pursued [music] by the howling

01:00:14.559 --> 01:00:17.559
enemy.

01:00:17.679 --> 01:00:22.318
I remember my horror at the thought of

01:00:19.920 --> 01:00:25.599
being shot in the back as I retreated

01:00:22.318 --> 01:00:29.358
from the top of the bank and galloped as

01:00:25.599 --> 01:00:32.079
gracefully as I could.

01:00:29.358 --> 01:00:34.880
Interestingly, the soldiers referred to

01:00:32.079 --> 01:00:36.640
first experience of combat as seeing the

01:00:34.880 --> 01:00:39.680
elephant.

01:00:36.639 --> 01:00:42.078
And when you think about the the what an

01:00:39.679 --> 01:00:45.039
elephant looks like and what an elephant

01:00:42.079 --> 01:00:47.081
might do to you, it gives you, I think,

01:00:45.039 --> 01:00:50.798
kind of a good insight into the into the

01:00:47.081 --> 01:00:53.358
[music] way these people felt.

01:00:50.798 --> 01:00:56.239
In this blood bath, the 9inth Illinois

01:00:53.358 --> 01:00:59.838
loses more men killed and wounded than

01:00:56.239 --> 01:01:04.239
any Union regiment at Shiloh.

01:00:59.838 --> 01:01:06.239
Cochel somehow survives the slaughter.

01:01:04.239 --> 01:01:10.479
He joins a line of Union stragglers

01:01:06.239 --> 01:01:12.959
retreating back to the Tennessee River.

01:01:10.480 --> 01:01:15.119
The crowd of fear stricken and dejected

01:01:12.960 --> 01:01:16.480
soldiers. I met a man who belonged to my

01:01:15.119 --> 01:01:17.920
father's regiment.

01:01:16.480 --> 01:01:19.599
Have you seen my dad?

01:01:17.920 --> 01:01:21.358
Inquiring of the fate of the regiment.

01:01:19.599 --> 01:01:24.318
He told me

01:01:21.358 --> 01:01:27.036
it had been an entirely cut to pieces

01:01:24.318 --> 01:01:29.440
and he had personally witnessed the

01:01:27.036 --> 01:01:31.039
[music] death of my father.

01:01:29.440 --> 01:01:32.720
Seen him shot from his horse.

01:01:31.039 --> 01:01:35.358
Sorry, son.

01:01:32.719 --> 01:01:37.759
This filled me with dismay and I

01:01:35.358 --> 01:01:43.239
determined, non-combatant that [music] I

01:01:37.760 --> 01:01:43.240
was, to retire from the battlefield.

01:01:48.639 --> 01:01:54.078
For federals in the Hornets's Nest, the

01:01:51.039 --> 01:01:56.480
situation has grown desperate.

01:01:54.079 --> 01:01:58.798
In late afternoon, both flanks of the

01:01:56.480 --> 01:02:01.358
Confederate army press forward,

01:01:58.798 --> 01:02:03.280
tightening the noose.

01:02:01.358 --> 01:02:06.279
The stubborn Union soldiers are

01:02:03.280 --> 01:02:06.280
surrounded.

01:02:14.960 --> 01:02:19.039
Some federal troops managed to slip out

01:02:17.280 --> 01:02:22.000
of the trap.

01:02:19.039 --> 01:02:24.558
But for many, there is no escape.

01:02:22.000 --> 01:02:27.199
Take him up the hill. Leave him up the

01:02:24.559 --> 01:02:29.200
hill. General Benjamin Apprentice, who

01:02:27.199 --> 01:02:31.919
survived the opening Confederate assault

01:02:29.199 --> 01:02:33.759
some 10 hours earlier,

01:02:31.920 --> 01:02:36.318
finds himself surrounded in a wooded

01:02:33.760 --> 01:02:38.720
ravine.

01:02:36.318 --> 01:02:41.440
Apprentice surrenders along with more

01:02:38.719 --> 01:02:45.159
than 2,200 Union soldiers.

01:02:41.440 --> 01:02:45.159
You're a prisoner now.

01:02:47.358 --> 01:02:53.598
Union commander Ulissiz S. Grant hastily

01:02:50.559 --> 01:02:56.000
establishes a two-mile long last line of

01:02:53.599 --> 01:02:58.079
defense.

01:02:56.000 --> 01:03:03.358
The Confederates mount one final

01:02:58.079 --> 01:03:06.000
assault, but the Union line stands firm.

01:03:03.358 --> 01:03:07.598
After 13 hours of fighting, the

01:03:06.000 --> 01:03:12.599
exhausted Confederate troops [music]

01:03:07.599 --> 01:03:12.599
pull back to the captured Union camps.

01:03:13.599 --> 01:03:19.920
With Albert Sydney Johnston dead,

01:03:16.559 --> 01:03:22.798
General PGT Bogard assumes command.

01:03:19.920 --> 01:03:25.519
Take him to a team. Yes, sir.

01:03:22.798 --> 01:03:27.599
At his headquarters near Shiloh Church,

01:03:25.519 --> 01:03:30.880
he dispatches a message to Confederate

01:03:27.599 --> 01:03:33.599
President Jefferson Davis describing a

01:03:30.880 --> 01:03:35.519
complete victory.

01:03:33.599 --> 01:03:37.920
16-year-old Thomas Duncan is a

01:03:35.519 --> 01:03:40.639
Confederate courier.

01:03:37.920 --> 01:03:42.480
With a seeming victory in our grasp, and

01:03:40.639 --> 01:03:44.239
with the brave, though depleted, and

01:03:42.480 --> 01:03:47.440
disorganized, Army of the Blue [music]

01:03:44.239 --> 01:03:51.519
at bay at River's Brink,

01:03:47.440 --> 01:03:54.798
we saw the battle cease for the day.

01:03:51.519 --> 01:03:57.038
But US Grant is not ready to concede

01:03:54.798 --> 01:04:00.880
defeat.

01:03:57.039 --> 01:04:03.359
He knows reinforcements are on the way.

01:04:00.880 --> 01:04:07.119
Not beaten by a damn sight, [music] he

01:04:03.358 --> 01:04:11.119
mutters. Though bloodied, Grant's army

01:04:07.119 --> 01:04:14.318
had survived to fight another day.

01:04:11.119 --> 01:04:16.160
And Grant was at the moment of crisis.

01:04:14.318 --> 01:04:18.480
And even the great commanders have

01:04:16.159 --> 01:04:21.038
moments of crisis. He always, I think,

01:04:18.480 --> 01:04:22.559
believed in himself in that capacity. I

01:04:21.039 --> 01:04:25.119
don't think there a man like Grant ever

01:04:22.559 --> 01:04:27.519
had a doubt that he would win.

01:04:25.119 --> 01:04:29.838
All of the high officers, with one

01:04:27.519 --> 01:04:32.000
exception, seemed to believe that they

01:04:29.838 --> 01:04:35.199
would pull out, that they would cross

01:04:32.000 --> 01:04:36.639
the river during the night and escape.

01:04:35.199 --> 01:04:40.679
The one exception to all this, of

01:04:36.639 --> 01:04:40.679
course, was Grant himself.

01:04:41.920 --> 01:04:47.119
Night comes

01:04:44.798 --> 01:04:48.159
and Sherman comes up to him really to

01:04:47.119 --> 01:04:50.960
see, well, what's going to happen? What

01:04:48.159 --> 01:04:53.118
are we going to do in the next day?

01:04:50.960 --> 01:04:55.199
And Sherman says to him, "Well, Grant,

01:04:53.119 --> 01:04:56.400
we've had the devil's own time today,

01:04:55.199 --> 01:05:00.879
haven't we?"

01:04:56.400 --> 01:05:02.400
And Grant looks at Sherman and says,

01:05:00.880 --> 01:05:05.760
"Yep,

01:05:02.400 --> 01:05:08.240
we'll lick him tomorrow, though."

01:05:05.760 --> 01:05:10.400
And Sherman is just taken back. This

01:05:08.239 --> 01:05:13.759
guy's not going to retreat. He's going

01:05:10.400 --> 01:05:16.000
to go on the offensive the next day. And

01:05:13.760 --> 01:05:19.680
this is an incredible

01:05:16.000 --> 01:05:21.519
thing to do.

01:05:19.679 --> 01:05:26.960
I I think that certain people are placed

01:05:21.519 --> 01:05:29.199
in certain places by luck or by fate and

01:05:26.960 --> 01:05:33.599
Grant was in the right spot.

01:05:29.199 --> 01:05:36.159
I cannot think of any general at this

01:05:33.599 --> 01:05:39.880
time in the history of the war who would

01:05:36.159 --> 01:05:39.879
have done the same thing.

01:05:44.719 --> 01:05:51.798
Late that night, a violent storm engulfs

01:05:48.079 --> 01:05:51.798
the Shiloh battlefield.

01:05:52.159 --> 01:05:57.358
Thunder and lightning combined with

01:05:54.079 --> 01:06:00.960
cannon fire from Union gunboats

01:05:57.358 --> 01:06:04.000
to create a night no soldier at Shiloh

01:06:00.960 --> 01:06:06.240
will ever forget.

01:06:04.000 --> 01:06:08.960
The woods

01:06:06.239 --> 01:06:12.159
that first night especially are filled

01:06:08.960 --> 01:06:16.519
with sounds that we could never

01:06:12.159 --> 01:06:16.519
accurately reproduce.

01:06:18.159 --> 01:06:23.038
There were soldiers who wrote on that

01:06:19.760 --> 01:06:26.920
first night of hearing the wild hogs

01:06:23.039 --> 01:06:26.920
feeding on the wounded

01:06:30.719 --> 01:06:35.598
and having to listen to that all night.

01:06:33.599 --> 01:06:38.079
And there's no button you can push to

01:06:35.599 --> 01:06:40.240
shut it off. And then when the sun comes

01:06:38.079 --> 01:06:43.480
up, you know it's going to start all

01:06:40.239 --> 01:06:43.479
over again.

01:06:50.400 --> 01:06:56.240
When the sun comes up that second day,

01:06:53.358 --> 01:06:58.000
Borugard believes that he's won the

01:06:56.239 --> 01:06:58.879
great victory and it's just a matter of

01:06:58.000 --> 01:07:01.746
mopping up.

01:06:58.880 --> 01:07:03.440
Three cheers for General Borard.

01:07:01.746 --> 01:07:05.519
[cheering]

01:07:03.440 --> 01:07:07.039
The Union Army was in terrible shape.

01:07:05.519 --> 01:07:09.599
They've been driven back. Their

01:07:07.039 --> 01:07:12.599
confidence is broken. They're they're

01:07:09.599 --> 01:07:12.599
finished.

01:07:13.358 --> 01:07:20.159
Defeat is the last thing on Grant's

01:07:16.079 --> 01:07:22.880
mind. Overnight, 13,000 soldiers

01:07:20.159 --> 01:07:25.759
commanded by General Don Carlos Buell

01:07:22.880 --> 01:07:28.000
have finally arrived from Nashville.

01:07:25.760 --> 01:07:32.240
General Lou Wallace reinforces Grant

01:07:28.000 --> 01:07:35.039
with another 5800 Union soldiers.

01:07:32.239 --> 01:07:37.519
According to a soldier from Louisiana,

01:07:35.039 --> 01:07:40.319
federal troops sprouted from the ground

01:07:37.519 --> 01:07:42.880
like mushrooms.

01:07:40.318 --> 01:07:44.480
Courier Thomas Duncan.

01:07:42.880 --> 01:07:47.200
A small squad of us were preparing

01:07:44.480 --> 01:07:50.358
breakfast when firing began suddenly on

01:07:47.199 --> 01:07:50.358
the line.

01:07:55.760 --> 01:08:00.720
A wildeyed rider proclaimed the arrival

01:07:57.838 --> 01:08:05.639
of Bule,

01:08:00.719 --> 01:08:05.639
warning us to run for our lives.

01:08:09.211 --> 01:08:11.231
[music]

01:08:21.759 --> 01:08:25.838
It's apparent [music] that counterattack

01:08:23.039 --> 01:08:29.439
has power to it. It has power. It has

01:08:25.838 --> 01:08:31.759
purpose and it's mass. And it's totally

01:08:29.439 --> 01:08:34.559
unexpected.

01:08:31.759 --> 01:08:36.719
April 7th is like day one at Shiloh, but

01:08:34.560 --> 01:08:39.359
in reverse.

01:08:36.719 --> 01:08:40.880
Bogard's stunned Confederates rally,

01:08:39.359 --> 01:08:45.400
fighting desperately to hold the

01:08:40.880 --> 01:08:45.400
onslaught of the reinforced Federals.

01:08:46.719 --> 01:08:51.039
It's no longer a sense of

01:08:49.600 --> 01:08:52.960
getting up and finding something to eat

01:08:51.039 --> 01:08:54.319
this morning. It's getting up and

01:08:52.960 --> 01:08:55.679
finding something to put in my musket so

01:08:54.319 --> 01:08:57.359
I can fight this battle because this

01:08:55.679 --> 01:08:59.600
battle has come back and it's come back

01:08:57.359 --> 01:09:01.520
into my face.

01:08:59.600 --> 01:09:03.679
A continued breakdown in the Confederate

01:09:01.520 --> 01:09:05.542
chain of command only makes matters

01:09:03.679 --> 01:09:07.561
worse.

01:09:05.542 --> 01:09:07.562
[music]

01:09:08.560 --> 01:09:13.359
Colonel John Moore commands a makeshift

01:09:11.039 --> 01:09:15.519
brigade of three regiments which

01:09:13.359 --> 01:09:18.000
includes his own second [music] Texas

01:09:15.520 --> 01:09:19.839
Infantry.

01:09:18.000 --> 01:09:22.640
Moore is ordered to advance his brigade

01:09:19.838 --> 01:09:25.640
across a peach orchard but to hold his

01:09:22.640 --> 01:09:25.640
fire.

01:09:26.640 --> 01:09:29.920
Captain

01:09:28.319 --> 01:09:31.359
on [music] the other side of the fence.

01:09:29.920 --> 01:09:33.679
Get over there and stretch your lights

01:09:31.359 --> 01:09:36.079
quickly. In the woods ahead of him,

01:09:33.679 --> 01:09:38.000
Moore [music] is told, waits another

01:09:36.079 --> 01:09:39.759
Confederate force.

01:09:38.000 --> 01:09:41.119
And it's apparent they don't know who's

01:09:39.759 --> 01:09:42.880
in front of them, but they've been told

01:09:41.119 --> 01:09:47.079
who's in front of them. And they've been

01:09:42.880 --> 01:09:47.079
told they're friends.

01:09:49.520 --> 01:09:56.880
The soldiers located in front of Moore's

01:09:51.600 --> 01:10:01.800
approaching men are not friends.

01:09:56.880 --> 01:10:01.800
They are from Indiana and Ohio.

01:10:08.000 --> 01:10:12.640
John Cine more.

01:10:10.158 --> 01:10:14.879
Even after the enemy opened fire, my

01:10:12.640 --> 01:10:16.960
officers reported the order was still

01:10:14.880 --> 01:10:19.920
given not to fire on our supposed

01:10:16.960 --> 01:10:21.760
friends.

01:10:19.920 --> 01:10:24.079
In one instance, after a private

01:10:21.760 --> 01:10:26.800
returned the fire of the enemy, a staff

01:10:24.079 --> 01:10:28.559
officer drew his pistol

01:10:26.800 --> 01:10:32.440
and threatened to blow off the man's

01:10:28.560 --> 01:10:32.440
head if he fired again.

01:10:34.319 --> 01:10:39.599
There's no way for anybody really to get

01:10:37.760 --> 01:10:41.119
a handle on it except maybe in the

01:10:39.600 --> 01:10:43.520
decision that Moore makes after the

01:10:41.119 --> 01:10:45.519
ambush

01:10:43.520 --> 01:10:48.520
when he's ordered to attack and he

01:10:45.520 --> 01:10:48.520
refuses.

01:10:48.800 --> 01:10:53.600
The chaos Moore and his men face is

01:10:51.600 --> 01:10:57.560
experienced by many Confederates on

01:10:53.600 --> 01:10:57.560
Shiloh's second day.

01:11:00.319 --> 01:11:05.960
The fighting is every bit as fierce and

01:11:02.158 --> 01:11:05.960
bloody as the day before.

01:11:06.079 --> 01:11:11.039
Confederates under General Bogard's

01:11:08.000 --> 01:11:14.158
leadership fight bravely.

01:11:11.039 --> 01:11:16.479
But now, outnumbered and overwhelmed,

01:11:14.158 --> 01:11:18.319
they are steadily driven back to Shiloh

01:11:16.479 --> 01:11:20.639
Church.

01:11:18.319 --> 01:11:23.679
An aid to General Bogard sums up the

01:11:20.640 --> 01:11:28.880
situation by saying, "The fire and

01:11:23.679 --> 01:11:28.880
animation has left our troops.

01:11:32.960 --> 01:11:38.399
Shortly after [music] 2:00 p.m.,

01:11:35.679 --> 01:11:42.560
Bo Regard issues an order unthinkable

01:11:38.399 --> 01:11:45.359
just 8 hours earlier.

01:11:42.560 --> 01:11:48.640
Withdrawal. [music]

01:11:45.359 --> 01:11:51.039
They came so very close to be so [music]

01:11:48.640 --> 01:11:52.719
close to victory so many times and never

01:11:51.039 --> 01:11:54.319
quite be able to achieve it. It was

01:11:52.719 --> 01:11:56.880
almost like it was something that they

01:11:54.319 --> 01:12:00.238
were reaching out for and could never

01:11:56.880 --> 01:12:02.480
they never could quite [music] get it.

01:12:00.238 --> 01:12:05.039
General Grant remains under orders to

01:12:02.479 --> 01:12:06.559
not engage the Confederates.

01:12:05.039 --> 01:12:08.960
For now, he [music] is content to have

01:12:06.560 --> 01:12:11.960
recovered Union camps lost the previous

01:12:08.960 --> 01:12:11.960
day.

01:12:16.399 --> 01:12:22.238
The Confederates endure a bitter 20-mile

01:12:18.960 --> 01:12:24.560
march back to Corinth, Mississippi.

01:12:22.238 --> 01:12:29.079
There they'll dig in to [music] defend

01:12:24.560 --> 01:12:29.080
the town's vital rail junction.

01:12:31.439 --> 01:12:35.599
After Shiloh [music]

01:12:32.640 --> 01:12:40.480
laments one New Orleans resident,

01:12:35.600 --> 01:12:43.360
the South never smiled again. [music]

01:12:40.479 --> 01:12:47.439
Shiloh illustrates

01:12:43.359 --> 01:12:51.079
that the war is [music] here

01:12:47.439 --> 01:12:51.079
and it's deadly.

01:12:52.800 --> 01:12:56.800
They're going to have to invest

01:12:53.920 --> 01:13:00.090
everything into the war to win their

01:12:56.800 --> 01:13:00.090
cause. [music]

01:13:05.039 --> 01:13:13.079
How could anyone smile

01:13:07.600 --> 01:13:13.079
with [music] that vision of the future?

01:13:13.135 --> 01:13:15.155
[music]

01:13:25.198 --> 01:13:30.000
For the next few days,

01:13:28.158 --> 01:13:34.279
Union soldiers undertake the gruesome

01:13:30.000 --> 01:13:34.279
task of burying the dead.

01:13:35.198 --> 01:13:41.319
Even the hardbitten General Sherman is

01:13:38.319 --> 01:13:41.319
moved.

01:13:41.679 --> 01:13:46.158
The battlefield was a heartsickening

01:13:43.520 --> 01:13:46.159
sight.

01:13:46.319 --> 01:13:51.479
The dead were lying in every conceivable

01:13:48.479 --> 01:13:51.479
shape.

01:13:52.640 --> 01:13:58.119
Some had fallen, their guns fast in

01:13:54.960 --> 01:13:58.119
their hands.

01:13:58.880 --> 01:14:02.960
Others had received the messenger of

01:14:00.640 --> 01:14:05.600
death

01:14:02.960 --> 01:14:07.359
and with their life blood ebbing away

01:14:05.600 --> 01:14:10.000
had sought the shelters of logs and

01:14:07.359 --> 01:14:14.198
trees

01:14:10.000 --> 01:14:14.198
and laid down to die.

01:14:25.039 --> 01:14:32.840
It's impossible, I think, for us to

01:14:27.439 --> 01:14:32.839
imagine what it must have looked like.

01:14:32.880 --> 01:14:39.920
The smell is awful.

01:14:36.479 --> 01:14:43.839
There are burial details every place.

01:14:39.920 --> 01:14:46.000
And maybe the biggest horror of all is

01:14:43.840 --> 01:14:48.880
as the Union Army is trying to

01:14:46.000 --> 01:14:51.279
reorganize itself and wagons are going

01:14:48.880 --> 01:14:53.440
back and forth across the battlefield,

01:14:51.279 --> 01:14:57.198
they will the wheels of the wagons will

01:14:53.439 --> 01:15:01.198
will dig up shallow graves and you will

01:14:57.198 --> 01:15:04.960
see corpses lying there being run over

01:15:01.198 --> 01:15:06.799
by wagons and by horses. What a horrible

01:15:04.960 --> 01:15:10.800
thing. You have to think to yourself, is

01:15:06.800 --> 01:15:10.800
this what's going to happen to me?

01:15:12.960 --> 01:15:23.239
At Shiloh, the total casualties,

01:15:17.840 --> 01:15:23.239
a staggering 24,000 men.

01:15:25.279 --> 01:15:31.840
A single battle claims more casualties

01:15:28.560 --> 01:15:34.840
than all of America's previous wars

01:15:31.840 --> 01:15:34.840
combined.

01:15:39.600 --> 01:15:42.719
They did arithmetic. All of a sudden

01:15:41.119 --> 01:15:45.760
they could realize hell that's more

01:15:42.719 --> 01:15:47.600
people lost in two days

01:15:45.760 --> 01:15:51.159
than we've lost in all the wars we

01:15:47.600 --> 01:15:51.159
fought to date.

01:15:51.359 --> 01:15:55.839
That's becomes apparent [music] to

01:15:53.359 --> 01:15:58.000
everyone. Golly,

01:15:55.840 --> 01:16:00.319
in two days

01:15:58.000 --> 01:16:02.158
we've amassed,

01:16:00.319 --> 01:16:04.960
you know, the same amount of killed,

01:16:02.158 --> 01:16:06.711
wounded, and missing personnel in our

01:16:04.960 --> 01:16:08.960
military bodies as we've accomplished

01:16:06.712 --> 01:16:10.719
[music] in nearly a century of

01:16:08.960 --> 01:16:15.239
existence.

01:16:10.719 --> 01:16:15.239
Uh, that's shocking.

01:16:15.840 --> 01:16:20.719
You think about the connections of that

01:16:18.238 --> 01:16:22.959
24,000.

01:16:20.719 --> 01:16:25.840
This begins to affect homes. It affects

01:16:22.960 --> 01:16:28.319
communities. It affects

01:16:25.840 --> 01:16:30.560
loved ones, friends.

01:16:28.319 --> 01:16:33.840
Entire communities end up having a bad

01:16:30.560 --> 01:16:39.600
day because a sizable prepoundonderance

01:16:33.840 --> 01:16:42.159
of their young men 18 to 29 are gone.

01:16:39.600 --> 01:16:45.520
They're no longer or they're totally

01:16:42.158 --> 01:16:48.799
torn to pieces and maimed for life. And

01:16:45.520 --> 01:16:50.640
it's just reverberates.

01:16:48.800 --> 01:16:53.520
The great battle General Grant and

01:16:50.640 --> 01:16:57.280
others hoped would end the war is in

01:16:53.520 --> 01:17:01.080
fact just the beginning of a brutal war

01:16:57.279 --> 01:17:01.079
no one could have imagined.

01:17:02.960 --> 01:17:07.920
When the battle began, John Cocherel was

01:17:05.920 --> 01:17:11.440
a young musician.

01:17:07.920 --> 01:17:14.319
Now in the aftermath of Bloody Shiloh,

01:17:11.439 --> 01:17:17.119
the 16-year-old Cocharel is a combat

01:17:14.319 --> 01:17:19.359
veteran.

01:17:17.119 --> 01:17:24.439
Near dusk, He wanders through the

01:17:19.359 --> 01:17:24.439
ransacked camp of the 70th Ohio.

01:17:26.719 --> 01:17:31.560
The last place he saw his father alive.

01:17:34.000 --> 01:17:39.719
Through the haze is a sight Cochel can

01:17:36.238 --> 01:17:39.718
hardly believe.

01:17:42.479 --> 01:17:48.479
The 70th regiment came back after the

01:17:44.800 --> 01:17:51.840
most terrible fighting and campaigning.

01:17:48.479 --> 01:17:55.359
At its head rode my father, whom I

01:17:51.840 --> 01:17:57.408
supposed to be dead.

01:17:55.359 --> 01:18:00.880
He was pale, haggarded, and worn,

01:17:57.408 --> 01:18:02.960
[music] but unscathed.

01:18:00.880 --> 01:18:06.578
My father had not seen me, nor heard

01:18:02.960 --> 01:18:08.597
from me for more than 60 hours.

01:18:06.578 --> 01:18:08.598
[music]

01:18:13.128 --> 01:18:15.149
[music]

01:18:16.560 --> 01:18:22.080
He took me into his arms and gave me the

01:18:19.359 --> 01:18:25.399
most affectionate embrace my life had

01:18:22.079 --> 01:18:25.399
ever [music] known.

01:18:27.760 --> 01:18:33.440
7 months after Shiloh, John Cocherel

01:18:30.960 --> 01:18:36.560
returned to the Ohio home he dreamed of

01:18:33.439 --> 01:18:37.839
during the battle.

01:18:36.560 --> 01:18:40.239
He would become an accomplished

01:18:37.840 --> 01:18:44.640
journalist, writing for the Cincinnati

01:18:40.238 --> 01:18:47.519
Inquirer and the Washington Post.

01:18:44.640 --> 01:18:50.079
Years later, he would write about 2 days

01:18:47.520 --> 01:18:52.640
in April 1862

01:18:50.079 --> 01:18:55.679
when the world appeared to turn upside

01:18:52.640 --> 01:18:59.159
down in the thick woods along the

01:18:55.679 --> 01:18:59.158
Tennessee River.

01:19:06.238 --> 01:19:11.039
Two weeks after their defeat at Shiloh,

01:19:08.800 --> 01:19:12.800
the Confederacy suffers another blow in

01:19:11.039 --> 01:19:15.198
the West.

01:19:12.800 --> 01:19:17.600
A fleet of Union warships under the

01:19:15.198 --> 01:19:20.079
command of Admiral David Farragut

01:19:17.600 --> 01:19:24.239
captures New Orleans, the South's

01:19:20.079 --> 01:19:25.840
largest city and most important port.

01:19:24.238 --> 01:19:28.399
And for [music] Confederate troops over

01:19:25.840 --> 01:19:32.400
a thousand miles away in Virginia, the

01:19:28.399 --> 01:19:32.399
war effort begins to falter.

01:19:40.399 --> 01:19:45.119
Union General George [music] Mlen,

01:19:42.719 --> 01:19:47.279
nicknamed Little Napoleon,

01:19:45.119 --> 01:19:50.640
has a bold plan to take the Confederate

01:19:47.279 --> 01:19:52.238
capital of Richmond, Virginia. In March

01:19:50.640 --> 01:19:54.719
1862,

01:19:52.238 --> 01:19:57.198
Mlelen landed [music] more than 100,000

01:19:54.719 --> 01:20:00.319
troops at Fort Monroe and begins to

01:19:57.198 --> 01:20:01.839
fight his way up the peninsula towards

01:20:00.319 --> 01:20:04.479
Richmond.

01:20:01.840 --> 01:20:06.079
At Seven Pines, Confederate commander

01:20:04.479 --> 01:20:09.839
[music] Joseph Johnston is severely

01:20:06.079 --> 01:20:13.679
wounded and replaced with a rising star

01:20:09.840 --> 01:20:16.159
named Robert E. Lee.

01:20:13.679 --> 01:20:19.679
4 months after it began, Lincoln orders

01:20:16.158 --> 01:20:23.119
Mlelen to return his army to Washington.

01:20:19.679 --> 01:20:26.920
For the Union, the Peninsula campaign is

01:20:23.119 --> 01:20:26.920
a military disappointment.

01:20:27.039 --> 01:20:32.719
Yet, it was a seemingly minor incident a

01:20:30.079 --> 01:20:35.198
year earlier on the tip of the very same

01:20:32.719 --> 01:20:37.679
Virginia peninsula that ignites a

01:20:35.198 --> 01:20:41.159
sweeping chain of events that would

01:20:37.679 --> 01:20:42.560
alter the course of the war.

01:20:41.159 --> 01:20:45.519
[music]

01:20:42.560 --> 01:20:49.039
May 1861,

01:20:45.520 --> 01:20:51.920
three runaway slaves row a stolen boat

01:20:49.039 --> 01:20:54.479
and surrender to the Union occupied Fort

01:20:51.920 --> 01:20:56.640
Monroe.

01:20:54.479 --> 01:20:58.639
Their arrival creates a legal dilemma

01:20:56.640 --> 01:21:01.119
for the fort's commander and for the

01:20:58.640 --> 01:21:03.600
United States Army.

01:21:01.119 --> 01:21:05.039
President Abraham Lincoln refuses to

01:21:03.600 --> 01:21:07.520
recognize the Confederate [music]

01:21:05.039 --> 01:21:10.000
government. He considers the southern

01:21:07.520 --> 01:21:13.360
states to be in rebellion.

01:21:10.000 --> 01:21:15.119
Therefore, federal law still applies in

01:21:13.359 --> 01:21:17.599
the South.

01:21:15.119 --> 01:21:19.599
Legally, the escaped slaves are the

01:21:17.600 --> 01:21:21.600
property of their southern owner and

01:21:19.600 --> 01:21:23.920
must be returned.

01:21:21.600 --> 01:21:26.239
The fugitive slave law of 1850 is still

01:21:23.920 --> 01:21:29.119
on the books. It's still the law of the

01:21:26.238 --> 01:21:32.319
land. And strictly speaking, the United

01:21:29.119 --> 01:21:34.800
States Army is obligated to live up to

01:21:32.319 --> 01:21:38.559
the tenants of the fugitive slave law.

01:21:34.800 --> 01:21:40.400
Those soldiers are after all obliged to

01:21:38.560 --> 01:21:43.120
enforce the law.

01:21:40.399 --> 01:21:45.920
The next day, a Confederate officer

01:21:43.119 --> 01:21:50.399
under a flag of truce, arrives at Fort

01:21:45.920 --> 01:21:53.119
Monroe and demands the property back.

01:21:50.399 --> 01:21:55.839
The Union fort's commander, General

01:21:53.119 --> 01:21:59.359
Benjamin Franklin Butler, quickly

01:21:55.840 --> 01:22:01.840
rejects the request.

01:21:59.359 --> 01:22:03.359
The runaways had earlier revealed that

01:22:01.840 --> 01:22:06.560
they were going to help construct

01:22:03.359 --> 01:22:10.399
Confederate gun imp placements. Guns to

01:22:06.560 --> 01:22:12.080
be aimed directly at Fort Monroe. Butler

01:22:10.399 --> 01:22:15.519
curtly dismisses the Confederate

01:22:12.079 --> 01:22:20.559
officer, calling the escaped slaves

01:22:15.520 --> 01:22:23.280
contrabands of war. Contraband means uh

01:22:20.560 --> 01:22:26.480
property. And so there's this legal term

01:22:23.279 --> 01:22:28.880
that enters the lexicon and it is lashed

01:22:26.479 --> 01:22:31.678
on to and used throughout the end of the

01:22:28.880 --> 01:22:35.199
Civil War.

01:22:31.679 --> 01:22:37.520
And what Butler's thinking is that they

01:22:35.198 --> 01:22:40.559
are still property, but they are enemy

01:22:37.520 --> 01:22:43.840
property and therefore it is lawful in a

01:22:40.560 --> 01:22:46.480
time of war for the Union to seize them.

01:22:43.840 --> 01:22:51.319
So he justifies allowing these slaves to

01:22:46.479 --> 01:22:51.319
stay in Union Army lines as contraband.

01:22:53.359 --> 01:22:59.920
And within a few days [music] he had 200

01:22:56.800 --> 01:23:02.000
uh fugitive slaves at the fort door and

01:22:59.920 --> 01:23:04.319
he took them all in confiscating [music]

01:23:02.000 --> 01:23:06.719
them as contraband of war. He realized

01:23:04.319 --> 01:23:08.238
by taking this this source of labor, the

01:23:06.719 --> 01:23:09.846
source of aid that it would [ __ ] the

01:23:08.238 --> 01:23:10.158
Confederacy.

01:23:09.846 --> 01:23:13.119
[music]

01:23:10.158 --> 01:23:15.198
In Washington DC, President Lincoln and

01:23:13.119 --> 01:23:16.719
his cabinet follow the unfolding [music]

01:23:15.198 --> 01:23:19.919
drama.

01:23:16.719 --> 01:23:22.239
He takes no formal action.

01:23:19.920 --> 01:23:23.920
for now.

01:23:22.238 --> 01:23:26.799
It took the Union [music] Army by

01:23:23.920 --> 01:23:28.880
surprise and it took the Union um

01:23:26.800 --> 01:23:31.679
government by surprise. It took [music]

01:23:28.880 --> 01:23:33.440
Lincoln by surprise. They were not

01:23:31.679 --> 01:23:36.560
expecting this. They did not plan for

01:23:33.439 --> 01:23:38.319
it. They had not encouraged it. They had

01:23:36.560 --> 01:23:40.159
not put out a [music] welcome mat for

01:23:38.319 --> 01:23:44.000
the enslaved to come into Union Army

01:23:40.158 --> 01:23:45.679
lines, but they came anyway.

01:23:44.000 --> 01:23:48.319
Although Lincoln was not going to

01:23:45.679 --> 01:23:50.239
encourage people overtly to break the

01:23:48.319 --> 01:23:53.519
law, he certainly was [music] not going

01:23:50.238 --> 01:23:56.000
to see slaves who did run away returned

01:23:53.520 --> 01:23:58.320
to their slavery, to their bonds, to

01:23:56.000 --> 01:24:00.479
their cattle status. [music]

01:23:58.319 --> 01:24:03.519
To the contrary, he said, I'd be damned

01:24:00.479 --> 01:24:05.759
in time and eternity if I ever allowed

01:24:03.520 --> 01:24:08.080
that [music] to happen. slaves. He said

01:24:05.760 --> 01:24:11.600
to Congress, "Slaves who have achieved

01:24:08.079 --> 01:24:13.679
their actual freedom are not going to be

01:24:11.600 --> 01:24:16.480
molested in that." [music] That was as

01:24:13.679 --> 01:24:23.239
much as waving a very large flag that

01:24:16.479 --> 01:24:23.238
said, "Come hither and find safety."

01:24:23.520 --> 01:24:27.679
The news of the contrabands at Fort

01:24:25.279 --> 01:24:30.238
Monroe quickly spreads throughout the

01:24:27.679 --> 01:24:33.279
Union.

01:24:30.238 --> 01:24:35.919
The news also spreads among the enslaved

01:24:33.279 --> 01:24:38.399
themselves.

01:24:35.920 --> 01:24:42.158
What powers the need for freedom for

01:24:38.399 --> 01:24:44.479
enslaved people is they don't want to be

01:24:42.158 --> 01:24:46.719
degraded anymore. They don't want to be

01:24:44.479 --> 01:24:50.359
brutalized anymore. They don't want to

01:24:46.719 --> 01:24:50.359
exist as property.

01:24:52.158 --> 01:24:58.238
So all of a sudden you have

01:24:55.520 --> 01:25:00.159
government officials, you have military

01:24:58.238 --> 01:25:04.158
officers who are confronted with the

01:25:00.158 --> 01:25:07.039
fact that we have to take black concerns

01:25:04.158 --> 01:25:08.719
seriously.

01:25:07.039 --> 01:25:11.279
At this point now, you have growing

01:25:08.719 --> 01:25:15.158
refugee camps uh within Union lines and

01:25:11.279 --> 01:25:15.158
in all of the border states.

01:25:15.359 --> 01:25:21.198
They don't wait for Lincoln to free

01:25:18.238 --> 01:25:24.198
them. They are agents in their own

01:25:21.198 --> 01:25:24.198
emancipation.

01:25:28.719 --> 01:25:34.239
Lincoln hoped at the beginning of the

01:25:30.238 --> 01:25:36.799
war to keep the opposition to slavery

01:25:34.238 --> 01:25:39.039
and [music] the restoration of the Union

01:25:36.800 --> 01:25:41.199
running on two separate but parallel

01:25:39.039 --> 01:25:42.719
tracks.

01:25:41.198 --> 01:25:43.919
One problem, the problem of the

01:25:42.719 --> 01:25:46.079
rebellion, he wanted to solve

01:25:43.920 --> 01:25:47.520
militarily. The other problem, the

01:25:46.079 --> 01:25:50.158
problem of slavery, he wanted to solve

01:25:47.520 --> 01:25:53.120
politically. What he found though a year

01:25:50.158 --> 01:25:54.719
into the war was that these two tracks,

01:25:53.119 --> 01:25:57.679
as much as he was trying to keep them

01:25:54.719 --> 01:25:59.600
separate, insisted on converging.

01:25:57.679 --> 01:26:01.760
The contraband [music] issue triggers a

01:25:59.600 --> 01:26:06.440
fundamental question.

01:26:01.760 --> 01:26:06.440
Are the contraband still slaves

01:26:06.800 --> 01:26:14.400
or are they now free?

01:26:11.039 --> 01:26:18.000
There is a dynamic, a collision of

01:26:14.399 --> 01:26:20.399
people on the ground, slaves running to

01:26:18.000 --> 01:26:22.000
Union armies, Union armies, not knowing

01:26:20.399 --> 01:26:23.920
how to handle this problem, but knowing

01:26:22.000 --> 01:26:26.000
that if they sent those slaves back,

01:26:23.920 --> 01:26:28.639
that they simply would be abetting the

01:26:26.000 --> 01:26:31.279
Confederate war effort. That step that

01:26:28.639 --> 01:26:34.159
slaves took toward Union lines, it

01:26:31.279 --> 01:26:35.920
triggers a process.

01:26:34.158 --> 01:26:38.399
Congress [music] passes a series of

01:26:35.920 --> 01:26:41.600
largely ineffective laws called the

01:26:38.399 --> 01:26:44.238
Confiscation Acts. It is legislation the

01:26:41.600 --> 01:26:46.560
president opposes. [music] Lincoln's own

01:26:44.238 --> 01:26:50.319
views on abolishing slavery continue to

01:26:46.560 --> 01:26:52.400
evolve. Early in the war, he favors a

01:26:50.319 --> 01:26:55.679
plan to remove freed slaves [music] to a

01:26:52.399 --> 01:26:57.839
colony outside of the United States.

01:26:55.679 --> 01:26:59.840
In summer 1862,

01:26:57.840 --> 01:27:02.000
he writes to newspaper editor Horus

01:26:59.840 --> 01:27:05.039
Gley. [music]

01:27:02.000 --> 01:27:07.614
Lincoln says, "If I could save the Union

01:27:05.039 --> 01:27:09.359
without freeing any slave, I would do

01:27:07.614 --> 01:27:12.319
[music] it."

01:27:09.359 --> 01:27:13.839
And yet, that very summer, in a secluded

01:27:12.319 --> 01:27:15.359
cottage on a hill overlooking

01:27:13.840 --> 01:27:18.000
Washington,

01:27:15.359 --> 01:27:21.198
Lincoln begins [music] to pen a document

01:27:18.000 --> 01:27:22.719
that will do exactly that.

01:27:21.198 --> 01:27:26.079
And it's in the aftermath of the [music]

01:27:22.719 --> 01:27:28.158
Peninsula campaign that Lincoln realizes

01:27:26.079 --> 01:27:30.800
that they need to move toward a policy

01:27:28.158 --> 01:27:32.719
that wages war not just on [music] the

01:27:30.800 --> 01:27:34.960
Confederate army but on Confederate

01:27:32.719 --> 01:27:37.439
society. And the first step in that

01:27:34.960 --> 01:27:41.020
direction, [music] he decides, is to

01:27:37.439 --> 01:27:42.638
begin emancipating the slaves.

01:27:41.020 --> 01:27:44.480
[music] In the wake of a string of

01:27:42.639 --> 01:27:47.440
devastating defeats on the eastern

01:27:44.479 --> 01:27:50.718
theater, Lincoln now sees emancipation

01:27:47.439 --> 01:27:52.638
as a military necessity.

01:27:50.719 --> 01:27:58.079
He says, [music] "We must free the

01:27:52.639 --> 01:28:00.159
slaves or be ourselves subdued."

01:27:58.079 --> 01:28:02.079
Lincoln's coming action will test the

01:28:00.158 --> 01:28:05.238
constitutional limits of the office of

01:28:02.079 --> 01:28:05.238
the presidency.

01:28:05.279 --> 01:28:09.920
The Constitution provides that the

01:28:08.479 --> 01:28:12.238
president of the United States be the

01:28:09.920 --> 01:28:15.760
commander-in-chief

01:28:12.238 --> 01:28:17.519
in time of war or rebellion, but it

01:28:15.760 --> 01:28:19.679
doesn't describe what the powers of the

01:28:17.520 --> 01:28:20.960
commander-in-chief are.

01:28:19.679 --> 01:28:23.119
I mean, what is it to be a

01:28:20.960 --> 01:28:25.840
commander-in-chief? No one was really

01:28:23.119 --> 01:28:28.238
sure within those war powers. What is he

01:28:25.840 --> 01:28:30.159
allowed to do? Well, he should be

01:28:28.238 --> 01:28:33.279
allowed to do some things which will

01:28:30.158 --> 01:28:36.079
[ __ ] the enemy's ability to carry on

01:28:33.279 --> 01:28:39.279
war. What will [ __ ] the Confederacy's

01:28:36.079 --> 01:28:42.000
ability to carry on war? Free their

01:28:39.279 --> 01:28:44.000
slaves. Free them. Give them every

01:28:42.000 --> 01:28:46.880
incentive possible to desert and run

01:28:44.000 --> 01:28:48.960
away to the Union lines. Give them every

01:28:46.880 --> 01:28:51.520
reason to expect that the advance of the

01:28:48.960 --> 01:28:55.039
Union armies into the South will mean

01:28:51.520 --> 01:28:57.920
their freedom, subvert, undermine,

01:28:55.039 --> 01:29:00.639
weaken the Confederate ability to carry

01:28:57.920 --> 01:29:03.679
on the rebellion.

01:29:00.639 --> 01:29:06.880
To his stunned cabinet, Lincoln unveils

01:29:03.679 --> 01:29:11.199
a preliminary emancipation proclamation

01:29:06.880 --> 01:29:12.880
on July 22nd, 1862.

01:29:11.198 --> 01:29:16.158
Secretary [music] of Treasury Salmon

01:29:12.880 --> 01:29:18.560
Chase thinks it's too extreme.

01:29:16.158 --> 01:29:20.559
Secretary of Interior Caleb Smith

01:29:18.560 --> 01:29:22.719
strongly objects and threatens to

01:29:20.560 --> 01:29:25.120
resign.

01:29:22.719 --> 01:29:27.119
Postmaster General Montgomery Blair

01:29:25.119 --> 01:29:28.880
fears it will cost the Republicans the

01:29:27.119 --> 01:29:30.479
full elections.

01:29:28.880 --> 01:29:32.880
Lincoln [music] pushes to release his

01:29:30.479 --> 01:29:34.799
proclamation immediately,

01:29:32.880 --> 01:29:37.440
but Secretary of State William [music]

01:29:34.800 --> 01:29:39.576
Seard cautions the proclamation will be

01:29:37.439 --> 01:29:41.279
perceived as an act of desperation

01:29:39.576 --> 01:29:43.679
[music] in the aftermath of the failed

01:29:41.279 --> 01:29:45.679
peninsula campaign.

01:29:43.679 --> 01:29:47.920
So, the president agrees to hold the

01:29:45.679 --> 01:29:51.719
announcement until after a federal

01:29:47.920 --> 01:29:51.719
victory on the battlefield.

01:30:15.119 --> 01:30:21.439
The slaughter at Antidum is hardly the

01:30:18.079 --> 01:30:24.960
decisive victory Lincoln desired.

01:30:21.439 --> 01:30:27.279
On September 17th, 1862,

01:30:24.960 --> 01:30:29.279
along Antidum Creek near Sharpsburg,

01:30:27.279 --> 01:30:31.840
Maryland,

01:30:29.279 --> 01:30:34.880
more than 22,000 Union and Confederate

01:30:31.840 --> 01:30:37.039
soldiers are killed, wounded, or

01:30:34.880 --> 01:30:39.199
missing.

01:30:37.039 --> 01:30:41.039
That's nearly as many casualties as

01:30:39.198 --> 01:30:44.039
there were in two days of fighting at

01:30:41.039 --> 01:30:44.039
Shiloh.

01:30:44.479 --> 01:30:48.959
The Battle of [music] Antidum ranks as

01:30:46.639 --> 01:30:51.960
the bloodiest day in American military

01:30:48.960 --> 01:30:51.960
history.

01:30:52.719 --> 01:30:56.800
Because the Confederates are forced to

01:30:54.247 --> 01:31:00.320
[music] retreat into Virginia, the Union

01:30:56.800 --> 01:31:04.039
claims victory, but tactically the

01:31:00.319 --> 01:31:04.039
battle is a draw.

01:31:05.279 --> 01:31:10.719
5 days after Antidum on September 22nd,

01:31:08.657 --> 01:31:12.719
[music] 1862,

01:31:10.719 --> 01:31:17.198
Lincoln issues what he calls a

01:31:12.719 --> 01:31:19.198
preliminary emancipation proclamation.

01:31:17.198 --> 01:31:23.119
The presidential order is a threat

01:31:19.198 --> 01:31:25.119
pointed directly at the Confederacy.

01:31:23.119 --> 01:31:29.279
The rebelling [music] states have until

01:31:25.119 --> 01:31:32.238
January 1st to cease hostilities or else

01:31:29.279 --> 01:31:36.399
on that date slaves in the rebelling

01:31:32.238 --> 01:31:39.039
states [music] will be forever free.

01:31:36.399 --> 01:31:42.238
Delivering the preliminary emancipation

01:31:39.039 --> 01:31:45.359
proclamation was a revolutionary moment.

01:31:42.238 --> 01:31:47.039
It was a terrific blow against the

01:31:45.359 --> 01:31:49.519
Confederacy

01:31:47.039 --> 01:31:53.039
for white southerners. When Lincoln

01:31:49.520 --> 01:31:56.800
issued it after the Battle of Antidum,

01:31:53.039 --> 01:31:59.760
they recognized that this war for Union

01:31:56.800 --> 01:32:02.800
now was a war for Union and the

01:31:59.760 --> 01:32:05.360
destruction of slavery. The North had

01:32:02.800 --> 01:32:07.360
now raised the stakes of the game. No

01:32:05.359 --> 01:32:11.198
longer just a war for Union, but a war

01:32:07.359 --> 01:32:14.238
for Union and for black freedom.

01:32:11.198 --> 01:32:18.039
That turned a war of consiliation into a

01:32:14.238 --> 01:32:18.039
revolutionary struggle.

01:32:24.079 --> 01:32:30.198
The Confederates turned the proclamation

01:32:26.158 --> 01:32:30.198
into a rallying point.

01:32:30.960 --> 01:32:36.239
800 m from Washington in the woodlands

01:32:33.600 --> 01:32:38.320
outside of Corinth, Mississippi. They

01:32:36.238 --> 01:32:41.039
are determined to avenge the losses at

01:32:38.319 --> 01:32:43.840
Shiloh.

01:32:41.039 --> 01:32:46.639
Following their victory at Shiloh, Union

01:32:43.840 --> 01:32:49.760
forces had advanced 22 mi south to

01:32:46.639 --> 01:32:52.960
Corinth and seized its prized railroad

01:32:49.760 --> 01:32:54.800
junction. For more than 4 months, a

01:32:52.960 --> 01:32:58.960
large garrison has occupied [music] the

01:32:54.800 --> 01:33:00.663
strategic town. But in October 1862,

01:32:58.960 --> 01:33:04.600
the Confederates are determined to take

01:33:00.663 --> 01:33:04.599
[music] Corinth back.

01:33:05.679 --> 01:33:12.158
22,000 Confederate soldiers led by Major

01:33:09.359 --> 01:33:14.639
General Earl Van Dornne storm through

01:33:12.158 --> 01:33:16.719
the Union defenses northwest of town,

01:33:14.639 --> 01:33:19.279
pushing the Federals back nearly 2

01:33:16.719 --> 01:33:21.760
miles.

01:33:19.279 --> 01:33:25.198
The next day, Union artillery delivers a

01:33:21.760 --> 01:33:27.679
punishing blow to Van Dorne's men. After

01:33:25.198 --> 01:33:31.279
a savage two-day fight, the Confederate

01:33:27.679 --> 01:33:35.199
attack is repulsed.

01:33:31.279 --> 01:33:38.198
Corinth once and for all is under Union

01:33:35.198 --> 01:33:38.198
control.

01:33:38.639 --> 01:33:43.119
The desperate gamble to retake Corinth

01:33:40.719 --> 01:33:45.198
costs the Confederates over 5,000

01:33:43.119 --> 01:33:46.960
casualties,

01:33:45.198 --> 01:33:49.960
nearly twice that of the Union

01:33:46.960 --> 01:33:49.960
defenders.

01:33:50.880 --> 01:33:58.840
One Confederate division alone loses

01:33:53.359 --> 01:33:58.839
2500 out of 3,900 of its men.

01:33:59.119 --> 01:34:03.679
Just as devastating as the loss of human

01:34:01.279 --> 01:34:07.079
life is the permanent loss of the vital

01:34:03.679 --> 01:34:07.079
rail junction

01:34:07.279 --> 01:34:11.119
in the fight for control of the

01:34:08.639 --> 01:34:13.119
Mississippi Valley. It is a blow from

01:34:11.119 --> 01:34:16.119
which the Confederacy will never

01:34:13.119 --> 01:34:16.119
recover.

01:34:17.520 --> 01:34:20.520
Still,

01:34:23.850 --> 01:34:25.870
[singing and music]

01:34:27.760 --> 01:34:31.679
the timing of the Union victory at

01:34:29.600 --> 01:34:34.719
Corenth and Lincoln's preliminary

01:34:31.679 --> 01:34:36.639
emancipation proclamation unleashes a

01:34:34.719 --> 01:34:39.569
movement throughout the Mississippi

01:34:36.639 --> 01:34:41.590
River Valley.

01:34:39.569 --> 01:34:41.590
[singing]

01:34:42.189 --> 01:34:44.210
[music]

01:34:45.279 --> 01:34:49.679
3 months before emancipation is

01:34:46.960 --> 01:34:51.679
official, thousands escape plantations

01:34:49.679 --> 01:34:53.600
and farms,

01:34:51.679 --> 01:34:56.600
taking their first precarious steps

01:34:53.600 --> 01:34:57.910
toward freedom.

01:34:56.600 --> 01:34:59.930
[singing]

01:34:57.909 --> 01:34:59.930
[music]

01:35:01.279 --> 01:35:07.759
One Union officer complains, "They will

01:35:04.000 --> 01:35:10.354
not even wait for January 1st. I do not

01:35:07.760 --> 01:35:11.360
know what we shall do with them.

01:35:10.354 --> 01:35:14.319
[singing]

01:35:11.359 --> 01:35:18.215
For the enslaved, the Union garrison at

01:35:14.319 --> 01:35:20.235
Corinth has become a beacon of hope.

01:35:18.216 --> 01:35:20.236
[singing]

01:35:20.399 --> 01:35:27.759
Corinth is just a short

01:35:24.880 --> 01:35:30.239
2 or three days walk from the bread

01:35:27.760 --> 01:35:32.000
basket of Mississippi.

01:35:30.238 --> 01:35:33.599
There were large plantations and there

01:35:32.000 --> 01:35:36.319
were large farms and a significant

01:35:33.600 --> 01:35:38.000
number of slaves. Same is true along the

01:35:36.319 --> 01:35:40.960
Tennessee River Basin in northern

01:35:38.000 --> 01:35:43.359
Alabama. There's a significantly large

01:35:40.960 --> 01:35:46.239
number of slaves. It's a sizable

01:35:43.359 --> 01:35:48.238
prepoundonderance of of slaves present.

01:35:46.238 --> 01:35:50.638
Therefore, they're in close proximity to

01:35:48.238 --> 01:35:53.119
what the lynch pin of Union control in

01:35:50.639 --> 01:35:56.560
northeast Mississippi, which is Corinth,

01:35:53.119 --> 01:35:59.559
once it falls and is occupied by Union

01:35:56.560 --> 01:35:59.560
forces.

01:36:06.238 --> 01:36:10.799
In the years leading up to the war,

01:36:08.639 --> 01:36:13.199
small bands of escaping slaves sought

01:36:10.800 --> 01:36:16.600
freedom along an underground railroad

01:36:13.198 --> 01:36:16.599
leading north.

01:36:20.479 --> 01:36:25.439
But this mass movement towards Corinth

01:36:22.800 --> 01:36:28.320
and other areas in the south is unlike

01:36:25.439 --> 01:36:31.919
anything before.

01:36:28.319 --> 01:36:34.319
Before the war, we tended to see men

01:36:31.920 --> 01:36:37.471
running on their own. We did not see

01:36:34.319 --> 01:36:39.840
whole families. We did not see couples

01:36:37.470 --> 01:36:42.799
[clears throat] bringing their children.

01:36:39.840 --> 01:36:45.279
This time around, they did because they

01:36:42.800 --> 01:36:46.800
calculated in their minds that this was

01:36:45.279 --> 01:36:49.118
the [music] moment when freedom was

01:36:46.800 --> 01:36:52.536
going to come. So, this was the moment

01:36:49.118 --> 01:36:53.519
to get the entire family out of slavery

01:36:52.536 --> 01:36:55.118
[music]

01:36:53.520 --> 01:36:57.777
because it was actually going to happen

01:36:55.118 --> 01:36:58.559
this time.

01:36:57.777 --> 01:37:02.719
[music]

01:36:58.560 --> 01:37:05.600
By war's end, some 500,000 to 1 million

01:37:02.719 --> 01:37:10.279
of the South's 4 million slaves will

01:37:05.600 --> 01:37:10.280
have escaped to Union lines.

01:37:10.479 --> 01:37:17.839
The very presence of a contraband camp,

01:37:13.760 --> 01:37:21.440
I think, speaks to the testimony of

01:37:17.840 --> 01:37:26.199
black people's ability to create power

01:37:21.439 --> 01:37:26.198
even in the most powerless situation.

01:37:26.800 --> 01:37:31.440
The Union [music] garrison in Corinth is

01:37:29.118 --> 01:37:35.000
in fact illequipped to deal with the

01:37:31.439 --> 01:37:35.000
thousands of refugees.

01:37:35.600 --> 01:37:40.239
For many soldiers, it is the first time

01:37:38.079 --> 01:37:44.800
they come face to face with the sheer

01:37:40.238 --> 01:37:46.319
magnitude of the institution of slavery.

01:37:44.800 --> 01:37:47.760
I mean, if you grew up in Michigan, you

01:37:46.319 --> 01:37:50.079
had a good chance you had never seen an

01:37:47.760 --> 01:37:51.760
African-American

01:37:50.079 --> 01:37:53.920
ever.

01:37:51.760 --> 01:37:55.039
If you grew up in Iowa, you had a real

01:37:53.920 --> 01:37:58.079
good chance you'd never seen an

01:37:55.039 --> 01:37:59.600
African-American ever in your entire

01:37:58.079 --> 01:38:04.158
life.

01:37:59.600 --> 01:38:07.600
Then you start you start experiencing it

01:38:04.158 --> 01:38:12.198
and you seeing the conditions in which

01:38:07.600 --> 01:38:12.199
they exist within this society.

01:38:15.118 --> 01:38:21.279
For temporary shelter, the Union Army

01:38:18.000 --> 01:38:23.840
issues the contraband's old army tents.

01:38:21.279 --> 01:38:26.880
But at Corinth, the former slaves are

01:38:23.840 --> 01:38:29.520
determined to transform a refugee camp

01:38:26.880 --> 01:38:32.319
into a community.

01:38:29.520 --> 01:38:35.520
They lay out streets, build a church,

01:38:32.319 --> 01:38:38.479
hospital, and school.

01:38:35.520 --> 01:38:40.080
They plant and harvest crops. Most

01:38:38.479 --> 01:38:43.279
importantly,

01:38:40.079 --> 01:38:45.760
they plant seeds of hope.

01:38:43.279 --> 01:38:47.679
We've escaped. So now let us do what we

01:38:45.760 --> 01:38:50.159
have always been trained to do. We will

01:38:47.679 --> 01:38:53.520
set up our own camps. We will live in

01:38:50.158 --> 01:38:56.399
these spaces. We will grow food. We will

01:38:53.520 --> 01:38:59.760
try to heal each other. We will try to

01:38:56.399 --> 01:39:02.638
live out some semblance of life as free

01:38:59.760 --> 01:39:05.039
people or at least quasi free people.

01:39:02.639 --> 01:39:07.600
And so they did what they had always

01:39:05.039 --> 01:39:09.760
done. They served each other. They

01:39:07.600 --> 01:39:12.480
served white people because that's what

01:39:09.760 --> 01:39:15.440
slaves are trained to do.

01:39:12.479 --> 01:39:18.319
except they now for the first time are

01:39:15.439 --> 01:39:21.279
paid for their labor. It is just part of

01:39:18.319 --> 01:39:23.439
the transition from slave to freed men

01:39:21.279 --> 01:39:26.960
and women.

01:39:23.439 --> 01:39:29.198
Do you know any words that start with I?

01:39:26.960 --> 01:39:33.118
In the south, it is illegal to teach

01:39:29.198 --> 01:39:34.879
slaves how to read and write.

01:39:33.118 --> 01:39:36.799
At Corinth,

01:39:34.880 --> 01:39:39.118
volunteers from the American Missionary

01:39:36.800 --> 01:39:41.840
Association arrive to instruct the

01:39:39.118 --> 01:39:45.039
refugees. They do this because they

01:39:41.840 --> 01:39:48.480
recognize that freedom is not going to

01:39:45.039 --> 01:39:51.359
mean much until these men, women, and

01:39:48.479 --> 01:39:54.959
children learn to read and write and are

01:39:51.359 --> 01:39:57.759
educated. And so this becomes a focus of

01:39:54.960 --> 01:40:01.359
life there in this Corinth contraband

01:39:57.760 --> 01:40:03.039
camp. And the numbers increase. By March

01:40:01.359 --> 01:40:05.679
1863,

01:40:03.039 --> 01:40:07.519
there are about 3,600

01:40:05.679 --> 01:40:10.000
men, women, and children there. Almost

01:40:07.520 --> 01:40:12.800
half of them are children.

01:40:10.000 --> 01:40:14.960
In just a few months, Corinth becomes a

01:40:12.800 --> 01:40:17.119
model contraband camp in the Union

01:40:14.960 --> 01:40:21.239
occupied south.

01:40:17.118 --> 01:40:21.238
But the success is short-lived.

01:40:22.560 --> 01:40:25.920
Inevitably,

01:40:24.079 --> 01:40:29.519
the Union force at Corinth [music] is

01:40:25.920 --> 01:40:33.319
ordered to move on

01:40:29.520 --> 01:40:33.320
and so are the contrabands.

01:40:34.960 --> 01:40:40.319
They are forced to leave the community

01:40:36.639 --> 01:40:40.319
they had helped to build.

01:40:41.679 --> 01:40:48.520
and travel 100 miles to a refugee center

01:40:45.198 --> 01:40:48.519
in Memphis.

01:40:48.880 --> 01:40:52.880
And that's the end [music] of the

01:40:50.238 --> 01:40:56.718
Corinth contraband camp. It disappears.

01:40:52.880 --> 01:40:59.679
It's done. So, its life is short. It has

01:40:56.719 --> 01:41:02.319
a lot of hope and a lot of promise, but

01:40:59.679 --> 01:41:04.480
it is blown away in some ways by the

01:41:02.319 --> 01:41:06.399
military, the changes in the military

01:41:04.479 --> 01:41:08.959
situation. [music] And in some ways that

01:41:06.399 --> 01:41:11.439
really is representative of what happens

01:41:08.960 --> 01:41:13.840
in a lot of places and tells us

01:41:11.439 --> 01:41:16.638
something about what it means to become

01:41:13.840 --> 01:41:18.639
free in the middle of a war. The

01:41:16.639 --> 01:41:21.199
military situation [music] is constantly

01:41:18.639 --> 01:41:23.039
creating upheavalss in the lives of

01:41:21.198 --> 01:41:25.839
these men, women, and children trying to

01:41:23.039 --> 01:41:27.679
become free. So the story of Corinth is

01:41:25.840 --> 01:41:30.679
in some ways the story of what happens

01:41:27.679 --> 01:41:30.679
everywhere.

01:41:33.840 --> 01:41:40.239
The Corinth Contraband camp was at once

01:41:36.238 --> 01:41:44.319
a glimpse into a life of freedom

01:41:40.238 --> 01:41:46.879
and a harbinger of the struggles ahead.

01:41:44.319 --> 01:41:48.399
Its brief success is a glimmer of hope

01:41:46.880 --> 01:41:51.760
in a year [music] that has seen North

01:41:48.399 --> 01:41:55.204
and South spiral into an abyss of hard

01:41:51.760 --> 01:41:55.204
war. [music]

01:42:04.238 --> 01:42:09.519
In December at Fredericksburg, Virginia,

01:42:07.198 --> 01:42:11.519
is still another colossal blunder by a

01:42:09.520 --> 01:42:15.600
Union general.

01:42:11.520 --> 01:42:17.679
This time, Ambrose Burnside.

01:42:15.600 --> 01:42:20.639
In a series of ill-advised frontal

01:42:17.679 --> 01:42:23.359
assaults, Burnside's men are slaughtered

01:42:20.639 --> 01:42:26.719
by Roberty Lee's Confederates positioned

01:42:23.359 --> 01:42:29.439
along the heights above the town.

01:42:26.719 --> 01:42:32.239
One Confederate at Fredericksburg stated

01:42:29.439 --> 01:42:35.678
the charging Federals melted like snow

01:42:32.238 --> 01:42:38.079
coming down on a warm ground.

01:42:35.679 --> 01:42:40.719
The Union debacle at Fredericksburg

01:42:38.079 --> 01:42:43.719
results in 12,000 [music] senseless

01:42:40.719 --> 01:42:43.719
casualties.

01:42:44.000 --> 01:42:50.319
2 weeks later in the Western Theater is

01:42:47.039 --> 01:42:54.519
another Titanic battle. This one near

01:42:50.319 --> 01:42:54.519
the Tennessee town of Murreey'sboro.

01:42:54.960 --> 01:42:59.039
Along the Stones River on the final day

01:42:57.039 --> 01:43:01.359
of 1862,

01:42:59.039 --> 01:43:05.679
Union and Confederate forces square off

01:43:01.359 --> 01:43:08.639
for control of Middle Tennessee.

01:43:05.679 --> 01:43:11.920
For 2 days, the massive armies collide

01:43:08.639 --> 01:43:14.639
at places aptly named Hell's Halfacre

01:43:11.920 --> 01:43:17.679
and the Slaughter Pen.

01:43:14.639 --> 01:43:20.000
Union forces led by General William Rose

01:43:17.679 --> 01:43:22.639
Cray force the Confederate [music] army

01:43:20.000 --> 01:43:24.719
to retreat.

01:43:22.639 --> 01:43:26.719
It is a victory Lincoln desperately

01:43:24.719 --> 01:43:28.960
needs,

01:43:26.719 --> 01:43:31.840
but the cost in human lives is

01:43:28.960 --> 01:43:34.800
staggering.

01:43:31.840 --> 01:43:36.676
At the Battle of Stones River, Union and

01:43:34.800 --> 01:43:41.320
Confederate armies lose a stunning

01:43:36.676 --> 01:43:41.320
[music] 31% of their men.

01:43:42.158 --> 01:43:47.879
The casualties exceed even those of

01:43:44.479 --> 01:43:47.879
Bloody Shiloh.

01:43:48.079 --> 01:43:52.479
The shocking death tolls are another

01:43:50.079 --> 01:43:57.238
nightmare to a public now growing numb

01:43:52.479 --> 01:43:57.238
to the bloodbaths of the Civil War.

01:43:58.000 --> 01:44:03.439
Lincoln says, "If there is a worse place

01:44:01.279 --> 01:44:07.079
than hell,

01:44:03.439 --> 01:44:07.079
I am in it."

01:44:08.800 --> 01:44:14.560
went through

01:44:10.960 --> 01:44:18.920
fiery trials.

01:44:14.560 --> 01:44:18.920
In the dying light of 1862,

01:44:19.840 --> 01:44:24.400
America's fiery trial now seems to be a

01:44:22.960 --> 01:44:26.158
war

01:44:24.399 --> 01:44:28.079
without end.

01:44:26.158 --> 01:44:32.000
The flame

01:44:28.079 --> 01:44:37.559
shall not hurt thee.

01:44:32.000 --> 01:44:37.560
I won't be designs

01:44:39.118 --> 01:44:48.920
to consume

01:44:42.319 --> 01:44:48.920
and I go to find

01:44:59.439 --> 01:45:03.519
when Lincoln issued the Emancipation

01:45:01.198 --> 01:45:06.000
proclamation. It's hardly an inspiring

01:45:03.520 --> 01:45:08.159
document, but there are two words in

01:45:06.000 --> 01:45:11.118
that document,

01:45:08.158 --> 01:45:14.000
forever free.

01:45:11.118 --> 01:45:17.279
And those two words, they set in motion

01:45:14.000 --> 01:45:19.279
a chain of revolutionary events. The

01:45:17.279 --> 01:45:21.679
people at the time, northerners and

01:45:19.279 --> 01:45:24.559
southerners, they understood that the

01:45:21.679 --> 01:45:26.800
stakes of the game had been raised and

01:45:24.560 --> 01:45:29.360
that this would be a death match to the

01:45:26.800 --> 01:45:32.079
finish. Everything's hanging in the

01:45:29.359 --> 01:45:32.079
balance.

01:45:33.266 --> 01:45:35.287
[music]

01:45:39.162 --> 01:45:41.182
[music]

01:45:43.092 --> 01:45:45.113
[bell]

01:45:45.118 --> 01:45:50.399
It is a date abolitionist Frederick

01:45:47.439 --> 01:45:52.972
Douglas Cole's greater than July 4th,

01:45:50.399 --> 01:45:52.972
1776. [music]

01:45:53.198 --> 01:45:57.599
In midafter afternoon on the first day

01:45:55.198 --> 01:46:00.319
of 1863,

01:45:57.600 --> 01:46:03.280
President Abraham Lincoln has just

01:46:00.319 --> 01:46:06.279
penned his name to the Emancipation

01:46:03.279 --> 01:46:06.279
Proclamation.

01:46:06.560 --> 01:46:11.039
With his signature,

01:46:08.960 --> 01:46:14.533
Lincoln [music] proclaims more than 3

01:46:11.039 --> 01:46:19.880
million slaves in the rebelling states

01:46:14.533 --> 01:46:19.880
[music] to be forever free.

01:46:20.719 --> 01:46:24.319
When Lincoln [music] issued the

01:46:21.920 --> 01:46:26.319
Emancipation Proclamation, he now

01:46:24.319 --> 01:46:28.079
fundamentally brought together the cause

01:46:26.319 --> 01:46:29.118
of union and the cause of ending

01:46:28.079 --> 01:46:31.519
slavery. [music]

01:46:29.118 --> 01:46:33.359
These two causes that he had not fused

01:46:31.520 --> 01:46:36.560
at the beginning of the war now came

01:46:33.359 --> 01:46:38.559
together. And so what this meant for the

01:46:36.560 --> 01:46:40.159
North and for these northern soldiers

01:46:38.560 --> 01:46:42.159
that when they said they were fighting

01:46:40.158 --> 01:46:45.279
for the Union, they are now fighting to

01:46:42.158 --> 01:46:49.960
end slavery. So the meaning of the war

01:46:45.279 --> 01:46:49.960
changed in a pretty dramatic way.

01:46:53.177 --> 01:46:56.960
[cheering]

01:46:54.560 --> 01:46:59.920
Lincoln's signature is a history-making

01:46:56.960 --> 01:47:04.158
exclamation point to nearly 2 years of

01:46:59.920 --> 01:47:07.118
civil war. When the war began,

01:47:04.158 --> 01:47:09.279
Americans in the North and South

01:47:07.118 --> 01:47:11.759
believed it could be decided by a single

01:47:09.279 --> 01:47:14.399
grand battle.

01:47:11.760 --> 01:47:16.960
By the end of 1862,

01:47:14.399 --> 01:47:20.719
it seemed as if the very gates of hell

01:47:16.960 --> 01:47:20.719
had been pried open.

01:47:22.158 --> 01:47:27.198
The battle casualties were numbers no

01:47:24.479 --> 01:47:30.439
American, north or south, could ever

01:47:27.198 --> 01:47:30.439
have imagined.

01:47:30.639 --> 01:47:35.199
A two-day battle in western Tennessee

01:47:32.479 --> 01:47:38.800
[music] in a place known as Shiloh left

01:47:35.198 --> 01:47:41.919
more than 24,000 killed, wounded, or

01:47:38.800 --> 01:47:45.520
missing. In Maryland, the Battle of

01:47:41.920 --> 01:47:51.079
Antidum yielded 22,000 casualties to

01:47:45.520 --> 01:47:51.080
both armies in a single day.

01:47:52.128 --> 01:47:54.149
[music]

01:48:00.399 --> 01:48:04.960
The enslaved have been seizing their own

01:48:02.319 --> 01:48:07.359
destiny.

01:48:04.960 --> 01:48:09.600
Thousands of men, women, and children

01:48:07.359 --> 01:48:13.089
have already escaped from plantations

01:48:09.600 --> 01:48:15.110
and have found refuge with Union forces.

01:48:13.090 --> 01:48:15.110
[singing]

01:48:18.000 --> 01:48:22.079
By law, the escaping slaves were still

01:48:20.639 --> 01:48:25.600
the legal property of their southern

01:48:22.079 --> 01:48:28.079
owners. Their actions in the midst of a

01:48:25.600 --> 01:48:31.119
rebellion have forced the US government

01:48:28.079 --> 01:48:35.198
to revisit a fundamental question.

01:48:31.118 --> 01:48:38.079
Were the escaping slaves free?

01:48:35.198 --> 01:48:40.879
The simple fact that slaves have fled

01:48:38.079 --> 01:48:43.600
and slaves have been protected

01:48:40.880 --> 01:48:45.840
in essence taken in as contrabands of

01:48:43.600 --> 01:48:47.280
war has altered the shape of things

01:48:45.840 --> 01:48:48.719
because we have a fugitive slave act

01:48:47.279 --> 01:48:52.559
that says by law they're supposed to be

01:48:48.719 --> 01:48:53.760
returned to their rifle owners. And that

01:48:52.560 --> 01:48:56.000
of course had been challenged in the

01:48:53.760 --> 01:49:00.400
Supreme Court. And guess what? The court

01:48:56.000 --> 01:49:02.479
of land said the law is the law.

01:49:00.399 --> 01:49:04.879
So here the wars altered that the wall

01:49:02.479 --> 01:49:06.479
the war has said the law don't mean

01:49:04.880 --> 01:49:10.039
squat.

01:49:06.479 --> 01:49:10.039
And it says

01:49:10.560 --> 01:49:18.840
that on first day of January in the year

01:49:14.158 --> 01:49:18.839
of our Lord 1,863

01:49:19.679 --> 01:49:24.399
all persons held as slaves.

01:49:22.319 --> 01:49:26.960
Word of the Emancipation Proclamation

01:49:24.399 --> 01:49:28.960
spreads among the over 3 million people

01:49:26.960 --> 01:49:31.760
in bondage.

01:49:28.960 --> 01:49:34.719
The news is met with a combination of

01:49:31.760 --> 01:49:37.039
joy, relief,

01:49:34.719 --> 01:49:40.000
and trepidation.

01:49:37.039 --> 01:49:42.079
My brothers and sisters, do you realize

01:49:40.000 --> 01:49:44.158
what that means?

01:49:42.079 --> 01:49:46.639
We free.

01:49:44.158 --> 01:49:48.879
We free.

01:49:46.639 --> 01:49:50.960
So they were they were happy but

01:49:48.880 --> 01:49:55.600
cautiously optimistic.

01:49:50.960 --> 01:49:57.840
Signed Abraham Lincoln in Washington DC.

01:49:55.600 --> 01:49:59.360
At least they knew that the Emancipation

01:49:57.840 --> 01:50:02.000
Proclamation

01:49:59.359 --> 01:50:04.880
symbolized the promise of freedom, that

01:50:02.000 --> 01:50:07.520
there was now hope because their own

01:50:04.880 --> 01:50:11.239
needs were legitimized by the president

01:50:07.520 --> 01:50:11.239
of the United States.

01:50:13.439 --> 01:50:19.919
And yet Lincoln's proclamation only

01:50:17.039 --> 01:50:22.399
applies to slaves within the rebelling

01:50:19.920 --> 01:50:25.600
states.

01:50:22.399 --> 01:50:28.000
Here's one for mama.

01:50:25.600 --> 01:50:31.920
Under the proclamation, [music] some

01:50:28.000 --> 01:50:34.079
800,000 remain enslaved in four border

01:50:31.920 --> 01:50:37.359
states and [music] areas in the south

01:50:34.079 --> 01:50:39.519
under Union control.

01:50:37.359 --> 01:50:40.799
Lincoln's birth state of Kentucky alone

01:50:39.520 --> 01:50:44.840
has a [music] quarter of a million

01:50:40.800 --> 01:50:44.840
slaves within its borders.

01:50:47.118 --> 01:50:52.799
Kentucky,

01:50:48.639 --> 01:50:54.560
Delaware, Maryland, and Missouri are

01:50:52.800 --> 01:50:57.360
slave states that have reluctantly

01:50:54.560 --> 01:50:59.760
remained loyal to the Union.

01:50:57.359 --> 01:51:01.599
Since the war began, one of Lincoln's

01:50:59.760 --> 01:51:05.639
greatest fears has been losing the

01:51:01.600 --> 01:51:05.639
border states to the Confederacy.

01:51:06.079 --> 01:51:12.559
Lincoln is reputed to say, "I hope to

01:51:09.600 --> 01:51:17.079
have God on my side,

01:51:12.560 --> 01:51:17.080
but I must also have Kentucky.

01:51:21.039 --> 01:51:24.000
What are you What are you doing sitting

01:51:22.479 --> 01:51:27.198
on the ground?"

01:51:24.000 --> 01:51:29.439
In truth, the Emancipation Proclamation

01:51:27.198 --> 01:51:31.599
does not immediately free those still

01:51:29.439 --> 01:51:32.559
enslaved in the Confederacy. [music]

01:51:31.600 --> 01:51:35.520
Tired, huh?

01:51:32.560 --> 01:51:37.039
You're tired. You're tired. Don't you

01:51:35.520 --> 01:51:39.199
think I'm tired standing out [music] in

01:51:37.039 --> 01:51:41.359
this field all day?

01:51:39.198 --> 01:51:42.719
For Emma Stevenson and millions of

01:51:41.359 --> 01:51:46.158
others,

01:51:42.719 --> 01:51:49.242
1863 will be just another year of hard

01:51:46.158 --> 01:51:51.261
labor, drudgery, and humiliation.

01:51:49.242 --> 01:51:51.262
[music]

01:51:51.359 --> 01:51:54.960
What you doing in my way, boy? Get up

01:51:53.198 --> 01:51:57.198
off. [music]

01:51:54.960 --> 01:51:59.599
Lincoln's proclamation is an empty

01:51:57.198 --> 01:52:03.198
promise without the power of the United

01:51:59.599 --> 01:52:05.039
States Army to [music] enforce it.

01:52:03.198 --> 01:52:08.319
Well, the reaction of the South would be

01:52:05.039 --> 01:52:10.800
initially one of, oh, this is desperate

01:52:08.319 --> 01:52:12.479
major. It's laughable.

01:52:10.800 --> 01:52:15.119
What do you mean that you're freeing the

01:52:12.479 --> 01:52:17.359
slaves that we have?

01:52:15.118 --> 01:52:20.238
You know, cuz you're not freeing

01:52:17.359 --> 01:52:22.960
anything. They're still our slaves.

01:52:20.238 --> 01:52:26.000
Uh, and you know, and as long as we

01:52:22.960 --> 01:52:29.118
resist and your armies aren't present,

01:52:26.000 --> 01:52:33.719
they're still slaves. So, in that sense,

01:52:29.118 --> 01:52:33.719
it was viewed as a desperation.

01:52:35.359 --> 01:52:41.679
For many in the North, [music] Lincoln

01:52:37.599 --> 01:52:44.319
included, the situation in early 1863 is

01:52:41.679 --> 01:52:46.239
one of desperation.

01:52:44.319 --> 01:52:50.158
We must change our tactics [music]

01:52:46.238 --> 01:52:52.319
or lose the game. Lincoln says

01:52:50.158 --> 01:52:55.359
the president publicly positions the

01:52:52.319 --> 01:52:57.359
Emancipation Proclamation as a war

01:52:55.359 --> 01:53:00.158
measure to reunify [music]

01:52:57.359 --> 01:53:03.039
the nation.

01:53:00.158 --> 01:53:07.198
He also believes it's an act of justice.

01:53:03.039 --> 01:53:09.359
He could not satisfy the constitutional

01:53:07.198 --> 01:53:11.519
debate or [music] criticism or concerns

01:53:09.359 --> 01:53:13.920
about emancipation by simply saying it's

01:53:11.520 --> 01:53:16.000
morally right. He had to have a

01:53:13.920 --> 01:53:18.239
constitutional argument. And the

01:53:16.000 --> 01:53:21.198
argument in his mind becomes that this

01:53:18.238 --> 01:53:23.598
is a military necessity.

01:53:21.198 --> 01:53:26.000
and northerners as they saw this, it

01:53:23.599 --> 01:53:29.760
began to dawn on them that the use of

01:53:26.000 --> 01:53:31.760
slavery as a Confederate military asset

01:53:29.760 --> 01:53:33.360
was what was prolonging and supporting

01:53:31.760 --> 01:53:36.239
the Confederate effort to destroy the

01:53:33.359 --> 01:53:38.639
Union. So for northern imaginations,

01:53:36.238 --> 01:53:41.279
this business of slavery and rebellion

01:53:38.639 --> 01:53:42.719
also began to converge.

01:53:41.279 --> 01:53:44.719
And eventually, northerners were

01:53:42.719 --> 01:53:46.480
beginning to be persuaded that if they

01:53:44.719 --> 01:53:49.198
were going to restore the Union, they

01:53:46.479 --> 01:53:51.678
would have to pull up slavery by the

01:53:49.198 --> 01:53:54.719
roots because slavery was what was

01:53:51.679 --> 01:53:57.440
nourishing rebellion.

01:53:54.719 --> 01:54:00.319
The Emancipation Proclamation does more

01:53:57.439 --> 01:54:05.039
than make people free. It gives all

01:54:00.319 --> 01:54:06.880
black men the freedom to fight.

01:54:05.039 --> 01:54:09.039
One of the greatest articles in the

01:54:06.880 --> 01:54:11.520
Emancipation Proclamation is the one

01:54:09.039 --> 01:54:14.079
that allows African-American men to

01:54:11.520 --> 01:54:15.760
enlist in the United States Army. At

01:54:14.079 --> 01:54:18.158
this point now, not only are you only

01:54:15.760 --> 01:54:20.159
taking the aid, the labor that aids the

01:54:18.158 --> 01:54:22.319
Confederate cause, but you're enlisting

01:54:20.158 --> 01:54:27.000
that labor in [music] the armed forces

01:54:22.319 --> 01:54:27.000
to be used against the Confederacy.

01:54:27.753 --> 01:54:29.774
[singing]

01:54:32.238 --> 01:54:39.519
Over the next two years of the war, some

01:54:35.679 --> 01:54:42.819
200,000 African-Ameans will enlist in

01:54:39.520 --> 01:54:44.159
the army and navy. [cheering]

01:54:42.819 --> 01:54:46.880
[singing]

01:54:44.158 --> 01:54:49.198
In the eyes of skeptical northerners,

01:54:46.880 --> 01:54:52.719
these new soldiers must prove they can

01:54:49.198 --> 01:54:56.573
kill before they are considered men.

01:54:52.719 --> 01:54:58.239
to let [singing] my people.

01:54:56.573 --> 01:55:01.359
[music]

01:54:58.238 --> 01:55:03.839
The war effort and the enlistment of

01:55:01.359 --> 01:55:05.839
black men into the war is so vital

01:55:03.840 --> 01:55:08.800
because black men now have the

01:55:05.840 --> 01:55:13.079
opportunity to not just say we're men,

01:55:08.800 --> 01:55:13.079
but to prove their manhood.

01:55:15.520 --> 01:55:23.119
And so now African-Amean men can wear

01:55:18.639 --> 01:55:25.394
uniforms. they can work alongside white

01:55:23.118 --> 01:55:27.413
men.

01:55:25.394 --> 01:55:27.414
[singing and music]

01:55:29.520 --> 01:55:36.320
And also, this is a way for Africanamean

01:55:32.639 --> 01:55:40.079
men to show how you can live out and

01:55:36.319 --> 01:55:42.424
perform freedom. This is how it looks to

01:55:40.079 --> 01:55:44.444
be free.

01:55:42.425 --> 01:55:44.445
[singing]

01:55:45.118 --> 01:55:47.719
Ready. [music]

01:55:50.939 --> 01:55:52.960
[music]

01:56:01.118 --> 01:56:05.799
Aim.

01:56:02.800 --> 01:56:05.800
FIRE.

01:56:05.840 --> 01:56:13.440
Freedom to the newly emancipated

01:56:08.639 --> 01:56:16.159
ultimately depends on Union victory.

01:56:13.439 --> 01:56:18.399
In the spring of 1863,

01:56:16.158 --> 01:56:20.879
the Union hopes to reverse a series of

01:56:18.399 --> 01:56:23.920
stunning defeats at the hands of General

01:56:20.880 --> 01:56:26.920
Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern

01:56:23.920 --> 01:56:26.920
Virginia.

01:56:28.479 --> 01:56:35.598
In spring, the Union Army of the PTOAC,

01:56:32.399 --> 01:56:38.238
now commanded by Joseph Hooker, readies

01:56:35.599 --> 01:56:40.880
to avenge the humiliating defeat to Lee

01:56:38.238 --> 01:56:43.678
at Fredericksburg, Virginia.

01:56:40.880 --> 01:56:46.159
Hooker's bold plan is to lure Lee out of

01:56:43.679 --> 01:56:48.960
his defenses at Fredericksburg, then

01:56:46.158 --> 01:56:51.839
destroy his Confederate army.

01:56:48.960 --> 01:56:55.039
Just before the battle, Hooker boasts,

01:56:51.840 --> 01:56:58.599
"May God have mercy on General Lee, for

01:56:55.039 --> 01:56:58.599
I will have none."

01:57:02.479 --> 01:57:08.079
About 10 miles west of Frederick'sburg

01:57:05.599 --> 01:57:10.319
at a wilderness crossroads named

01:57:08.079 --> 01:57:14.719
Chancellor'sville,

01:57:10.319 --> 01:57:17.039
Hooker's bravado quickly fades.

01:57:14.719 --> 01:57:19.920
The Battle of Chancellor'sville in May

01:57:17.039 --> 01:57:22.158
1863

01:57:19.920 --> 01:57:25.359
is yet another Union failure in the

01:57:22.158 --> 01:57:28.879
Eastern Theater.

01:57:25.359 --> 01:57:32.079
Though outnumbered 2 to1, Lee once again

01:57:28.880 --> 01:57:34.560
outgenerals his Union counterpart.

01:57:32.079 --> 01:57:37.105
Many consider Chancellorsville Lee's

01:57:34.560 --> 01:57:37.106
greatest triumph. [music]

01:57:38.158 --> 01:57:42.319
But the Confederate victory comes with a

01:57:40.079 --> 01:57:44.911
heavy price.

01:57:42.319 --> 01:57:47.279
Lee's most trusted lieutenant, Stonewall

01:57:44.911 --> 01:57:49.440
[music] Jackson, is mortally wounded

01:57:47.279 --> 01:57:52.439
from a bullet fired by one of his own

01:57:49.439 --> 01:57:52.439
men.

01:57:56.479 --> 01:58:01.919
With [music] nation's eyes on the fight

01:57:58.238 --> 01:58:04.319
in Virginia, few in America are aware of

01:58:01.920 --> 01:58:07.279
the unfolding drama emerging in the

01:58:04.319 --> 01:58:08.490
West.

01:58:07.279 --> 01:58:09.118
The lands between the Appalachians

01:58:08.490 --> 01:58:13.000
[music]

01:58:09.118 --> 01:58:13.000
and the Mississippi River.

01:58:16.560 --> 01:58:21.400
Victories in Tennessee, at Shiloh,

01:58:21.679 --> 01:58:27.520
and at Corinth in northern Mississippi

01:58:24.639 --> 01:58:30.079
have Union forces poised to capture what

01:58:27.520 --> 01:58:34.520
many consider [music] to be the biggest

01:58:30.079 --> 01:58:34.519
prize in the Western campaign.

01:58:35.039 --> 01:58:40.319
The Mississippi River is likened to the

01:58:37.279 --> 01:58:43.206
trunk of the American tree with limbs

01:58:40.319 --> 01:58:45.759
and branches reaching to the Alaganis,

01:58:43.207 --> 01:58:48.560
[music] the Canadian border, and the

01:58:45.760 --> 01:58:50.480
Rocky Mountains.

01:58:48.560 --> 01:58:53.039
For northern farmers who need to get

01:58:50.479 --> 01:58:56.000
their crops to market, the Mississippi

01:58:53.039 --> 01:58:59.039
is their economic lifeblood.

01:58:56.000 --> 01:59:00.719
During the past two years of war, that

01:58:59.039 --> 01:59:02.560
lifeblood has been blocked by the

01:59:00.719 --> 01:59:05.118
Confederates.

01:59:02.560 --> 01:59:06.800
Lincoln had to look at the entire north

01:59:05.118 --> 01:59:10.719
and when he looked across the

01:59:06.800 --> 01:59:13.920
Appalachians, he saw Ohio, Indiana,

01:59:10.719 --> 01:59:16.480
Illinois, Wisconsin, all of them

01:59:13.920 --> 01:59:18.577
ultimately dependent on the commercial

01:59:16.479 --> 01:59:22.000
traffic of the Mississippi Valley.

01:59:18.577 --> 01:59:24.400
[music] When that is stopped up by the

01:59:22.000 --> 01:59:26.639
secession of the Confederate states,

01:59:24.399 --> 01:59:28.319
then the western states immediately

01:59:26.639 --> 01:59:30.480
begin looking to their own self-interest

01:59:28.319 --> 01:59:32.559
as the farmers, as the economies of

01:59:30.479 --> 01:59:34.399
those states begin to hurt. If they

01:59:32.560 --> 01:59:37.440
continue to hurt, if no measures are

01:59:34.399 --> 01:59:40.399
taken to reopen the Mississippi Valley,

01:59:37.439 --> 01:59:42.158
then the inhabitants of those states are

01:59:40.399 --> 01:59:45.279
going to lose any kind of enthusiasm or

01:59:42.158 --> 01:59:49.319
heart for the war. They may simply fold

01:59:45.279 --> 01:59:49.319
their arms, refuse to cooperate.

01:59:49.363 --> 01:59:53.280
[music]

01:59:49.920 --> 01:59:56.158
Indiana is one of those states.

01:59:53.279 --> 01:59:58.960
Governor Oliver Perry Morton strongly

01:59:56.158 --> 02:00:02.719
backs Lincoln, but fears a civil war

01:59:58.960 --> 02:00:05.039
within his own divided state.

02:00:02.719 --> 02:00:07.118
Morton is convinced Indiana Democrats

02:00:05.039 --> 02:00:11.238
will vote to secede [music] unless the

02:00:07.118 --> 02:00:11.238
Mississippi River is reopened.

02:00:12.319 --> 02:00:17.359
By the spring of 1863,

02:00:15.118 --> 02:00:20.000
General Ulissiz S. Grant is determined

02:00:17.359 --> 02:00:23.118
to do just that. [music]

02:00:20.000 --> 02:00:25.439
Grant's sights are set on Vixsburg,

02:00:23.118 --> 02:00:27.039
Mississippi, the most formidable

02:00:25.439 --> 02:00:29.519
Confederate stronghold on the

02:00:27.039 --> 02:00:31.359
Mississippi River.

02:00:29.520 --> 02:00:34.239
The bustling river town [music] has a

02:00:31.359 --> 02:00:37.679
population of 4600 and is the second

02:00:34.238 --> 02:00:39.359
largest city in Mississippi.

02:00:37.679 --> 02:00:41.440
Vixsburg is home to a large [music]

02:00:39.359 --> 02:00:44.559
group of immigrants from Ireland,

02:00:41.439 --> 02:00:46.638
Germany, and Great Britain. The home of

02:00:44.560 --> 02:00:49.679
Confederate President Jefferson Davis is

02:00:46.639 --> 02:00:52.079
just 20 m to [music] the south. The

02:00:49.679 --> 02:00:54.000
symbol of Vixsburg's importance is the

02:00:52.079 --> 02:00:56.319
recently completed Warren County

02:00:54.000 --> 02:01:00.479
Courthouse, a magnificent brick

02:00:56.319 --> 02:01:02.719
structure constructed using slave labor.

02:01:00.479 --> 02:01:05.039
The Union controls the river just north

02:01:02.719 --> 02:01:08.319
of [music] Vixsburg and to the south

02:01:05.039 --> 02:01:10.639
from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico,

02:01:08.319 --> 02:01:12.880
but Vixsburg guards a critical stretch

02:01:10.639 --> 02:01:15.199
of the Mississippi, [music] still under

02:01:12.880 --> 02:01:17.440
Confederate control.

02:01:15.198 --> 02:01:18.879
Lincoln said, "Vixsburg is the key." He

02:01:17.439 --> 02:01:21.062
said, "I've got to have that key in my

02:01:18.880 --> 02:01:23.039
pocket." Jefferson Davis said, "Vixsburg

02:01:21.063 --> 02:01:26.158
[music] is the nail head that holds the

02:01:23.039 --> 02:01:28.719
two halves of the Confederacy together."

02:01:26.158 --> 02:01:30.960
If that river falls into Union hands,

02:01:28.719 --> 02:01:33.679
the [music] South is split in half. It

02:01:30.960 --> 02:01:36.800
loses the father of waters, this this

02:01:33.679 --> 02:01:39.679
great channel for for supplies and and

02:01:36.800 --> 02:01:41.279
and and food and ammunition. Uh

02:01:39.679 --> 02:01:44.399
something that [music] gives blood to

02:01:41.279 --> 02:01:47.519
the Confederacy.

02:01:44.399 --> 02:01:50.638
Called the Gibralar of the Confederacy,

02:01:47.520 --> 02:01:53.040
Vixsburg is perched at top steep bluffs

02:01:50.639 --> 02:01:55.118
overlooking a hairpin curve of the

02:01:53.039 --> 02:01:57.519
Mississippi.

02:01:55.118 --> 02:01:59.679
Batteries protect a river crossing where

02:01:57.520 --> 02:02:01.920
cargo essential to the Confederate war

02:01:59.679 --> 02:02:05.199
effort is transported to railroads on

02:02:01.920 --> 02:02:07.039
either side. They are the only remaining

02:02:05.198 --> 02:02:10.319
railroads connecting the western

02:02:07.039 --> 02:02:11.840
Confederacy to the east. The

02:02:10.319 --> 02:02:16.000
Confederates [music] are prepared to

02:02:11.840 --> 02:02:19.279
defend Vixsburg at all costs.

02:02:16.000 --> 02:02:21.920
Vixsburg is is so important because of

02:02:19.279 --> 02:02:25.920
its geography, I think, and it's

02:02:21.920 --> 02:02:32.359
surrounded by swamps.

02:02:25.920 --> 02:02:32.359
So, how do you get control of Vixsburg?

02:02:34.479 --> 02:02:41.879
Grant's ill-advised plan is to approach

02:02:37.279 --> 02:02:41.880
through the swamps from the north.

02:02:43.520 --> 02:02:48.320
Grant's subordinate, General William

02:02:45.679 --> 02:02:52.109
Tecumsa Sherman, [music] is routed just

02:02:48.319 --> 02:02:54.130
north of Vixsburg at Chickasaw Bayou.

02:02:52.109 --> 02:02:54.130
[music]

02:02:56.238 --> 02:03:00.479
Sherman's repulse is followed by a

02:02:58.158 --> 02:03:03.879
series of failed advances by land and

02:03:00.479 --> 02:03:03.879
naval forces.

02:03:03.920 --> 02:03:08.484
The Union forces battle swamps and bayus

02:03:06.639 --> 02:03:10.505
as much as they do the Confederates.

02:03:08.484 --> 02:03:10.505
[music]

02:03:11.039 --> 02:03:15.439
By April 1863,

02:03:13.439 --> 02:03:19.674
Grant is no closer to Vixsburg than he

02:03:15.439 --> 02:03:19.674
was 6 months earlier. [music]

02:03:22.079 --> 02:03:27.439
Grant's next series of risky moves will

02:03:24.960 --> 02:03:29.840
baffle the Confederates and astound even

02:03:27.439 --> 02:03:32.960
his own men.

02:03:29.840 --> 02:03:35.360
He orders the Union force to march south

02:03:32.960 --> 02:03:37.305
through the soggy lands on the Louisiana

02:03:35.359 --> 02:03:40.079
side of the river, safe from the big

02:03:37.305 --> 02:03:43.280
[music] guns at Vixsburg.

02:03:40.079 --> 02:03:45.875
Next, the Union forces do the

02:03:43.279 --> 02:03:45.875
unthinkable. [music]

02:03:49.520 --> 02:03:54.560
During a moonless night on the evening

02:03:51.760 --> 02:03:57.520
of April 16th,

02:03:54.560 --> 02:04:00.560
a fleet of Union ironclad warships and

02:03:57.520 --> 02:04:02.320
unarmored transports led by David Dixon

02:04:00.560 --> 02:04:04.639
Porter

02:04:02.319 --> 02:04:07.679
attempts to sneak by the Confederate

02:04:04.639 --> 02:04:10.800
defenses at Vixsburg.

02:04:07.679 --> 02:04:14.079
As the batteries roar,

02:04:10.800 --> 02:04:16.880
the Union ships run the gauntlet.

02:04:14.079 --> 02:04:20.760
Somehow the battered Union flotilla

02:04:16.880 --> 02:04:20.760
slits by Vixsburg.

02:04:21.039 --> 02:04:26.880
Meanwhile, Grant's Overland Force in

02:04:23.840 --> 02:04:29.279
Louisiana has marched to a point 40 m

02:04:26.880 --> 02:04:32.079
south of Vixsburg. Along the

02:04:29.279 --> 02:04:34.399
Mississippi, they are joined by Porter's

02:04:32.079 --> 02:04:38.000
naval fleet and transported to the

02:04:34.399 --> 02:04:40.960
Mississippi side of the river.

02:04:38.000 --> 02:04:44.319
Instead of advancing to Vixsburg, Grant

02:04:40.960 --> 02:04:46.158
boldly moves east.

02:04:44.319 --> 02:04:48.639
The rails linking Jackson to [music]

02:04:46.158 --> 02:04:50.879
Vixsburg are the only lifeline to the

02:04:48.639 --> 02:04:52.639
Confederate Citadel.

02:04:50.880 --> 02:04:55.279
In a bold [music] dash through West

02:04:52.639 --> 02:04:58.239
Central Mississippi, Grant overwhelms

02:04:55.279 --> 02:05:00.559
Confederate forces at Port Gibson, then

02:04:58.238 --> 02:05:04.079
at Raymond.

02:05:00.560 --> 02:05:05.731
On May 14th, Grant arrives at Jackson

02:05:04.079 --> 02:05:06.639
and defeats another Confederate army.

02:05:05.730 --> 02:05:10.079
[music]

02:05:06.639 --> 02:05:12.079
This one led by General Joseph Johnston.

02:05:10.079 --> 02:05:16.000
After destroying the military resources

02:05:12.079 --> 02:05:18.960
at Jackson, Grant now turns back towards

02:05:16.000 --> 02:05:20.960
Vixsburg.

02:05:18.960 --> 02:05:24.319
That leads Confederate General John

02:05:20.960 --> 02:05:29.480
Peton to march 23,000 men out of

02:05:24.319 --> 02:05:29.479
Vixsburg to stop Grant's advance.

02:05:34.238 --> 02:05:39.198
Peton's Confederates take positions

02:05:36.399 --> 02:05:41.839
above a crossroads connecting Jackson to

02:05:39.198 --> 02:05:45.279
Vixsburg.

02:05:41.840 --> 02:05:48.400
A top Champion Hill, they deploy along a

02:05:45.279 --> 02:05:50.719
threemile front.

02:05:48.399 --> 02:05:54.238
The Confederate force is all that stands

02:05:50.719 --> 02:05:59.560
between Grant and Vixsburg.

02:05:54.238 --> 02:05:59.559
Ready, aim, [screaming] fire.

02:06:01.198 --> 02:06:06.960
Shortly after 10:00 a.m.,

02:06:04.000 --> 02:06:09.840
the vanguard of Grant's 32,000 men

02:06:06.960 --> 02:06:12.000
advances up the hill.

02:06:09.840 --> 02:06:16.520
The Battle of Champion Hill becomes the

02:06:12.000 --> 02:06:16.520
bloodiest of the Vixsburg campaign.

02:06:17.359 --> 02:06:23.679
One Confederate wrote, "The battle here

02:06:20.079 --> 02:06:28.599
raged fearfully. One unbroken roar of

02:06:23.679 --> 02:06:28.599
musketry was all that could be heard.

02:06:30.960 --> 02:06:36.800
After a desperate struggle,

02:06:34.639 --> 02:06:38.560
the Confederates withdraw from Champion

02:06:36.800 --> 02:06:42.239
Hill.

02:06:38.560 --> 02:06:44.320
Their retreat quickly becomes a route.

02:06:42.238 --> 02:06:46.559
Pursued by Grant's army, the

02:06:44.319 --> 02:06:50.840
Confederates race back towards Vixsburg

02:06:46.560 --> 02:06:50.840
in panic and confusion.

02:06:51.760 --> 02:06:56.239
At the Big Black River,

02:06:54.319 --> 02:06:58.960
some put up a brief fight, but are

02:06:56.238 --> 02:06:58.959
overwhelmed.

02:06:59.439 --> 02:07:05.519
From there, Peton's humiliated army

02:07:02.479 --> 02:07:09.759
limps back [music] to Vixsburg.

02:07:05.520 --> 02:07:11.440
One resident wrote that an anxious doom

02:07:09.760 --> 02:07:15.599
seemed to hang over the faces of the

02:07:11.439 --> 02:07:19.399
men. A sorrowful tiding that all knew

02:07:15.599 --> 02:07:19.400
would tell of disaster.

02:07:19.920 --> 02:07:26.719
In the past 17 days, Grant's force has

02:07:23.439 --> 02:07:30.238
moved 200 miles, met the enemy five

02:07:26.719 --> 02:07:31.679
times, and been victorious in every

02:07:30.238 --> 02:07:34.319
fight.

02:07:31.679 --> 02:07:37.039
Grant's Vixsburg campaign is one of the

02:07:34.319 --> 02:07:39.039
major campaigns in all of military

02:07:37.039 --> 02:07:41.679
history. Not just [music] American, but

02:07:39.039 --> 02:07:43.519
military history as a whole, because of

02:07:41.679 --> 02:07:46.719
what he was able to achieve. [music]

02:07:43.520 --> 02:07:49.199
I mean, he did things that nobody's

02:07:46.719 --> 02:07:52.078
supposed to be able to do. People still

02:07:49.198 --> 02:07:55.279
study this battle in modern times as to

02:07:52.078 --> 02:07:57.342
how a general, an audacious general, a

02:07:55.279 --> 02:08:00.880
general that has determination can

02:07:57.342 --> 02:08:03.679
[music] get things done.

02:08:00.880 --> 02:08:06.679
But what Grant hasn't done is take

02:08:03.679 --> 02:08:06.679
Vixsburg.

02:08:07.920 --> 02:08:13.118
The Confederate force of 35,000 works

02:08:10.960 --> 02:08:16.158
feverishly to ready the 8 miles of

02:08:13.118 --> 02:08:18.399
fortifications encircling the town. Pull

02:08:16.158 --> 02:08:21.439
that down. Get it down. Get it down.

02:08:18.399 --> 02:08:24.638
To the west, Union gunboats [music] now

02:08:21.439 --> 02:08:27.118
control the river. To the east, more

02:08:24.639 --> 02:08:29.760
than 40,000 Union troops quickly [music]

02:08:27.118 --> 02:08:33.118
surround the city.

02:08:29.760 --> 02:08:36.560
On May 19th,

02:08:33.118 --> 02:08:40.359
then again on May 22nd,

02:08:36.560 --> 02:08:40.360
Grant's troops attack,

02:08:40.800 --> 02:08:46.920
but fail in their attempt to break

02:08:42.639 --> 02:08:46.920
through the Confederate earthworks.

02:08:47.760 --> 02:08:54.400
Grant's next and final move

02:08:51.359 --> 02:08:57.039
to lay siege to Vixsburg.

02:08:54.399 --> 02:09:01.279
In his memoir, Grant stated his goal was

02:08:57.039 --> 02:09:04.238
to simply out camp the enemy.

02:09:01.279 --> 02:09:06.158
In reality, Grant's plan is to starve

02:09:04.238 --> 02:09:09.158
the defenders of Vixsburg into

02:09:06.158 --> 02:09:09.158
submission.

02:09:12.880 --> 02:09:17.199
Emma Balffor and [music] her husband, a

02:09:14.880 --> 02:09:21.520
prominent physician,

02:09:17.198 --> 02:09:24.078
live in a home overlooking the river.

02:09:21.520 --> 02:09:27.280
Like many civilians in Vixsburg, the

02:09:24.078 --> 02:09:31.039
Balffors refuse [music] to leave.

02:09:27.279 --> 02:09:32.479
In her diary, Emma defiantly writes,

02:09:31.039 --> 02:09:34.158
"The general [music] impression is that

02:09:32.479 --> 02:09:35.678
they fire at this city in that way,

02:09:34.158 --> 02:09:38.399
thinking they will wear out the women

02:09:35.679 --> 02:09:40.000
and children.

02:09:38.399 --> 02:09:41.039
General Peton will be impatient to

02:09:40.000 --> 02:09:43.198
surrender the place on [music] that

02:09:41.039 --> 02:09:45.359
account,

02:09:43.198 --> 02:09:48.319
but they know little the spirit of

02:09:45.359 --> 02:09:51.799
Vixsburg women and children if they

02:09:48.319 --> 02:09:51.799
expect this

02:09:52.560 --> 02:09:56.480
for protection from the relentless

02:09:54.158 --> 02:09:59.118
shelling.

02:09:56.479 --> 02:10:01.759
Many of the civilians dig caves into the

02:09:59.118 --> 02:10:04.880
hillsides.

02:10:01.760 --> 02:10:07.039
Mary Webster [ __ ] arrived in Vixsburg

02:10:04.880 --> 02:10:08.960
in April with her husband, a Confederate

02:10:07.039 --> 02:10:11.679
officer.

02:10:08.960 --> 02:10:13.840
With her husband on the front line, Mary

02:10:11.679 --> 02:10:17.399
is left to fend for herself and their

02:10:13.840 --> 02:10:17.400
2-year-old daughter.

02:10:20.880 --> 02:10:26.400
Terrorstricken, we remained crouched in

02:10:23.439 --> 02:10:31.000
the cave while shell after shell

02:10:26.399 --> 02:10:31.000
followed each other in quick secession.

02:10:32.078 --> 02:10:37.118
I endeavored by constant prayer to

02:10:34.800 --> 02:10:41.119
prepare myself for the sudden death I

02:10:37.118 --> 02:10:43.439
was almost certain awaited me.

02:10:41.118 --> 02:10:46.799
My heart stood still as we would hear

02:10:43.439 --> 02:10:49.678
the reports from the guns.

02:10:46.800 --> 02:10:53.199
Cowering in a corner, holding my child

02:10:49.679 --> 02:10:55.520
to my heart. The only feeling of my life

02:10:53.198 --> 02:11:00.839
being the choking throbs of my heart

02:10:55.520 --> 02:11:00.840
that rendered me almost breathless.

02:11:06.078 --> 02:11:11.920
Day

02:11:07.840 --> 02:11:17.159
after day after day, Grand's artillery

02:11:11.920 --> 02:11:17.158
tries to pound Vixsburg into submission.

02:11:29.359 --> 02:11:34.559
Even the righteousness of God, which is

02:11:31.279 --> 02:11:38.319
by faith in Christ,

02:11:34.560 --> 02:11:41.440
for all have sinned.

02:11:38.319 --> 02:11:43.840
Reverend William Lord, his wife and

02:11:41.439 --> 02:11:46.238
young daughter, endure the siege of

02:11:43.840 --> 02:11:48.319
Vixsburg in a cave just yards from the

02:11:46.238 --> 02:11:50.879
forward lines.

02:11:48.319 --> 02:11:54.639
God will protect us.

02:11:50.880 --> 02:11:59.319
God will protect us.

02:11:54.639 --> 02:11:59.319
I'm afraid they got killed, too.

02:12:13.279 --> 02:12:18.559
Confederate Secretary of War James

02:12:15.359 --> 02:12:22.000
Seddin exhorts, "Vixsburg must not be

02:12:18.560 --> 02:12:24.079
lost without a desperate struggle."

02:12:22.000 --> 02:12:26.560
He orders General Joseph Johnston to

02:12:24.078 --> 02:12:29.679
march his army from Jackson and attack

02:12:26.560 --> 02:12:32.320
Grant from the east.

02:12:29.679 --> 02:12:35.639
Johnston stalls, saying he does not have

02:12:32.319 --> 02:12:35.639
enough men.

02:12:37.039 --> 02:12:41.039
By June, the situation at Vixsburg is so

02:12:39.520 --> 02:12:42.880
desperate [music] that Confederate

02:12:41.039 --> 02:12:44.960
President Jefferson Davis considers

02:12:42.880 --> 02:12:47.840
sending Roberty E. leave and part of the

02:12:44.960 --> 02:12:50.480
Army of Northern Virginia a thousand m

02:12:47.840 --> 02:12:51.440
westward to relieve enemy pressure on

02:12:50.479 --> 02:12:53.439
the besieged [music]

02:12:51.439 --> 02:12:55.118
city.

02:12:53.439 --> 02:12:57.598
Instead,

02:12:55.118 --> 02:12:59.598
Lee and Davis decide to invade the

02:12:57.599 --> 02:13:01.760
North.

02:12:59.599 --> 02:13:04.560
At the sleepy town of Gettysburg,

02:13:01.760 --> 02:13:06.800
Pennsylvania, Lee's army of Northern

02:13:04.560 --> 02:13:09.679
Virginia collides with the Union [music]

02:13:06.800 --> 02:13:13.279
Army of the PTOAC, commanded by yet

02:13:09.679 --> 02:13:17.199
another general. George me is its fourth

02:13:13.279 --> 02:13:19.198
commander since the war began. Me says

02:13:17.198 --> 02:13:23.759
Gettysburg will determine the fate of

02:13:19.198 --> 02:13:25.919
our country and our cause.

02:13:23.760 --> 02:13:29.039
All eyes in the summer of [music] 1863

02:13:25.920 --> 02:13:31.599
were on two military situations. Lee's

02:13:29.039 --> 02:13:34.479
raid into Pennsylvania and [music]

02:13:31.599 --> 02:13:37.840
Grant's investment of the Confederate

02:13:34.479 --> 02:13:41.198
bastion at Vixsburg. Both of those

02:13:37.840 --> 02:13:45.319
military campaigns were crucial to the

02:13:41.198 --> 02:13:45.319
fortunes of both sides.

02:13:51.439 --> 02:13:57.039
After 3 days of savage fighting at

02:13:54.000 --> 02:14:00.399
Gettysburg, Lee and his army of Northern

02:13:57.039 --> 02:14:03.599
Virginia are defeated. [music]

02:14:00.399 --> 02:14:07.118
The loss of life is catastrophic, even

02:14:03.599 --> 02:14:10.159
by Civil War standards.

02:14:07.118 --> 02:14:13.759
Some 50,000 [music] from north and south

02:14:10.158 --> 02:14:16.000
are killed, wounded, or missing.

02:14:13.760 --> 02:14:20.159
A New Jersey infantryman [music]

02:14:16.000 --> 02:14:22.719
helping to bury the dead spoke of

02:14:20.158 --> 02:14:25.359
the stench of decaying humanity hugging

02:14:22.719 --> 02:14:29.399
the earth like a fog,

02:14:25.359 --> 02:14:29.399
poisoning [music] every breath.

02:14:30.479 --> 02:14:36.319
After the battle, Lee and his battered

02:14:33.198 --> 02:14:38.479
army retreat back into Virginia.

02:14:36.319 --> 02:14:40.158
For the remainder of the war, most of

02:14:38.479 --> 02:14:43.559
the fighting will take place in and

02:14:40.158 --> 02:14:43.559
around [music] Richmond.

02:14:47.439 --> 02:14:52.158
While the battle at Gettysburg was

02:14:49.279 --> 02:14:54.238
raging in Pennsylvania,

02:14:52.158 --> 02:14:57.559
the siege of Vixsburg was entering its

02:14:54.238 --> 02:14:57.559
final act.

02:14:57.599 --> 02:15:02.319
For more than six weeks, the Gibralar of

02:15:00.399 --> 02:15:05.960
the Confederacy has been cut off from

02:15:02.319 --> 02:15:05.960
the outside world.

02:15:10.158 --> 02:15:14.960
No food or supplies have reached the

02:15:12.399 --> 02:15:18.679
30,000 soldiers and the thousands of

02:15:14.960 --> 02:15:18.679
civilians inside.

02:15:19.679 --> 02:15:26.599
Soldiers rations consist of a handful of

02:15:22.319 --> 02:15:26.599
peas and rice per day.

02:15:31.840 --> 02:15:38.960
Disease runs rampant.

02:15:34.880 --> 02:15:41.520
The water supply is almost depleted.

02:15:38.960 --> 02:15:44.760
The stifling midsummer heat only adds to

02:15:41.520 --> 02:15:44.760
the misery.

02:15:44.960 --> 02:15:50.719
I think that Grant saw the war in a

02:15:49.279 --> 02:15:53.279
different way. And this is another

02:15:50.719 --> 02:15:55.920
reason why Grant is ultimately so

02:15:53.279 --> 02:15:59.039
successful.

02:15:55.920 --> 02:16:01.118
Grant was fighting a war for a future

02:15:59.039 --> 02:16:05.399
time.

02:16:01.118 --> 02:16:05.399
It wasn't a gentleman's war.

02:16:09.520 --> 02:16:13.360
On the very day Lee orders the

02:16:11.520 --> 02:16:16.239
disastrous Pickicket's [music] charge at

02:16:13.359 --> 02:16:21.559
Gettysburg, Confederate General John

02:16:16.238 --> 02:16:21.559
Peton decides to surrender Vixsburg.

02:16:22.158 --> 02:16:29.118
The next day, July [music] 4th, 1863,

02:16:26.238 --> 02:16:32.679
Peton hands over his entire army to

02:16:29.118 --> 02:16:32.679
Ulissiz Srant.

02:16:33.840 --> 02:16:42.040
After 47 days,

02:16:36.718 --> 02:16:42.039
the siege of Vixsburg is over.

02:16:43.120 --> 02:16:49.960
At the Warren County Courthouse, the

02:16:45.760 --> 02:16:49.960
Confederate flag is lowered

02:16:50.398 --> 02:16:57.358
and the stars and stripes raised.

02:16:54.478 --> 02:17:00.239
The victory at Vixsburg knocks [music]

02:16:57.359 --> 02:17:02.239
open the lock that the Confederacy had

02:17:00.239 --> 02:17:05.840
placed on the great commercial highway

02:17:02.239 --> 02:17:09.199
of the Mississippi River [music] Valley.

02:17:05.840 --> 02:17:13.359
A relieved Abraham Lincoln says,

02:17:09.200 --> 02:17:17.679
"The father of waters flows again.

02:17:13.359 --> 02:17:20.000
unvexed to the sea.

02:17:17.679 --> 02:17:22.398
The defeat of Confederate forces at

02:17:20.000 --> 02:17:25.840
Vixsburg, the defeat of [music] Leah

02:17:22.398 --> 02:17:28.799
Gettysburg. together. The eyes of many

02:17:25.840 --> 02:17:31.280
southerners, this was an irreversible

02:17:28.799 --> 02:17:35.518
turn to defeat.

02:17:31.280 --> 02:17:38.880
The loss of Pimton's force, significant,

02:17:35.519 --> 02:17:41.040
and especially significant in terms of

02:17:38.879 --> 02:17:44.039
how it affected the psyche of white

02:17:41.040 --> 02:17:44.040
southerners.

02:17:50.239 --> 02:17:54.959
Vixsburg is a crushing defeat. Yet, it

02:17:53.120 --> 02:17:57.760
hardly sounds the death nail of the

02:17:54.959 --> 02:18:00.079
Confederacy.

02:17:57.760 --> 02:18:01.760
More than 300 m to the northeast [music]

02:18:00.079 --> 02:18:07.159
in the rugged highlands of eastern

02:18:01.760 --> 02:18:07.159
Tennessee, another campaign is underway.

02:18:07.920 --> 02:18:14.200
The coming fight will help determine the

02:18:10.000 --> 02:18:14.200
final outcome [music] of the war.

02:18:15.439 --> 02:18:20.479
2 days after the fall of Vixsburg,

02:18:18.079 --> 02:18:22.879
Secretary [music] of War Edwin Stanton

02:18:20.478 --> 02:18:26.239
issues this challenge to Union General

02:18:22.879 --> 02:18:28.398
William Stark Rose Crayons.

02:18:26.239 --> 02:18:31.439
You and your noble army now have the

02:18:28.398 --> 02:18:34.439
chance to give the finishing blow to the

02:18:31.439 --> 02:18:34.439
rebellion.

02:18:38.718 --> 02:18:42.558
Rose Cran commands the Army of the

02:18:41.040 --> 02:18:47.240
Cumberland,

02:18:42.558 --> 02:18:47.239
some 70,000 strong.

02:18:47.760 --> 02:18:53.840
Standing in his way is the Confederate

02:18:50.079 --> 02:18:57.558
Army of Tennessee, commanded by General

02:18:53.840 --> 02:18:57.558
Braxton Bragg.

02:18:58.959 --> 02:19:03.919
9 months earlier, Bragg's invasion into

02:19:01.679 --> 02:19:06.318
Kentucky had ended in his defeat at

02:19:03.920 --> 02:19:08.318
Perville.

02:19:06.318 --> 02:19:12.239
In January, [music] his army was again

02:19:08.318 --> 02:19:16.959
defeated near Murphy'sboro, Tennessee.

02:19:12.239 --> 02:19:19.519
This time at the Battle of Stones River.

02:19:16.959 --> 02:19:22.000
Now, the fate of the Deep South and some

02:19:19.519 --> 02:19:24.639
say the Confederacy itself

02:19:22.000 --> 02:19:28.120
lies with Bragg's ability to stop the

02:19:24.638 --> 02:19:28.119
Union advance.

02:19:28.318 --> 02:19:34.079
Of course, now Vixsburg has fallen.

02:19:31.359 --> 02:19:38.000
Gettysburg has turned into a crushing

02:19:34.079 --> 02:19:40.159
defeat for Lee. And so all the weight,

02:19:38.000 --> 02:19:42.000
all the responsibility is on Brag

02:19:40.159 --> 02:19:44.318
shoulders.

02:19:42.000 --> 02:19:46.398
Since the beginning of the war, the

02:19:44.318 --> 02:19:49.039
South has feverishly worked to create a

02:19:46.398 --> 02:19:52.959
network of arsenals and factories that

02:19:49.040 --> 02:19:56.800
now feed the Confederate war machine.

02:19:52.959 --> 02:19:59.839
And by the summer of 1863,

02:19:56.799 --> 02:20:02.159
the South industrial heartland was the

02:19:59.840 --> 02:20:04.799
central Georgia and central Alabama

02:20:02.159 --> 02:20:07.359
area.

02:20:04.799 --> 02:20:10.159
It was essentially the very essence

02:20:07.359 --> 02:20:12.880
inards and being of the south's bid for

02:20:10.159 --> 02:20:15.760
independence. And as that complex had

02:20:12.879 --> 02:20:18.639
grown in capacity, there was a growing

02:20:15.760 --> 02:20:21.200
realization on the part of leaders in

02:20:18.639 --> 02:20:22.879
the north that that military-industrial

02:20:21.200 --> 02:20:25.520
complex was going to have to be

02:20:22.879 --> 02:20:28.159
disrupted.

02:20:25.520 --> 02:20:30.079
The Union invasion comes at a time when

02:20:28.159 --> 02:20:32.879
civil unrest has [music] been spreading

02:20:30.079 --> 02:20:35.200
throughout the Confederacy.

02:20:32.879 --> 02:20:37.920
So-called bread riots in Richmond and

02:20:35.200 --> 02:20:42.800
other southern cities are the byproducts

02:20:37.920 --> 02:20:44.478
of massive inflation and food shortages.

02:20:42.799 --> 02:20:45.759
But the most serious problem affecting

02:20:44.478 --> 02:20:48.318
the home front [music] in the South

02:20:45.760 --> 02:20:53.719
during the summer of 1863

02:20:48.318 --> 02:20:53.719
is the loss of its men to the war.

02:20:56.801 --> 02:21:01.039
[music] Joshua Callaway reluctantly

02:20:58.959 --> 02:21:03.119
responds to the Alabama governor's call

02:21:01.040 --> 02:21:04.160
for volunteers.

02:21:03.120 --> 02:21:06.240
Callaway, [music]

02:21:04.159 --> 02:21:09.600
a 28-year-old school teacher from a

02:21:06.239 --> 02:21:12.079
small town near Selma, does not own any

02:21:09.600 --> 02:21:14.479
slaves.

02:21:12.079 --> 02:21:16.318
In April 1862, [music]

02:21:14.478 --> 02:21:18.159
the Confederate government had issued an

02:21:16.318 --> 02:21:22.239
order calling for men between the ages

02:21:18.159 --> 02:21:23.920
of 18 and 35 to enlist for a 3-year

02:21:22.239 --> 02:21:25.920
term.

02:21:23.920 --> 02:21:28.960
It is the [music] first conscription act

02:21:25.920 --> 02:21:30.879
ever imposed in America.

02:21:28.959 --> 02:21:32.719
By volunteering,

02:21:30.879 --> 02:21:34.478
Callaway avoids the stigma [music] of

02:21:32.719 --> 02:21:37.279
being drafted.

02:21:34.478 --> 02:21:40.760
He leaves behind two small children and

02:21:37.280 --> 02:21:40.760
wife, [music] Dulania.

02:21:41.600 --> 02:21:47.680
For a man like Joshua [music] Callaway,

02:21:44.478 --> 02:21:49.219
the decision to fight involves a number

02:21:47.680 --> 02:21:51.840
of different considerations. He's

02:21:49.219 --> 02:21:54.639
[music] not one of the younger men. He's

02:21:51.840 --> 02:21:58.079
not single. He's not without children.

02:21:54.639 --> 02:22:00.159
He's got a wife and two children. and

02:21:58.079 --> 02:22:03.120
he's been [music] working as a teacher

02:22:00.159 --> 02:22:05.119
to support them and what's going to

02:22:03.120 --> 02:22:09.200
happen to them when he goes off to

02:22:05.120 --> 02:22:11.439
fight. So it's a difficult struggle in

02:22:09.200 --> 02:22:15.000
his mind and in the minds of many other

02:22:11.439 --> 02:22:15.000
men like him

02:22:16.712 --> 02:22:18.731
[music]

02:22:22.799 --> 02:22:29.199
battalion charge bayonet. [screaming]

02:22:26.559 --> 02:22:31.519
By August 1863,

02:22:29.200 --> 02:22:34.560
Joshua Callaway has become an officer in

02:22:31.520 --> 02:22:36.800
the 28th Alabama.

02:22:34.559 --> 02:22:38.398
Right shoulder shift arm.

02:22:36.799 --> 02:22:40.398
He is amongst the thousands of

02:22:38.398 --> 02:22:42.559
Confederates ready to defend the town

02:22:40.398 --> 02:22:46.279
that has become the Union target [music]

02:22:42.559 --> 02:22:46.279
in the coming campaign.

02:22:46.799 --> 02:22:50.559
Nestled on the south bank of the

02:22:48.398 --> 02:22:53.039
Tennessee River and surrounded by the

02:22:50.559 --> 02:22:55.760
rugged southern Appalachians,

02:22:53.040 --> 02:22:58.319
Chattanooga, Tennessee is the gateway to

02:22:55.760 --> 02:23:00.639
the deep south.

02:22:58.318 --> 02:23:02.799
Intersecting in Chattanooga are

02:23:00.639 --> 02:23:05.279
railroads vital to the Confederate war

02:23:02.799 --> 02:23:07.438
effort. They are the key to the

02:23:05.280 --> 02:23:10.159
distribution of the war material

02:23:07.439 --> 02:23:11.600
produced in central Georgia and central

02:23:10.159 --> 02:23:13.600
Alabama.

02:23:11.600 --> 02:23:16.880
The Chattanooga [music] region becomes

02:23:13.600 --> 02:23:20.000
that doorway gateway passageway through

02:23:16.879 --> 02:23:22.559
the protecting mountain barrier between

02:23:20.000 --> 02:23:25.120
the northern armies and this ever

02:23:22.559 --> 02:23:28.000
growing military-industrial complex in

02:23:25.120 --> 02:23:30.399
central Georgia and central Alabama. So

02:23:28.000 --> 02:23:32.959
anyone looking at a map didn't have to

02:23:30.398 --> 02:23:35.519
be a Napoleon in the rough to be able to

02:23:32.959 --> 02:23:38.398
look at Chattanooga and to appreciate

02:23:35.520 --> 02:23:41.399
immediately its grand strategic

02:23:38.398 --> 02:23:41.398
significance.

02:23:41.840 --> 02:23:46.079
Lincoln states that taking Chattanooga

02:23:44.478 --> 02:23:49.358
is as important as taking [music] the

02:23:46.079 --> 02:23:51.039
Confederate capital of Richmond.

02:23:49.359 --> 02:23:53.439
In spite of the strong objection of

02:23:51.040 --> 02:23:56.800
Roberty E. Lee, Confederate President

02:23:53.439 --> 02:23:58.559
Jefferson Davis orders James Longreet

02:23:56.799 --> 02:24:01.199
and two divisions of the Army of

02:23:58.559 --> 02:24:04.199
Northern Virginia southward to

02:24:01.200 --> 02:24:04.200
Chattanooga

02:24:05.120 --> 02:24:12.200
to face the Union threat. Bragg will

02:24:07.920 --> 02:24:12.200
amass a force of 68,000.

02:24:12.879 --> 02:24:18.599
Outside of Chattanooga is Joshua

02:24:15.600 --> 02:24:18.600
Callaway.

02:24:20.959 --> 02:24:25.079
August 27th, 1863.

02:24:27.359 --> 02:24:32.239
My dear wife,

02:24:30.318 --> 02:24:34.318
we are now on the west side of Lookout

02:24:32.239 --> 02:24:35.920
Mountain,

02:24:34.318 --> 02:24:39.559
guarding the road that leads across the

02:24:35.920 --> 02:24:39.559
corner of it to Chattanooga.

02:24:41.439 --> 02:24:46.159
Everything is quiet now, but no one

02:24:43.280 --> 02:24:49.359
knows how soon, what moment the conflict

02:24:46.159 --> 02:24:49.359
will begin.

02:24:52.719 --> 02:24:56.959
a Confederate soldier like Joshua

02:24:54.879 --> 02:24:59.599
Callaway. [music] Yes, he was a

02:24:56.959 --> 02:25:02.959
Confederate, but he was also a husband.

02:24:59.600 --> 02:25:05.439
He's also a son, a father. And [music]

02:25:02.959 --> 02:25:07.759
those relationships were a big part of

02:25:05.439 --> 02:25:10.000
why he was fighting in this war. [music]

02:25:07.760 --> 02:25:12.909
He may have been fighting to protect

02:25:10.000 --> 02:25:13.040
slavery, but why did that matter?

02:25:12.909 --> 02:25:15.680
[music]

02:25:13.040 --> 02:25:18.319
It mattered because his family's

02:25:15.680 --> 02:25:19.920
interests and future depended on it. And

02:25:18.318 --> 02:25:24.398
his family [music]

02:25:19.920 --> 02:25:27.680
was also uh his emotional lifeline, what

02:25:24.398 --> 02:25:30.079
kept his morale up, what supported him

02:25:27.680 --> 02:25:32.559
and kept him going on a daily basis. And

02:25:30.079 --> 02:25:34.799
you can see that in Joshua's letters to

02:25:32.559 --> 02:25:36.639
Doulsonia. He needs that [music]

02:25:34.799 --> 02:25:39.358
correspondence. He craves that

02:25:36.639 --> 02:25:42.000
correspondence.

02:25:39.359 --> 02:25:45.200
Let me hear from you soon and often.

02:25:42.000 --> 02:25:48.359
Kiss the children for me. God bless you,

02:25:45.200 --> 02:25:48.359
my darling.

02:25:48.799 --> 02:25:52.279
Joshua Callaway.

02:25:55.760 --> 02:26:01.600
In mid August, Rose Cran moves directly

02:25:59.200 --> 02:26:04.240
towards Chattanooga.

02:26:01.600 --> 02:26:06.960
Three columns spread across a 40-mile

02:26:04.239 --> 02:26:08.879
front advance over the rugged Cumberland

02:26:06.959 --> 02:26:11.438
Mountains.

02:26:08.879 --> 02:26:15.519
But Rose Cran's now separated army of

02:26:11.439 --> 02:26:17.520
the Cumberland is vulnerable to attack.

02:26:15.520 --> 02:26:18.319
Just south of Chattanooga at

02:26:17.520 --> 02:26:21.120
Mcleammore's [music]

02:26:18.318 --> 02:26:26.119
Cove, Bragg orders an attack on a

02:26:21.120 --> 02:26:26.120
portion of Rose Cran's splintered army.

02:26:26.639 --> 02:26:30.639
High command in Bragg's army was

02:26:29.280 --> 02:26:34.159
dysfunctional. [music]

02:26:30.639 --> 02:26:36.079
The top subordinates of Bragg simply

02:26:34.159 --> 02:26:37.680
would not obey his orders. [music]

02:26:36.079 --> 02:26:39.039
The Federals are falling back that way.

02:26:37.680 --> 02:26:40.800
We need to be moving that way.

02:26:39.040 --> 02:26:42.640
You have your orders. You will hold this

02:26:40.799 --> 02:26:46.639
ground. According to General Mano, you

02:26:42.639 --> 02:26:50.719
will hold this ground. Let's go.

02:26:46.639 --> 02:26:54.879
Bragg had it within his power to destroy

02:26:50.719 --> 02:26:56.879
most of the middle column of Rose Cran's

02:26:54.879 --> 02:26:59.358
army.

02:26:56.879 --> 02:27:01.839
The lost opportunity to destroy part of

02:26:59.359 --> 02:27:03.619
the army of the Cumberland will haunt

02:27:01.840 --> 02:27:07.318
Bragg and his subordinates for the

02:27:03.619 --> 02:27:07.319
[music] rest of the war.

02:27:12.079 --> 02:27:18.000
For the next week, more than 100,000

02:27:15.359 --> 02:27:21.760
soldiers from two opposing armies

02:27:18.000 --> 02:27:24.478
maneuver in northern Georgia.

02:27:21.760 --> 02:27:26.639
In the words of one Confederate, Bragg

02:27:24.478 --> 02:27:28.498
and Rose Crans are playing a game of

02:27:26.639 --> 02:27:30.519
chess among these mountains and valleys.

02:27:28.498 --> 02:27:30.519
[music]

02:27:35.040 --> 02:27:40.240
Everyone on both sides realizes [music]

02:27:37.120 --> 02:27:45.527
a clash is inevitable.

02:27:40.239 --> 02:27:47.520
It's only a matter of where and when.

02:27:45.527 --> 02:27:49.120
[music]

02:27:47.520 --> 02:27:53.359
when

02:27:49.120 --> 02:27:57.840
is September 18th, 1863.

02:27:53.359 --> 02:28:00.640
Where is 8 mi south of Chattanooga along

02:27:57.840 --> 02:28:05.439
the banks of the Chikamaga, a creek the

02:28:00.639 --> 02:28:08.559
Cherokee called the river of death.

02:28:05.439 --> 02:28:11.280
Bragg's plan turned the Union Army to

02:28:08.559 --> 02:28:13.600
the south, cutting rose crayons off from

02:28:11.280 --> 02:28:16.079
Chattanooga,

02:28:13.600 --> 02:28:18.479
then pin the army of the Cumberland

02:28:16.079 --> 02:28:20.159
against the eastern wall of Lookout

02:28:18.478 --> 02:28:22.478
Mountain.

02:28:20.159 --> 02:28:24.799
But if Bragg got between Rose Cran and

02:28:22.478 --> 02:28:27.279
Chattanooga, he could cut off Rose

02:28:24.799 --> 02:28:29.840
Cran's supplies. He could cut off Rose

02:28:27.280 --> 02:28:32.000
Cran's retreat and he potentially could

02:28:29.840 --> 02:28:34.639
drive Rose Cran's back against the

02:28:32.000 --> 02:28:38.159
mountains in such a way that Rose Cran

02:28:34.639 --> 02:28:40.799
might have to surrender his army.

02:28:38.159 --> 02:28:42.719
Bragg launches the battle with a move to

02:28:40.799 --> 02:28:45.279
control two bridges crossing the

02:28:42.719 --> 02:28:47.920
Chikamaga.

02:28:45.280 --> 02:28:50.720
A small Union force, some armed with

02:28:47.920 --> 02:28:54.200
Spencer repeating rifles, puts up a

02:28:50.719 --> 02:28:54.199
stubborn fight.

02:28:55.920 --> 02:29:00.040
The Union forces withdraw

02:29:00.079 --> 02:29:05.719
and the Confederates [music] finally

02:29:01.600 --> 02:29:05.720
begin crossing the Chikamaga.

02:29:06.639 --> 02:29:11.199
The unexpected Union resistance results

02:29:08.879 --> 02:29:13.199
in yet another missed opportunity for

02:29:11.200 --> 02:29:14.640
Bragg.

02:29:13.200 --> 02:29:18.240
His main attack will have to [music]

02:29:14.639 --> 02:29:20.639
wait one more day.

02:29:18.239 --> 02:29:22.879
The delay gives Rose Cran's precious

02:29:20.639 --> 02:29:26.478
time to consolidate the scattered forces

02:29:22.879 --> 02:29:26.478
of his main army.

02:29:26.719 --> 02:29:35.159
That evening, he extends the Union line

02:29:29.760 --> 02:29:35.159
northward along the Lefayet Road.

02:29:37.120 --> 02:29:44.640
At dawn the next day,

02:29:40.398 --> 02:29:46.047
Bragg's men prepare to attack.

02:29:44.639 --> 02:29:47.039
A soldier from Tennessee remarks,

02:29:46.048 --> 02:29:49.920
[music]

02:29:47.040 --> 02:29:51.359
"The day was bright and beautiful, and

02:29:49.920 --> 02:29:54.398
the world never seemed half so [music]

02:29:51.359 --> 02:29:56.079
attractive before.

02:29:54.398 --> 02:29:59.639
now that there was a good chance of

02:29:56.079 --> 02:29:59.639
leaving it soon.

02:30:03.439 --> 02:30:07.720
A little after 7 a.m.

02:30:09.040 --> 02:30:15.800
Confederate cavalry stumble upon a few

02:30:11.200 --> 02:30:15.800
Union soldiers filling their cantens.

02:30:16.159 --> 02:30:21.559
It is an area where the Confederates

02:30:17.920 --> 02:30:21.559
expect no contact.

02:30:22.719 --> 02:30:28.959
In pursuit of the canteen detail,

02:30:27.120 --> 02:30:31.920
the Confederate cavalry themselves

02:30:28.959 --> 02:30:34.959
encounter a superior force.

02:30:31.920 --> 02:30:37.840
There's an enemy in there, sir.

02:30:34.959 --> 02:30:40.159
2300 men of John Croxton's [music]

02:30:37.840 --> 02:30:42.559
brigade.

02:30:40.159 --> 02:30:44.959
What begins as a skirmish almost

02:30:42.559 --> 02:30:49.000
immediately escalates

02:30:44.959 --> 02:30:49.000
into what becomes known

02:30:49.040 --> 02:30:53.080
as the battle of Chikamaga.

02:30:58.879 --> 02:31:04.639
At Chikamaga, the dense canopy of trees

02:31:02.318 --> 02:31:08.559
causes the battle smoke to hang like a

02:31:04.639 --> 02:31:10.478
thick deadly fog.

02:31:08.559 --> 02:31:12.239
With the limited visibility of

02:31:10.478 --> 02:31:15.119
Chikamaga, the enemy is going to be able

02:31:12.239 --> 02:31:18.799
to close um to a very short distance

02:31:15.120 --> 02:31:21.200
before engaging at a distance where the

02:31:18.799 --> 02:31:24.299
artillery and its longer range is not

02:31:21.200 --> 02:31:24.800
going to have an advantage.

02:31:24.299 --> 02:31:26.478
[screaming]

02:31:24.799 --> 02:31:28.719
It was something that was not really

02:31:26.478 --> 02:31:31.719
anticipated by the leaders on both

02:31:28.719 --> 02:31:31.719
sides.

02:31:40.079 --> 02:31:44.799
Almost without warning, a line of

02:31:42.959 --> 02:31:47.358
Confederate infantry appears on [music]

02:31:44.799 --> 02:31:50.959
the right flank of Batterya A First

02:31:47.359 --> 02:31:54.439
Michigan Light Artillery.

02:31:50.959 --> 02:31:54.438
Get this gun.

02:31:55.600 --> 02:32:00.325
The Michigan soldiers are ordered to lie

02:31:57.439 --> 02:32:02.345
down with their knapsacks still on.

02:32:00.325 --> 02:32:02.345
[cheering]

02:32:04.478 --> 02:32:10.119
This makes it a struggle for the men to

02:32:06.239 --> 02:32:10.119
roll over and reload.

02:32:12.239 --> 02:32:17.119
The battery is commanded by George

02:32:14.079 --> 02:32:19.680
Vanpelt, the former town constable of

02:32:17.120 --> 02:32:21.680
Cold Water, Michigan.

02:32:19.680 --> 02:32:24.680
Hurry up, boys. You're right on top of

02:32:21.680 --> 02:32:24.680
us.

02:32:27.439 --> 02:32:32.359
Michigan men fire 64 rounds.

02:32:35.600 --> 02:32:39.625
Most sail over the heads of the charging

02:32:38.000 --> 02:32:41.590
Confederates.

02:32:39.625 --> 02:32:43.609
[screaming]

02:32:41.590 --> 02:32:43.609
[cheering]

02:32:44.959 --> 02:32:52.000
There they come.

02:32:48.478 --> 02:32:56.279
We got to get out of here.

02:32:52.000 --> 02:32:56.280
The Michigan battery is routed.

02:32:59.200 --> 02:33:04.680
Van Pelt refuses to abandon his guns.

02:33:19.760 --> 02:33:24.800
The confusion and bloodletting of

02:33:21.840 --> 02:33:27.920
Vanpelt's fight is typical of the Battle

02:33:24.799 --> 02:33:30.799
of Chikamaga.

02:33:27.920 --> 02:33:34.719
By late in the afternoon, neither side

02:33:30.799 --> 02:33:37.119
has gained or conceded much ground.

02:33:34.719 --> 02:33:40.799
In the thick of the fight at Chikamaga

02:33:37.120 --> 02:33:43.920
is the 15th Wisconsin Infantry.

02:33:40.799 --> 02:33:46.159
This Union regiment is composed entirely

02:33:43.920 --> 02:33:50.760
of Scandinavians.

02:33:46.159 --> 02:33:50.760
Almost all were born in Norway.

02:33:51.920 --> 02:33:56.960
The decade before the Civil War had seen

02:33:54.478 --> 02:33:59.199
a huge wave of Europeans immigrating to

02:33:56.959 --> 02:34:00.959
the United States.

02:33:59.200 --> 02:34:04.319
The vast majority [music] settled in the

02:34:00.959 --> 02:34:05.759
North. The new Americans understood

02:34:04.318 --> 02:34:08.478
political oppression [music] and

02:34:05.760 --> 02:34:11.200
religious persecution because many had

02:34:08.478 --> 02:34:15.279
experienced it firsthand.

02:34:11.200 --> 02:34:18.720
When the war comes, about 25% of the

02:34:15.280 --> 02:34:21.280
Union Army will be immigrants.

02:34:18.719 --> 02:34:23.760
They believe in the promise of America

02:34:21.280 --> 02:34:25.920
and they [music] stand firm in the right

02:34:23.760 --> 02:34:28.880
to die for it.

02:34:25.920 --> 02:34:31.439
This is the only freestanding popular

02:34:28.879 --> 02:34:33.920
government left in the world. Every

02:34:31.439 --> 02:34:36.159
other experiment in popular government

02:34:33.920 --> 02:34:37.840
either fell apart or was crushed

02:34:36.159 --> 02:34:40.879
brutally

02:34:37.840 --> 02:34:44.719
so that by 1860 the United States is the

02:34:40.879 --> 02:34:48.318
last major stronghold of this thing

02:34:44.719 --> 02:34:50.959
called democracy. If the United States

02:34:48.318 --> 02:34:53.680
proceeds to blow its brains out through

02:34:50.959 --> 02:34:55.599
secession, what are we saying to the

02:34:53.680 --> 02:34:59.680
rest of the world? We're saying

02:34:55.600 --> 02:35:03.359
democracy is a chimera. Democracy is a

02:34:59.680 --> 02:35:05.359
Greek drollery that will never work. If

02:35:03.359 --> 02:35:07.280
you want the proof, say the kings and

02:35:05.359 --> 02:35:09.840
aristocrats, if you want the proof of

02:35:07.280 --> 02:35:11.120
how unstable democracy is, just look at

02:35:09.840 --> 02:35:15.159
what the Americans are doing to

02:35:11.120 --> 02:35:15.160
themselves right now.

02:35:15.200 --> 02:35:19.680
Right now in northern Georgia, they are

02:35:17.920 --> 02:35:23.719
fighting what will become the biggest

02:35:19.680 --> 02:35:23.720
battle of the western campaign.

02:35:26.159 --> 02:35:32.719
Sam Watkins of the First Tennessee

02:35:29.200 --> 02:35:35.600
has survived Shiloh and Stones River.

02:35:32.719 --> 02:35:38.318
Now in the midst of Chikamaga, he

02:35:35.600 --> 02:35:41.120
stumbles upon his badly wounded friend

02:35:38.318 --> 02:35:42.559
Billy Webster.

02:35:41.120 --> 02:35:44.640
Come on.

02:35:42.559 --> 02:35:47.840
Billy's arm had been dressed and he

02:35:44.639 --> 02:35:50.239
seemed to be quite easy. He wished to

02:35:47.840 --> 02:35:51.760
dictate a letter to his parents. Get my

02:35:50.239 --> 02:35:51.920
shirt. Get my shirt. I want a clean

02:35:51.760 --> 02:35:52.478
shirt.

02:35:51.920 --> 02:35:54.239
Where's your shirt?

02:35:52.478 --> 02:35:58.000
He asked me to please look into his

02:35:54.239 --> 02:36:00.398
knapsack and get him a clean shirt.

02:35:58.000 --> 02:36:03.639
I went to look for the knapsack and

02:36:00.398 --> 02:36:03.639
found it.

02:36:12.318 --> 02:36:20.239
But when I got back to where he was,

02:36:15.280 --> 02:36:25.239
poor good Billy Webster was dead.

02:36:20.239 --> 02:36:25.239
He had given his life for his country.

02:36:25.359 --> 02:36:29.840
His spirit is with the good and the

02:36:27.920 --> 02:36:32.639
brave.

02:36:29.840 --> 02:36:36.719
No better or braver man than Billy

02:36:32.639 --> 02:36:39.599
Webster ever drew Breath of Life.

02:36:36.719 --> 02:36:43.959
His bones lie yonder today upon the

02:36:39.600 --> 02:36:43.960
battlefield of Chikamoga.

02:36:45.920 --> 02:36:51.040
Through the haze of the battle at

02:36:47.439 --> 02:36:54.159
Chikamaga, one thing is clear. The

02:36:51.040 --> 02:36:58.399
bloodbath along the river of death is

02:36:54.159 --> 02:37:00.639
thus far a draw.

02:36:58.398 --> 02:37:05.558
Both Bragg and Rose Crans are determined

02:37:00.639 --> 02:37:07.577
to continue the fight the next morning.

02:37:05.558 --> 02:37:07.577
[music]

02:37:12.559 --> 02:37:19.119
And there are moments in this war when

02:37:14.639 --> 02:37:21.199
the entire republic is at stake.

02:37:19.120 --> 02:37:24.560
When everything could have changed, when

02:37:21.200 --> 02:37:26.640
everything could have turned on a dime

02:37:24.559 --> 02:37:29.920
and sometimes did.

02:37:26.639 --> 02:37:32.559
What is being forged is our

02:37:29.920 --> 02:37:34.879
national story.

02:37:32.559 --> 02:37:37.879
Your Iliad in our odyssey is playing

02:37:34.879 --> 02:37:37.879
out.

02:37:46.824 --> 02:37:48.844
[music]

02:37:56.159 --> 02:38:02.079
At dawn near a creek in northern Georgia

02:37:59.680 --> 02:38:04.318
called the Chikamaga,

02:38:02.079 --> 02:38:05.840
Union forces desperately prepare for an

02:38:04.318 --> 02:38:09.239
attack

02:38:05.840 --> 02:38:09.239
that is imminent.

02:38:12.799 --> 02:38:17.199
Confederate General Braxton Bragg

02:38:15.040 --> 02:38:20.319
imagines the second day of the Battle of

02:38:17.200 --> 02:38:23.439
Chikamaga to bring destruction to the

02:38:20.318 --> 02:38:25.680
Union Army.

02:38:23.439 --> 02:38:28.880
But once again, a breakdown in

02:38:25.680 --> 02:38:30.880
communication plagues the Confederates.

02:38:28.879 --> 02:38:35.039
The southern assault will not begin

02:38:30.879 --> 02:38:36.799
until 9:30 a.m.

02:38:35.040 --> 02:38:39.280
One Union general who commanded one of

02:38:36.799 --> 02:38:41.599
the divisions on that perimeter said if

02:38:39.280 --> 02:38:43.600
the attack, the Confederate attack, had

02:38:41.600 --> 02:38:46.000
happened [music] at 6:00 a.m., it

02:38:43.600 --> 02:38:49.520
wouldn't have lasted an hour.

02:38:46.000 --> 02:38:52.799
After the war, a bitter brag will write.

02:38:49.520 --> 02:38:57.239
If not for that 3-hour delay, our

02:38:52.799 --> 02:38:57.239
independence might have been won.

02:39:02.639 --> 02:39:08.159
The previous day at Chikamaga had been

02:39:05.200 --> 02:39:12.120
as savage as any battle in more than 2

02:39:08.159 --> 02:39:12.119
years of civil war.

02:39:16.000 --> 02:39:19.000
Lord,

02:39:19.760 --> 02:39:23.920
the invading Union Army of the

02:39:21.520 --> 02:39:26.319
Cumberland, led by General William Stark

02:39:23.920 --> 02:39:28.478
Rose Crayons, is determined to gain

02:39:26.318 --> 02:39:32.279
control of the critical rail center of

02:39:28.478 --> 02:39:32.279
Chattanooga, Tennessee.

02:39:32.879 --> 02:39:38.239
Chattanooga is a gateway to the deep

02:39:35.280 --> 02:39:40.880
south, the heartland where factories,

02:39:38.239 --> 02:39:43.920
farmlands, and railroads are critical to

02:39:40.879 --> 02:39:46.719
the Confederate war effort.

02:39:43.920 --> 02:39:48.159
Is this going to land?

02:39:46.719 --> 02:39:50.079
Braxton Bragg's [music] Army of

02:39:48.159 --> 02:39:53.840
Tennessee

02:39:50.079 --> 02:39:58.600
hoped to not just stop Rose Crans,

02:39:53.840 --> 02:39:58.600
but to destroy his army of 58,000.

02:40:08.559 --> 02:40:12.719
We got to get out of here. The two

02:40:10.799 --> 02:40:15.840
armies [music] collided just 8 miles

02:40:12.719 --> 02:40:18.840
south of Chattanooga on September 19th,

02:40:15.840 --> 02:40:18.840
1863.

02:40:20.318 --> 02:40:25.989
After the first day of fighting,

02:40:23.680 --> 02:40:26.960
the Battle of Chikamaga

02:40:25.989 --> 02:40:30.439
[screaming and crying]

02:40:26.959 --> 02:40:30.438
is a draw.

02:40:30.575 --> 02:40:32.595
[music]

02:40:36.318 --> 02:40:43.199
It was an an unbelievably

02:40:39.600 --> 02:40:45.600
savage knockdown dragout fight in the

02:40:43.200 --> 02:40:50.359
woods. I would say that it's almost like

02:40:45.600 --> 02:40:50.359
Shiloh multiplied by two.

02:40:54.079 --> 02:41:01.039
They're coming over. [cheering]

02:40:58.000 --> 02:41:02.879
Now, less than 3 months after the

02:41:01.040 --> 02:41:05.520
devastating Confederate loss at

02:41:02.879 --> 02:41:08.239
Gettysburg, the Army of Tennessee

02:41:05.520 --> 02:41:12.880
resumes a battle they believe can

02:41:08.239 --> 02:41:14.719
reverse the fortunes of the Confederacy.

02:41:12.879 --> 02:41:17.358
Among the first to challenge the Union

02:41:14.719 --> 02:41:22.000
defenses at Chikamaga

02:41:17.359 --> 02:41:24.239
is the Kentucky Orphan Brigade,

02:41:22.000 --> 02:41:27.920
commanded by Brigadier General Benjamin

02:41:24.239 --> 02:41:29.680
Helm. When the war began, Helm was

02:41:27.920 --> 02:41:31.840
offered a position with the Union Army

02:41:29.680 --> 02:41:35.600
by his brother-in-law, a high-ranking

02:41:31.840 --> 02:41:38.079
official with the US government.

02:41:35.600 --> 02:41:39.760
Helm instead chose to fight for the

02:41:38.079 --> 02:41:41.920
Confederacy.

02:41:39.760 --> 02:41:46.439
Fighting under Helm's command is

02:41:41.920 --> 02:41:46.439
22-year-old Johnny Green.

02:41:47.200 --> 02:41:52.600
A perfect shower of great tour through

02:41:49.359 --> 02:41:52.600
our ranks.

02:41:55.600 --> 02:42:00.600
We fired a volley and rushed upon them.

02:42:07.840 --> 02:42:12.719
FOR GOD'S SAKE, THE BATTLE.

02:42:10.318 --> 02:42:13.920
Our beloved and gallant General Helm

02:42:12.719 --> 02:42:15.119
fell mortally wounded.

02:42:13.920 --> 02:42:17.600
COME HERE, TRENCHER.

02:42:15.120 --> 02:42:20.920
Leading his brigade, which he knew would

02:42:17.600 --> 02:42:20.920
never falter.

02:42:21.600 --> 02:42:28.318
Surgeons realize Helms's wound is fatal.

02:42:26.079 --> 02:42:31.200
The Confederate general clings to life

02:42:28.318 --> 02:42:34.439
for several more hours, but dies the

02:42:31.200 --> 02:42:34.439
next morning.

02:42:34.959 --> 02:42:39.839
Since the battle began, the two forces

02:42:37.760 --> 02:42:42.000
have been slugging it out along a

02:42:39.840 --> 02:42:44.398
four-mile [music] front a stride the

02:42:42.000 --> 02:42:45.840
Lefayet road.

02:42:44.398 --> 02:42:49.920
The Confederate attack [music] on

02:42:45.840 --> 02:42:51.840
September 20th targets the Union left.

02:42:49.920 --> 02:42:52.960
But what will determine the outcome of

02:42:51.840 --> 02:42:56.478
Chikamaga [music]

02:42:52.959 --> 02:42:58.000
is a hole in the Union center.

02:42:56.478 --> 02:43:00.959
Miscommunication, [music]

02:42:58.000 --> 02:43:03.920
confusion, and fatigue with Rose Crans

02:43:00.959 --> 02:43:06.799
and his generals have left a gap more

02:43:03.920 --> 02:43:09.439
than a quarter mile wide.

02:43:06.799 --> 02:43:12.159
The one weakness for the Union High

02:43:09.439 --> 02:43:15.439
Command was Rose Crans himself. On the

02:43:12.159 --> 02:43:18.159
night of the the 19th, Rose Cray had not

02:43:15.439 --> 02:43:20.720
gotten any sleep. And as a result, by

02:43:18.159 --> 02:43:23.359
the time the action began on September

02:43:20.719 --> 02:43:25.358
the 20th, the Union Army commander is on

02:43:23.359 --> 02:43:28.792
the verge of physical and mental

02:43:25.359 --> 02:43:28.792
collapse. [cheering]

02:43:29.040 --> 02:43:32.720
The approaching Confederates are

02:43:30.639 --> 02:43:35.760
commanded by none other than James

02:43:32.719 --> 02:43:39.279
Longreet, the trusted lieutenant of

02:43:35.760 --> 02:43:41.920
Roberty. Lee [cheering]

02:43:39.280 --> 02:43:44.239
Long Street and 11,000 soldiers from the

02:43:41.920 --> 02:43:46.559
Army of Northern Virginia had arrived

02:43:44.239 --> 02:43:48.879
just the night before.

02:43:46.559 --> 02:43:51.119
The only time in the war that

02:43:48.879 --> 02:43:54.079
significant numbers of troops were

02:43:51.120 --> 02:43:55.920
pulled away from Robert E. Le's Army of

02:43:54.079 --> 02:43:58.318
Northern Virginia, transferred to the

02:43:55.920 --> 02:44:00.719
Western Theater to fight there. And it

02:43:58.318 --> 02:44:02.879
shows that this is the Confederacy's big

02:44:00.719 --> 02:44:05.959
effort to reverse the tide of the war in

02:44:02.879 --> 02:44:05.959
the West.

02:44:06.559 --> 02:44:11.359
And now Long Street's core, [music]

02:44:08.879 --> 02:44:13.839
eight brigades, rolled straight through

02:44:11.359 --> 02:44:16.079
that gap and directly into the rear of

02:44:13.840 --> 02:44:17.760
the Union Army.

02:44:16.079 --> 02:44:20.239
And for the Confederate troops, it was

02:44:17.760 --> 02:44:22.800
thrilling. General Bush Rod Johnson

02:44:20.239 --> 02:44:26.159
called it a scene of unsurpassed grander

02:44:22.799 --> 02:44:28.318
as they realized that for the first time

02:44:26.159 --> 02:44:30.478
in the Western theater, the Confederacy

02:44:28.318 --> 02:44:32.959
was on the verge of a magnificent

02:44:30.478 --> 02:44:35.199
victory.

02:44:32.959 --> 02:44:38.879
The stunning breakthrough effectively

02:44:35.200 --> 02:44:41.359
splits the Union army at Chikamaga.

02:44:38.879 --> 02:44:44.000
Rose CR and a third of his force leave

02:44:41.359 --> 02:44:49.399
the battlefield.

02:44:44.000 --> 02:44:49.398
The Union right soon crumbles.

02:44:49.680 --> 02:44:53.159
Company, lads.

02:44:56.239 --> 02:45:00.799
But not all the Union soldiers leave the

02:44:58.239 --> 02:45:02.639
field at Chikamaga.

02:45:00.799 --> 02:45:07.599
Troops under the command of General

02:45:02.639 --> 02:45:11.439
George Thomas quickly form a defense

02:45:07.600 --> 02:45:15.559
on Snodgrass Hill and Horseshoe Ridge.

02:45:11.439 --> 02:45:15.559
They stand firm.

02:45:18.000 --> 02:45:22.054
Ready to charge at the steep wooded

02:45:19.920 --> 02:45:26.200
slope and end the battle are nearly

02:45:22.054 --> 02:45:26.200
[music] 3,000 Confederates.

02:45:26.318 --> 02:45:33.719
Among them is Lieutenant Joshua Callaway

02:45:29.680 --> 02:45:33.720
of the 28th Alabama.

02:45:35.680 --> 02:45:40.398
17 months earlier,

02:45:38.000 --> 02:45:42.799
Callaway [music] left his wife Dulania

02:45:40.398 --> 02:45:45.039
and two small children at their home

02:45:42.799 --> 02:45:47.199
near Selma.

02:45:45.040 --> 02:45:50.240
Almost onethird of all white households

02:45:47.200 --> 02:45:55.800
in the Confederacy own slaves.

02:45:50.239 --> 02:45:55.799
Callaway is among those who do not.

02:46:00.639 --> 02:46:05.278
Like so many others on both sides of the

02:46:02.639 --> 02:46:09.278
battlefield, the Callaways communicate

02:46:05.279 --> 02:46:12.159
through a series of letters.

02:46:09.279 --> 02:46:16.960
My dear love, I've just passed through

02:46:12.159 --> 02:46:19.840
the terrible ordeal of a hard battle.

02:46:16.959 --> 02:46:21.599
Our

02:46:19.840 --> 02:46:24.600
brigade formed at the foot of a long

02:46:21.600 --> 02:46:24.600
hill

02:46:25.200 --> 02:46:29.040
at the top of which was the enemy's

02:46:26.959 --> 02:46:32.318
line.

02:46:29.040 --> 02:46:34.000
The battle was raging all along our line

02:46:32.318 --> 02:46:37.359
as if heaven and earth were coming

02:46:34.000 --> 02:46:42.279
together. A thousand thunderstorms all

02:46:37.359 --> 02:46:42.279
turned loose could not equal the noise.

02:46:45.920 --> 02:46:52.318
Doulsonia Callaway is hearing things

02:46:48.879 --> 02:46:54.879
she's never heard before. She's never

02:46:52.318 --> 02:46:57.039
read letters from a family member in

02:46:54.879 --> 02:46:59.839
war.

02:46:57.040 --> 02:47:03.600
So, these letters are

02:46:59.840 --> 02:47:06.318
obviously going to make her fearful and

02:47:03.600 --> 02:47:08.880
very concerned about her husband's

02:47:06.318 --> 02:47:10.559
well-being.

02:47:08.879 --> 02:47:13.199
How this war was going to turn out was a

02:47:10.559 --> 02:47:16.559
big unknown. And that was a source of

02:47:13.200 --> 02:47:19.560
daily fear for a mother like Dulceia

02:47:16.559 --> 02:47:19.559
Callaway.

02:47:24.000 --> 02:47:32.000
The carnage was awful. Men were shot

02:47:28.639 --> 02:47:34.000
down all around me. I was indeed in the

02:47:32.000 --> 02:47:37.239
very midst

02:47:34.000 --> 02:47:37.239
of death.

02:47:39.040 --> 02:47:45.439
On Snodg Grass Hill, the Battle of

02:47:41.680 --> 02:47:47.359
Chikamaga reaches its culmination.

02:47:45.439 --> 02:47:48.880
The attacking Confederates taste

02:47:47.359 --> 02:47:51.279
victory,

02:47:48.879 --> 02:47:56.119
but Thomas' outnumbered defenders

02:47:51.279 --> 02:47:56.120
repulse charge after charge.

02:47:56.159 --> 02:48:01.439
Thomas' heroic defense allows the

02:47:58.478 --> 02:48:04.478
remaining Union forces to escape. For

02:48:01.439 --> 02:48:07.520
that stand, Thomas becomes known as the

02:48:04.478 --> 02:48:10.879
rock of Chikamaga.

02:48:07.520 --> 02:48:13.880
By day's end, the last of Union troops

02:48:10.879 --> 02:48:13.879
withdraw.

02:48:18.000 --> 02:48:24.439
The carnage of the battle exceeds even

02:48:20.216 --> 02:48:24.439
[music] the bloodbath at Shiloh.

02:48:25.120 --> 02:48:32.319
At Chikamaga, more [music] than 34,000

02:48:28.318 --> 02:48:36.920
from both armies are dead.

02:48:32.318 --> 02:48:36.920
wounded or missing.

02:48:37.040 --> 02:48:42.880
The combined casualties are [music] the

02:48:38.879 --> 02:48:45.105
second most of any battle in the war.

02:48:42.879 --> 02:48:48.000
Only Gettysburg exceeds the butchery

02:48:45.105 --> 02:48:49.920
[music] of Chikamaga.

02:48:48.000 --> 02:48:51.840
Though victorious,

02:48:49.920 --> 02:48:54.239
the staggering number of those lost in

02:48:51.840 --> 02:48:57.040
the ranks is a serious [music] problem

02:48:54.239 --> 02:48:58.639
plaguing the Confederacy.

02:48:57.040 --> 02:49:01.680
The Confederates have a problem.

02:48:58.639 --> 02:49:04.239
Confederates realize the arithmetic and

02:49:01.680 --> 02:49:07.359
they're not winning the arithmetic.

02:49:04.239 --> 02:49:09.520
If they expand more men, even equal to

02:49:07.359 --> 02:49:11.200
the loss in the Union armies, they will

02:49:09.520 --> 02:49:14.840
eventually cease to have the ability to

02:49:11.200 --> 02:49:14.840
put men in the field.

02:49:18.159 --> 02:49:23.600
Joshua Callaway somehow makes it through

02:49:20.478 --> 02:49:25.679
the battle unscathed.

02:49:23.600 --> 02:49:28.479
We now moved to the top of the hill and

02:49:25.680 --> 02:49:32.840
slept on the battlefield.

02:49:28.478 --> 02:49:32.840
Napoleon's sign of victory.

02:49:33.120 --> 02:49:38.479
I have now seen and experienced the

02:49:35.279 --> 02:49:43.960
horrors of war

02:49:38.478 --> 02:49:43.959
as well as the spoils and glories.

02:49:44.000 --> 02:49:48.520
I am very well. Thank God.

02:49:49.040 --> 02:49:54.640
A thousand kisses for you and the

02:49:52.079 --> 02:49:59.799
children.

02:49:54.639 --> 02:49:59.799
your loving JK Callaway.

02:50:03.520 --> 02:50:08.947
600 miles to the north in Washington DC,

02:50:07.120 --> 02:50:12.319
President Abraham Lincoln receives

02:50:08.947 --> 02:50:15.600
[music] a telegram of the Union debacle.

02:50:12.318 --> 02:50:19.639
With the report comes devastating news

02:50:15.600 --> 02:50:19.640
about an enemy officer.

02:50:19.680 --> 02:50:23.760
Killed at Chikamaga is his

02:50:22.079 --> 02:50:28.039
brother-in-law,

02:50:23.760 --> 02:50:28.040
Benjamin [music] Harden Helm.

02:50:28.239 --> 02:50:35.000
Lincoln's trusted friend is Supreme

02:50:30.318 --> 02:50:35.000
Court Justice David Davis.

02:50:35.120 --> 02:50:39.359
I never saw Mr. Lincoln more moved than

02:50:37.680 --> 02:50:41.359
when he heard of the death of his young

02:50:39.359 --> 02:50:45.600
brother-in-law.

02:50:41.359 --> 02:50:47.600
Davis, he said, I feel like David of old

02:50:45.600 --> 02:50:50.600
when he heard of the death of [music]

02:50:47.600 --> 02:50:50.600
Abselum.

02:50:50.639 --> 02:50:59.398
I saw how griefstricken he was, so I

02:50:54.079 --> 02:50:59.398
closed the door and left him.

02:51:05.439 --> 02:51:09.760
Lincoln's grief reflects the state of a

02:51:07.680 --> 02:51:14.040
nation that is beginning to crack under

02:51:09.760 --> 02:51:14.040
the pressure of a civil war.

02:51:14.398 --> 02:51:20.398
Two months earlier, in July of 1863,

02:51:17.920 --> 02:51:22.478
laborers in New York City reacted with

02:51:20.398 --> 02:51:26.920
violence to a law establishing the

02:51:22.478 --> 02:51:26.920
nation's first [music] military draft.

02:51:28.639 --> 02:51:34.519
Many of the protesters are impoverished

02:51:30.639 --> 02:51:34.519
immigrants from Ireland.

02:51:34.559 --> 02:51:38.639
They're particularly enraged over a

02:51:36.879 --> 02:51:40.959
provision of the law that allows

02:51:38.639 --> 02:51:44.920
drafties the option to buy their way out

02:51:40.959 --> 02:51:44.919
of service for $300.

02:51:47.200 --> 02:51:54.359
Angry mobs roam Manhattan, killing

02:51:49.920 --> 02:51:54.359
policemen and setting the city ablaze.

02:51:54.639 --> 02:51:59.358
But the protesters venom is particularly

02:51:56.799 --> 02:52:02.317
aimed at New York's 12,000

02:51:59.359 --> 02:52:02.318
African-Ameans. [music]

02:52:05.600 --> 02:52:10.600
An orphanage for black children is

02:52:07.600 --> 02:52:10.600
torched.

02:52:11.359 --> 02:52:19.680
The 233 children inside escape before

02:52:15.359 --> 02:52:22.399
the building burns to the ground.

02:52:19.680 --> 02:52:25.040
Ultimately, northerners who descended

02:52:22.398 --> 02:52:28.159
against this conflict,

02:52:25.040 --> 02:52:31.439
they felt agrieved,

02:52:28.159 --> 02:52:35.039
misled, abandoned

02:52:31.439 --> 02:52:38.318
by a president who had turned a war for

02:52:35.040 --> 02:52:40.479
Union into a war for union and

02:52:38.318 --> 02:52:42.639
emancipation.

02:52:40.478 --> 02:52:45.119
It wasn't until the arrival of Union

02:52:42.639 --> 02:52:47.599
soldiers who just fought at Gettysburg

02:52:45.120 --> 02:52:49.120
that 5 days of rioting was finally

02:52:47.600 --> 02:52:52.159
quelled.

02:52:49.120 --> 02:52:55.279
Hundreds were killed. Some 2,000 were

02:52:52.159 --> 02:52:57.680
injured. 11 black citizens were dragged

02:52:55.279 --> 02:53:00.399
from their homes and lynched by the

02:52:57.680 --> 02:53:04.639
angry mob.

02:53:00.398 --> 02:53:07.119
Once they thought that northern boys

02:53:04.639 --> 02:53:08.719
going to die for the freedom of

02:53:07.120 --> 02:53:10.079
African-Americans,

02:53:08.719 --> 02:53:12.403
that was simply more than what they

02:53:10.079 --> 02:53:12.404
could stomach. [music]

02:53:12.959 --> 02:53:20.000
That class of individuals was seen as

02:53:16.478 --> 02:53:22.559
responsible for bringing this war on and

02:53:20.000 --> 02:53:25.279
for ultimately taking northern boys from

02:53:22.559 --> 02:53:29.379
their homes, sending them to the front

02:53:25.279 --> 02:53:31.399
lines where they were dying in droves.

02:53:29.379 --> 02:53:31.398
[music]

02:53:31.680 --> 02:53:36.398
By September 1863,

02:53:34.398 --> 02:53:38.603
northern casualties have eclipsed

02:53:36.398 --> 02:53:38.603
400,000. [music]

02:53:41.200 --> 02:53:47.720
At the Battle of [music] Chikamaga alone

02:53:43.439 --> 02:53:49.738
are 16,000 Union casualties.

02:53:47.719 --> 02:53:49.738
[music]

02:53:56.799 --> 02:54:00.719
Chikamaga is undeniably a Confederate

02:53:58.959 --> 02:54:04.159
victory,

02:54:00.719 --> 02:54:06.318
but a hollow one.

02:54:04.159 --> 02:54:08.239
Bragg has allowed Rose Cray and his

02:54:06.318 --> 02:54:11.239
Union army to [music] escape to

02:54:08.239 --> 02:54:11.239
Chattanooga.

02:54:13.359 --> 02:54:18.000
Bragg

02:54:15.439 --> 02:54:20.559
getting lucky at Chikamaga,

02:54:18.000 --> 02:54:22.799
winning the field.

02:54:20.559 --> 02:54:25.359
They win a tactical victory, no doubt

02:54:22.799 --> 02:54:29.599
about it. But he doesn't have

02:54:25.359 --> 02:54:33.680
Chattanooga. Confederates failed to

02:54:29.600 --> 02:54:36.000
exercise any strategic potential from

02:54:33.680 --> 02:54:38.239
that victory.

02:54:36.000 --> 02:54:40.559
Bragg moves his army from the Chikamaga

02:54:38.239 --> 02:54:43.439
battlefield to the heights overlooking

02:54:40.559 --> 02:54:47.519
Union occupied Chattanooga.

02:54:43.439 --> 02:54:49.439
There he plans to lay siege to the city.

02:54:47.520 --> 02:54:54.200
Lincoln and his cabinet fear it could

02:54:49.439 --> 02:54:54.200
become Vixsburg in reverse.

02:54:54.398 --> 02:54:59.278
As summer turns to autumn, the situation

02:54:57.120 --> 02:55:02.000
for the Union forces at Chattanooga

02:54:59.279 --> 02:55:04.960
grows desperate.

02:55:02.000 --> 02:55:07.600
Bragg has in essence cut off all supply

02:55:04.959 --> 02:55:09.919
lines into the city.

02:55:07.600 --> 02:55:13.120
The trapped and now starving army of the

02:55:09.920 --> 02:55:15.760
Cumberland is not just defeated,

02:55:13.120 --> 02:55:17.600
it's demoralized.

02:55:15.760 --> 02:55:20.318
The army's ineffective commander,

02:55:17.600 --> 02:55:22.960
William Stark Rose Crans, is described

02:55:20.318 --> 02:55:25.680
by Lincoln as stunned like a duck hit in

02:55:22.959 --> 02:55:29.839
the head.

02:55:25.680 --> 02:55:31.840
On October 21st, Rose Crays is replaced

02:55:29.840 --> 02:55:32.398
and the most familiar face in the

02:55:31.840 --> 02:55:37.105
Western [music]

02:55:32.398 --> 02:55:38.959
theater assumes overall command.

02:55:37.105 --> 02:55:41.039
[music]

02:55:38.959 --> 02:55:42.559
Who arrives on the scene, I think, is

02:55:41.040 --> 02:55:44.080
arguably one of the greatest soldiers

02:55:42.559 --> 02:55:48.559
the Civil War ever produced. And that's

02:55:44.079 --> 02:55:51.840
Ulissiz Sgrant. What Grant had was

02:55:48.559 --> 02:55:55.318
nothing you could teach. Grant had a

02:55:51.840 --> 02:55:55.318
natural ability.

02:55:56.478 --> 02:56:02.879
Within days of Grant's arrival,

02:56:00.719 --> 02:56:05.199
supplies and reinforcements begin to

02:56:02.879 --> 02:56:09.799
slip into Chattanooga through a supply

02:56:05.200 --> 02:56:09.800
route called the Cracker Line.

02:56:11.920 --> 02:56:17.520
And Grant comes right in and immediately

02:56:14.079 --> 02:56:21.840
opens up the supply flow and then begins

02:56:17.520 --> 02:56:24.266
as Grant is always thinking, "How can I

02:56:21.840 --> 02:56:25.520
take the fight to the enemy?"

02:56:24.266 --> 02:56:27.359
[music]

02:56:25.520 --> 02:56:30.359
Now it's Grant's enemy that has become

02:56:27.359 --> 02:56:30.359
demoralized.

02:56:31.520 --> 02:56:35.760
By November 1863, [music]

02:56:34.079 --> 02:56:38.879
even the weather seems to be turning

02:56:35.760 --> 02:56:40.159
against Bragg and his men.

02:56:38.879 --> 02:56:42.959
For the men in the Confederate [music]

02:56:40.159 --> 02:56:45.279
trenches, the Civil War is not just

02:56:42.959 --> 02:56:48.478
about states rights or the institution

02:56:45.279 --> 02:56:51.600
of slavery.

02:56:48.478 --> 02:56:57.318
In the war's third year, it's also about

02:56:51.600 --> 02:56:57.318
defending your home and your family.

02:56:58.000 --> 02:57:02.799
In the gloom of late autumn,

02:57:00.639 --> 02:57:07.318
Bragg's men begin to realize that the

02:57:02.799 --> 02:57:07.318
victory at Chikamaga has been wasted

02:57:07.359 --> 02:57:11.840
and the opportunity to turn the tide of

02:57:09.279 --> 02:57:14.840
the western campaign

02:57:11.840 --> 02:57:14.840
squandered.

02:57:15.920 --> 02:57:21.079
Even more disturbing is this sobering

02:57:18.079 --> 02:57:21.079
reality.

02:57:21.279 --> 02:57:27.560
The struggle for Chattanooga will mean

02:57:23.840 --> 02:57:27.559
yet another battle.

02:57:33.359 --> 02:57:37.520
A reinforced grant is ready to go on the

02:57:36.000 --> 02:57:39.760
offensive against the Confederates

02:57:37.520 --> 02:57:42.560
encircling Chattanooga.

02:57:39.760 --> 02:57:46.478
Most are dug in along the crest of

02:57:42.559 --> 02:57:49.519
Missionary Ridge, a 7m long spine of

02:57:46.478 --> 02:57:52.000
soil and stone extending from just east

02:57:49.520 --> 02:57:55.600
of Chattanooga to the Georgia state

02:57:52.000 --> 02:57:57.920
line. For Grant, the key to victory

02:57:55.600 --> 02:58:00.318
depends on destroying the Confederate

02:57:57.920 --> 02:58:02.079
stronghold.

02:58:00.318 --> 02:58:06.318
His plan was to cross [music] the

02:58:02.079 --> 02:58:10.079
Tennessee River northeast of Chattanooga

02:58:06.318 --> 02:58:13.278
and get on the flank of Missionary Ridge

02:58:10.079 --> 02:58:17.799
and then advance along Missionary Ridge,

02:58:13.279 --> 02:58:17.800
rolling up the Confederate line.

02:58:20.799 --> 02:58:26.959
November 19th, 1863. [music]

02:58:25.279 --> 02:58:29.840
On the very day Lincoln gives the

02:58:26.959 --> 02:58:32.647
Gettysburg address, Joshua Callaway

02:58:29.840 --> 02:58:34.478
climbs Lookout Mountain.

02:58:32.647 --> 02:58:37.599
[music]

02:58:34.478 --> 02:58:40.507
The 2300 ft precipice towers over the

02:58:37.600 --> 02:58:42.527
Union forces in Chattanooga.

02:58:40.507 --> 02:58:42.527
[music]

02:58:45.093 --> 02:58:49.679
[music] Dear Loi, yesterday I got some

02:58:47.920 --> 02:58:51.920
fellas to go up to the top of Lookout

02:58:49.680 --> 02:58:55.040
Mountain. I could not help [music] but

02:58:51.920 --> 02:58:57.538
feel a spark of ambition,

02:58:55.040 --> 02:59:01.439
desire to make my name as immortal

02:58:57.538 --> 02:59:04.088
[music] as that of Lookout Mountain.

02:59:01.439 --> 02:59:06.639
My ambition cooled off and I began

02:59:04.088 --> 02:59:10.000
[music] to think how I'd be perfectly

02:59:06.639 --> 02:59:13.599
content to be at home with my wife,

02:59:10.000 --> 02:59:15.359
never thought of after I die.

02:59:13.600 --> 02:59:17.840
You need not be at all surprised [music]

02:59:15.359 --> 02:59:20.840
to hear of some demonstration at any

02:59:17.840 --> 02:59:20.840
moment.

02:59:21.120 --> 02:59:26.520
As ever, you're devoted JK Callaway.

02:59:27.600 --> 02:59:35.040
November 24th, 1863.

02:59:31.680 --> 02:59:38.318
On a foggy, misty day, Grant's trusted

02:59:35.040 --> 02:59:41.760
lieutenant, William Tecumsa Sherman,

02:59:38.318 --> 02:59:44.719
leads a Union force of 16,000 from

02:59:41.760 --> 02:59:48.279
Chattanooga to the northern tip of

02:59:44.719 --> 02:59:48.278
Missionary Ridge.

02:59:48.478 --> 02:59:55.398
The assault on the Confederate

02:59:50.159 --> 02:59:55.398
stronghold is about to begin.

02:59:56.159 --> 03:00:02.000
The same day, General Joseph Hooker and

02:59:59.040 --> 03:00:04.800
some [music] 10,000 Union troops attack

03:00:02.000 --> 03:00:07.520
1,500 Confederates dug into Lookout

03:00:04.799 --> 03:00:10.159
Mountain.

03:00:07.520 --> 03:00:12.800
The all day fight becomes known as the

03:00:10.159 --> 03:00:15.200
battle above the clouds.

03:00:12.799 --> 03:00:17.599
By nightfall, the overwhelmed

03:00:15.200 --> 03:00:19.680
Confederates evacuate.

03:00:17.600 --> 03:00:21.840
But the fate of Chattanooga will not be

03:00:19.680 --> 03:00:26.079
determined at Lookout Mountain, but

03:00:21.840 --> 03:00:26.079
rather Missionary Ridge.

03:00:31.359 --> 03:00:38.439
The next morning, Sherman's assault on

03:00:33.840 --> 03:00:38.439
Missionary Ridge goes nowhere.

03:00:38.799 --> 03:00:44.159
A top the height are 4,000 Confederates,

03:00:42.239 --> 03:00:47.159
skillfully led by General Patrick

03:00:44.159 --> 03:00:47.159
Clayburn.

03:00:48.079 --> 03:00:55.520
A Confederate defender remarks, "We feel

03:00:51.120 --> 03:00:58.560
we can kill all they send after us."

03:00:55.520 --> 03:01:01.760
With Sherman's attack paralyzed, Grant

03:00:58.559 --> 03:01:04.760
turns to George Thomas, the Rock of

03:01:01.760 --> 03:01:04.760
Chikamaga.

03:01:05.680 --> 03:01:09.680
Grant orders Thomas to attack

03:01:07.520 --> 03:01:12.720
Confederate rifle pits at the base of

03:01:09.680 --> 03:01:16.639
Missionary Ridge.

03:01:12.719 --> 03:01:19.278
But Thomas' veterans do not stop there.

03:01:16.639 --> 03:01:23.039
They continue up the steep slope with

03:01:19.279 --> 03:01:26.040
one thing in mind.

03:01:23.040 --> 03:01:26.040
Redemption.

03:01:26.559 --> 03:01:32.159
Once Thomas's troops took the trenches

03:01:29.359 --> 03:01:33.680
at the base of the ridge. What the hell

03:01:32.159 --> 03:01:35.520
were they supposed [music] to do? They

03:01:33.680 --> 03:01:37.520
now were exposed to Confederate fire up

03:01:35.520 --> 03:01:41.120
the ridge.

03:01:37.520 --> 03:01:42.960
They just started moving up the Defiles.

03:01:41.120 --> 03:01:46.079
It's not much different than the guys

03:01:42.959 --> 03:01:47.679
going the shore at Omaha [music] Beach.

03:01:46.079 --> 03:01:51.639
They know they got to take the high

03:01:47.680 --> 03:01:51.639
ground eventually.

03:01:53.079 --> 03:01:55.100
[screaming]

03:01:55.200 --> 03:02:00.159
The Union attack on Missionary Ridge is

03:01:58.079 --> 03:02:03.799
one of the most dramatic moments of the

03:02:00.159 --> 03:02:03.799
entire war.

03:02:10.079 --> 03:02:13.760
Among the Confederate defenders of

03:02:11.840 --> 03:02:17.960
Missionary Ridge, the scene was

03:02:13.760 --> 03:02:17.960
pandemonium and confusion.

03:02:18.318 --> 03:02:21.519
With that, there was nothing left for

03:02:19.760 --> 03:02:24.159
the Confederates to do but get away as

03:02:21.520 --> 03:02:26.319
quick as they could, and they fled down

03:02:24.159 --> 03:02:30.039
the back slope of Missionary Ridge as

03:02:26.318 --> 03:02:30.039
fast as they could run.

03:02:30.478 --> 03:02:36.959
Colonel C. Irvine Walker of the 10th

03:02:33.120 --> 03:02:39.200
South Carolina Infantry.

03:02:36.959 --> 03:02:42.239
I don't think any feat of the war can

03:02:39.200 --> 03:02:44.079
equal their attack on Missionary Ridge.

03:02:42.239 --> 03:02:46.639
If only our men had held their ground,

03:02:44.079 --> 03:02:48.398
it would have been child's play.

03:02:46.639 --> 03:02:50.639
But instead, they fled panicstricken

03:02:48.398 --> 03:02:52.159
before the enemy. When I saw the men

03:02:50.639 --> 03:02:55.599
running, I could not believe that these

03:02:52.159 --> 03:02:57.920
were the heroes of Shiloh, Pville, Oak

03:02:55.600 --> 03:03:01.200
Hills, and Chickamonga.

03:02:57.920 --> 03:03:02.478
Bragg orders a retreat into Georgia.

03:03:01.200 --> 03:03:05.200
With a Confederate defeat at

03:03:02.478 --> 03:03:08.159
Chattanooga, the gateway to the deep

03:03:05.200 --> 03:03:10.960
south has [music] been pried open.

03:03:08.159 --> 03:03:13.840
A junior officer from Bragg's army later

03:03:10.959 --> 03:03:18.199
calls the defeat at Missionary Ridge the

03:03:13.840 --> 03:03:18.200
death nail of the Confederacy.

03:03:25.600 --> 03:03:30.559
The battles of Chikamaga and Chattanooga

03:03:28.057 --> 03:03:34.200
[music] result in 30,000 casualties for

03:03:30.559 --> 03:03:34.199
the Army of Tennessee.

03:03:36.559 --> 03:03:43.239
Some 2500 give their lives to the

03:03:39.600 --> 03:03:43.239
Confederate cause.

03:03:49.120 --> 03:03:53.600
Two weeks after the battles for

03:03:50.559 --> 03:03:57.000
Chattanooga, Dulania Callaway receives

03:03:53.600 --> 03:03:57.000
another correspondence.

03:03:57.359 --> 03:04:03.600
Mrs. JK Callaway,

03:04:00.719 --> 03:04:05.679
it now falls to my unhappy lot to write

03:04:03.600 --> 03:04:08.239
you a short letter letting you know what

03:04:05.680 --> 03:04:11.040
has become of your muchbeloved husband,

03:04:08.239 --> 03:04:12.959
Lieutenant Joshua K. Callaway,

03:04:11.040 --> 03:04:16.720
who fell in the Battle of Missionary

03:04:12.959 --> 03:04:18.799
Ridge, mortally wounded.

03:04:16.719 --> 03:04:23.438
While rallying his company, he was shot

03:04:18.799 --> 03:04:25.438
through the boughels with a mini ball.

03:04:23.439 --> 03:04:28.479
We picked him up and started off the

03:04:25.439 --> 03:04:31.800
field when he asked us to lay him down

03:04:28.478 --> 03:04:31.799
and die.

03:04:32.639 --> 03:04:37.358
I have every reason to believe he's gone

03:04:34.799 --> 03:04:40.358
to a better land where there's no more

03:04:37.359 --> 03:04:40.359
war.

03:04:41.200 --> 03:04:45.840
The company and officers deeply

03:04:42.959 --> 03:04:49.438
sympathize with you and his loss.

03:04:45.840 --> 03:04:53.159
But what is your loss and our loss is

03:04:49.439 --> 03:04:53.159
his eternal gain.

03:04:54.879 --> 03:05:02.278
WF AOK, Lieutenant Company K, 28th

03:04:58.719 --> 03:05:02.278
Alabama Regiment.

03:05:04.079 --> 03:05:09.279
With the death of her husband and the

03:05:06.398 --> 03:05:12.000
knowledge now that he's not coming home,

03:05:09.279 --> 03:05:15.439
Doulsonia Callaway has to begin

03:05:12.000 --> 03:05:20.200
envisioning a future that she is going

03:05:15.439 --> 03:05:20.200
to create for her children on her own.

03:05:20.398 --> 03:05:26.559
And she's just like so many other white

03:05:23.040 --> 03:05:29.200
women in the South because 18% of

03:05:26.559 --> 03:05:31.920
southern white men of military age died

03:05:29.200 --> 03:05:34.800
in this war. That's a significant loss

03:05:31.920 --> 03:05:37.200
and it left many widows behind. And

03:05:34.799 --> 03:05:41.799
these widows though, what choice do they

03:05:37.200 --> 03:05:41.800
have? They have to move on.

03:05:42.000 --> 03:05:48.239
By the end of 1863,

03:05:44.478 --> 03:05:51.599
the war in the east remains a stalemate.

03:05:48.239 --> 03:05:55.680
But the western theater is thus far a

03:05:51.600 --> 03:05:58.159
stunning success for Union forces.

03:05:55.680 --> 03:06:00.159
Since the war began, the North has been

03:05:58.159 --> 03:06:03.760
victorious at forts Henry and

03:06:00.159 --> 03:06:07.920
Donaldelsson, Shiloh, Corinth, Stones

03:06:03.760 --> 03:06:10.639
River, Vixsburg, and Chattanooga.

03:06:07.920 --> 03:06:12.879
To the south, the Union Navy has

03:06:10.639 --> 03:06:15.199
captured the major port of New Orleans

03:06:12.879 --> 03:06:18.559
and now controls the entire Mississippi

03:06:15.200 --> 03:06:20.560
River. Equally important is the naval

03:06:18.559 --> 03:06:22.639
blockade along the Gulf Coast [music]

03:06:20.559 --> 03:06:26.278
that is squeezing the life out of the

03:06:22.639 --> 03:06:26.278
Confederate economy.

03:06:27.840 --> 03:06:32.000
And now the armies are poised on the

03:06:29.680 --> 03:06:35.200
border of Georgia. And you can push down

03:06:32.000 --> 03:06:37.760
into not just Georgia, but Alabama. And

03:06:35.200 --> 03:06:39.359
you can you can really strike that final

03:06:37.760 --> 03:06:42.000
dagger into the heart of the Western

03:06:39.359 --> 03:06:43.120
Confederacy.

03:06:42.000 --> 03:06:45.279
That dagger [music]

03:06:43.120 --> 03:06:48.079
is now in the hands of Union General

03:06:45.279 --> 03:06:49.840
William Tecumsa Sherman.

03:06:48.079 --> 03:06:53.039
That's because Lincoln has promoted

03:06:49.840 --> 03:06:55.040
Ulysiz S. Grant to Lieutenant General,

03:06:53.040 --> 03:06:57.279
making him general and chief of all

03:06:55.040 --> 03:06:58.880
Union armies.

03:06:57.279 --> 03:07:01.600
Grant chooses to make his field

03:06:58.879 --> 03:07:04.879
headquarters with the Army of the PTOAC

03:07:01.600 --> 03:07:08.159
in its fight in Virginia.

03:07:04.879 --> 03:07:10.719
And so what Lincoln is hoping with based

03:07:08.159 --> 03:07:13.840
on his horrible experience with generals

03:07:10.719 --> 03:07:15.599
in the east that if he can bring if he

03:07:13.840 --> 03:07:17.963
can bring Grant from the west to the

03:07:15.600 --> 03:07:21.120
east, Grant is going to do in the east

03:07:17.963 --> 03:07:22.879
[music] what he did in the west.

03:07:21.120 --> 03:07:25.359
Grant understands what Lincoln's

03:07:22.879 --> 03:07:28.959
understood [music] for several years

03:07:25.359 --> 03:07:32.239
that to win this war, the Union has to

03:07:28.959 --> 03:07:34.398
attack the Confederacy simultaneously

03:07:32.239 --> 03:07:37.119
everywhere.

03:07:34.398 --> 03:07:39.119
In Virginia, Grant will attempt to do

03:07:37.120 --> 03:07:40.720
what no Union general has been able to

03:07:39.120 --> 03:07:43.439
accomplish,

03:07:40.719 --> 03:07:48.559
except the unconditional surrender of

03:07:43.439 --> 03:07:50.318
Roberty Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

03:07:48.559 --> 03:07:52.000
People in the North might have sat back

03:07:50.318 --> 03:07:54.799
and said, "Well, the war is almost over

03:07:52.000 --> 03:07:56.398
now. Victory is within reach. Grant is

03:07:54.799 --> 03:07:58.398
ready to move on Richmond. Sherman is

03:07:56.398 --> 03:08:00.159
ready to move on Atlanta. We'll just

03:07:58.398 --> 03:08:02.000
start counting the weeks now until the

03:08:00.159 --> 03:08:06.920
war ends."

03:08:02.000 --> 03:08:06.920
And then it all dried up.

03:08:08.239 --> 03:08:12.879
May 1864,

03:08:10.879 --> 03:08:15.519
a succession of battles in the confused

03:08:12.879 --> 03:08:17.569
terrain northwest of Richmond results in

03:08:15.520 --> 03:08:20.600
a bloodbath for the Union Army of the

03:08:17.569 --> 03:08:20.600
[music] PTOAC.

03:08:21.840 --> 03:08:26.079
At the battles of Wilderness,

03:08:24.000 --> 03:08:27.920
Spennsylvania Courthouse, and Cold

03:08:26.079 --> 03:08:30.239
Harbor,

03:08:27.920 --> 03:08:34.359
Grant's forces suffer a staggering

03:08:30.239 --> 03:08:34.359
50,000 casualties.

03:08:34.719 --> 03:08:39.760
The catastrophic loss of life helps to

03:08:37.359 --> 03:08:42.399
fuel a growing anti-war movement in the

03:08:39.760 --> 03:08:44.719
North.

03:08:42.398 --> 03:08:46.719
A vocal faction of the Democratic Party,

03:08:44.719 --> 03:08:49.199
dubbed Copperheads by their Republican

03:08:46.719 --> 03:08:52.879
rivals, vehemently [music] denounce

03:08:49.200 --> 03:08:52.880
Lincoln's war policies.

03:08:52.959 --> 03:08:57.919
One New York copperhead [music] writes,

03:08:55.359 --> 03:09:00.159
"The war is murder,

03:08:57.920 --> 03:09:01.840
nothing else."

03:09:00.159 --> 03:09:04.398
If you look at how politics is being

03:09:01.840 --> 03:09:05.920
done on the ground in 1864, what's been

03:09:04.398 --> 03:09:07.840
happening

03:09:05.920 --> 03:09:10.478
in Ohio?

03:09:07.840 --> 03:09:13.120
Clement Leairard Valandigum,

03:09:10.478 --> 03:09:15.358
an Ohio Democratic congressman who has

03:09:13.120 --> 03:09:17.439
actually been arrested for anti-war

03:09:15.359 --> 03:09:19.279
activities and expelled into the ranks

03:09:17.439 --> 03:09:21.680
of the Confederacy,

03:09:19.279 --> 03:09:23.760
is now running for governor of Ohio from

03:09:21.680 --> 03:09:25.279
his vantage point across the border in

03:09:23.760 --> 03:09:27.680
Canada.

03:09:25.279 --> 03:09:30.239
And he has thousands upon thousands of

03:09:27.680 --> 03:09:33.680
people turning out in rallies to support

03:09:30.239 --> 03:09:35.840
him. The governor of New York is now a

03:09:33.680 --> 03:09:40.159
Democrat. The governor of New Jersey is

03:09:35.840 --> 03:09:42.318
now a Democrat. All of them very public,

03:09:40.159 --> 03:09:43.840
very vehement in their denunciation of

03:09:42.318 --> 03:09:47.439
the Emancipation Proclamation [music]

03:09:43.840 --> 03:09:49.279
and the Lincoln administration.

03:09:47.439 --> 03:09:52.239
The Copperheads not only demand

03:09:49.279 --> 03:09:55.359
Lincoln's ouster, but also an immediate

03:09:52.239 --> 03:09:57.760
peace treaty with the Confederacy.

03:09:55.359 --> 03:10:02.279
They will become a political force in a

03:09:57.760 --> 03:10:02.279
year when Lincoln faces reelection.

03:10:03.120 --> 03:10:07.600
While Grant's offensive stalls in

03:10:05.040 --> 03:10:11.439
Virginia, Sherman begins to move his

03:10:07.600 --> 03:10:12.960
army of 100,000 from Chattanooga into

03:10:11.439 --> 03:10:16.800
Georgia.

03:10:12.959 --> 03:10:19.119
His mission to capture Atlanta, a major

03:10:16.799 --> 03:10:22.398
manufacturing center and industrial hub

03:10:19.120 --> 03:10:24.800
of the Confederate war machine. Its four

03:10:22.398 --> 03:10:26.879
railroad lines bind together what is

03:10:24.799 --> 03:10:30.239
left of the Confederacy.

03:10:26.879 --> 03:10:32.478
The purpose of ultimately taking Atlanta

03:10:30.239 --> 03:10:35.279
was to also bring [music]

03:10:32.478 --> 03:10:39.119
havoc and destruction to the

03:10:35.279 --> 03:10:42.960
Confederacy's ability to field troops to

03:10:39.120 --> 03:10:44.880
supply them to keep their economy going.

03:10:42.959 --> 03:10:47.278
Rail lines run through Atlanta. [music]

03:10:44.879 --> 03:10:49.839
Munitions are being produced in Atlanta.

03:10:47.279 --> 03:10:53.680
Clothing is being produced in Atlanta.

03:10:49.840 --> 03:10:55.680
You have to strike that last not just

03:10:53.680 --> 03:11:00.800
vulnerable place. [music] You have to

03:10:55.680 --> 03:11:03.200
strike that last important place.

03:11:00.799 --> 03:11:06.879
Marching towards Atlanta with 111th

03:11:03.200 --> 03:11:09.200
Illinois Infantry is Austin Gilmore, a

03:11:06.879 --> 03:11:12.959
former slave from Tennessee who has

03:11:09.200 --> 03:11:15.359
volunteered to fight.

03:11:12.959 --> 03:11:19.358
Austin, however, will not serve as a

03:11:15.359 --> 03:11:22.079
soldier, but rather as a cook.

03:11:19.359 --> 03:11:23.760
Like many in the north, Sherman does not

03:11:22.079 --> 03:11:25.920
trust the fighting abilities of the

03:11:23.760 --> 03:11:28.559
African-Ameans

03:11:25.920 --> 03:11:31.279
after the war. He writes, "The Negro

03:11:28.559 --> 03:11:35.559
should be a free man, but not put on any

03:11:31.279 --> 03:11:35.560
equality with whites.

03:11:42.239 --> 03:11:47.760
But hundreds of miles west at places

03:11:45.120 --> 03:11:50.479
like Port Gibson, Mississippi and

03:11:47.760 --> 03:11:53.279
Milikans Bend, Louisiana,

03:11:50.478 --> 03:11:56.719
Africanameans have already proven

03:11:53.279 --> 03:11:59.720
Sherman wrong. to let my [singing]

03:11:56.719 --> 03:11:59.719
people.

03:12:02.239 --> 03:12:07.199
In June 1863,

03:12:05.279 --> 03:12:09.840
along the Mississippi River at Milikin's

03:12:07.200 --> 03:12:12.319
Bend,

03:12:09.840 --> 03:12:15.120
black soldiers put up fierce resistance

03:12:12.318 --> 03:12:17.680
to a Confederate attack.

03:12:15.120 --> 03:12:20.399
At Milikin's Bend, you have untrained

03:12:17.680 --> 03:12:23.200
soldiers from Mississippi who do not

03:12:20.398 --> 03:12:25.599
really know how to fire their weapons.

03:12:23.200 --> 03:12:27.279
They end up in hand-to-hand combat. They

03:12:25.600 --> 03:12:30.239
started using their bayonets and using

03:12:27.279 --> 03:12:33.200
their musketss as clubs.

03:12:30.239 --> 03:12:36.239
And once you hear the stories of those

03:12:33.200 --> 03:12:38.000
who served in combat, how they fought,

03:12:36.239 --> 03:12:39.279
then you realize they really are making

03:12:38.000 --> 03:12:41.600
a statement. They're making it with

03:12:39.279 --> 03:12:44.000
their blood.

03:12:41.600 --> 03:12:46.318
Assistant Secretary of War Charles A.

03:12:44.000 --> 03:12:48.398
Dana writes of the Battle of Milikin

03:12:46.318 --> 03:12:50.398
Bend.

03:12:48.398 --> 03:12:52.398
The bravery of the blacks completely

03:12:50.398 --> 03:12:54.559
revolutionized the sentiment of the army

03:12:52.398 --> 03:12:57.559
with regard to the employment of negro

03:12:54.559 --> 03:12:57.559
troops.

03:12:59.760 --> 03:13:06.359
But with their service has also come

03:13:01.920 --> 03:13:06.359
tragedy and controversy.

03:13:10.719 --> 03:13:15.599
As Sherman prepares for the Atlanta

03:13:12.639 --> 03:13:19.039
campaign, a detachment of Confederate

03:13:15.600 --> 03:13:21.120
cavalry attacks Fort Pillow,

03:13:19.040 --> 03:13:24.120
a Union post along the Mississippi

03:13:21.120 --> 03:13:24.120
River.

03:13:25.040 --> 03:13:29.720
It is 40 m north of Memphis.

03:13:32.318 --> 03:13:39.398
The cavalry is under command of Nathan

03:13:35.600 --> 03:13:39.399
Bedford Forest.

03:13:39.760 --> 03:13:44.960
To this day, Forest is at once reviled

03:13:42.799 --> 03:13:47.438
and revered.

03:13:44.959 --> 03:13:49.278
Before the war, he made a fortune in the

03:13:47.439 --> 03:13:51.680
slave trade.

03:13:49.279 --> 03:13:54.319
Enlisting as a private, Forest's [music]

03:13:51.680 --> 03:13:57.600
daring battlefield exploits has seen him

03:13:54.318 --> 03:14:00.000
rise to the rank of major general.

03:13:57.600 --> 03:14:03.600
Among the 500 plus defenders of Fort

03:14:00.000 --> 03:14:05.120
Pillow are 262 men of the US Colored

03:14:03.600 --> 03:14:07.600
Artillery.

03:14:05.120 --> 03:14:11.520
As they attempt to surrender,

03:14:07.600 --> 03:14:13.920
many of the soldiers are killed.

03:14:11.520 --> 03:14:17.200
Confederate Sergeant Achilles V. Clark

03:14:13.920 --> 03:14:19.600
wrote, "The poor, deluded negroes would

03:14:17.200 --> 03:14:22.319
run up to our men, fall upon their

03:14:19.600 --> 03:14:24.880
knees, and with uplifted hands scream

03:14:22.318 --> 03:14:27.680
for mercy,

03:14:24.879 --> 03:14:31.238
but they were ordered to their feet,

03:14:27.680 --> 03:14:31.238
and shot down.

03:14:32.398 --> 03:14:39.799
200 of the 262 black soldiers at Fort

03:14:35.920 --> 03:14:39.799
Pillow are killed.

03:14:40.159 --> 03:14:45.439
A federal investigation after the war

03:14:42.719 --> 03:14:49.398
concludes most were shot after the Union

03:14:45.439 --> 03:14:49.398
garrison had surrendered.

03:14:53.200 --> 03:14:58.319
The slaughter at Fort Pillow enrages

03:14:55.359 --> 03:15:00.399
people throughout the North.

03:14:58.318 --> 03:15:02.959
In the South, the Congress of the

03:15:00.398 --> 03:15:06.959
Confederate States adopts a resolution

03:15:02.959 --> 03:15:08.959
expressing its appreciation for forest.

03:15:06.959 --> 03:15:11.358
With thousands of African-Ameans now

03:15:08.959 --> 03:15:14.000
fighting for the Union, Confederate

03:15:11.359 --> 03:15:16.640
President Jefferson Davis makes it clear

03:15:14.000 --> 03:15:19.439
that captured black soldiers will not be

03:15:16.639 --> 03:15:23.119
treated as prisoners of war,

03:15:19.439 --> 03:15:26.120
but rather as slaves to be returned to

03:15:23.120 --> 03:15:26.120
bondage.

03:15:28.238 --> 03:15:34.119
which makes the story of Emma Stevenson

03:15:30.478 --> 03:15:34.119
all the more remarkable.

03:15:34.238 --> 03:15:39.199
Like Austin Gilmore, Emma is

03:15:36.879 --> 03:15:41.599
emancipated.

03:15:39.200 --> 03:15:44.720
Now marching towards Atlanta with

03:15:41.600 --> 03:15:47.760
Sherman's army, Emma is a nurse with the

03:15:44.719 --> 03:15:50.238
17th Army Corps.

03:15:47.760 --> 03:15:53.040
I think a part of performing that kind

03:15:50.238 --> 03:15:55.520
of work is that you want to have a stake

03:15:53.040 --> 03:15:58.160
in liberating your people and in

03:15:55.520 --> 03:16:02.079
essentially liberating yourself.

03:15:58.159 --> 03:16:05.119
That's a powerful message.

03:16:02.079 --> 03:16:07.840
And so it's very important for Americans

03:16:05.120 --> 03:16:11.141
to know that there were Emma Stevenson's

03:16:07.840 --> 03:16:13.159
in the midst of the war.

03:16:11.140 --> 03:16:13.159
[crying]

03:16:13.200 --> 03:16:18.239
In Sherman's way, 30 mi south of

03:16:15.680 --> 03:16:21.120
Chattanooga is a Confederate army of

03:16:18.238 --> 03:16:23.039
65,000 men.

03:16:21.120 --> 03:16:26.239
Braxton Bragg has been replaced [music]

03:16:23.040 --> 03:16:27.760
with General Joseph Johnston. Johnston

03:16:26.238 --> 03:16:30.478
knows that the very future of the

03:16:27.760 --> 03:16:33.120
Confederacy depends on protecting

03:16:30.478 --> 03:16:35.438
Atlanta.

03:16:33.120 --> 03:16:38.000
Keep it moving. Keep it moving.

03:16:35.439 --> 03:16:42.840
At every opportunity, Johnston's men

03:16:38.000 --> 03:16:42.840
build miles of makeshift fortifications.

03:16:46.478 --> 03:16:51.840
For the Confederates, outnumbered almost

03:16:48.639 --> 03:16:55.039
2 to1, trench warfare is an effective

03:16:51.840 --> 03:16:57.646
defensive strategy.

03:16:55.040 --> 03:17:00.160
One good man behind earthworks, writes

03:16:57.646 --> 03:17:02.640
[music] an officer, should prevail over

03:17:00.159 --> 03:17:06.159
four or five opponents advancing in the

03:17:02.639 --> 03:17:08.639
open without cover.

03:17:06.159 --> 03:17:11.799
The Federals respond with trenches of

03:17:08.639 --> 03:17:11.799
their own.

03:17:12.639 --> 03:17:16.519
Keep your head down, gentlemen.

03:17:16.719 --> 03:17:20.639
Often the opposing earthworks lie within

03:17:19.040 --> 03:17:24.160
a few yards of each other.

03:17:20.639 --> 03:17:27.278
Keep your head down, Jack.

03:17:24.159 --> 03:17:29.279
There he is.

03:17:27.279 --> 03:17:31.520
Sergeant Johnny [music] Green is a

03:17:29.279 --> 03:17:34.560
Confederate with the 9inth Kentucky

03:17:31.520 --> 03:17:37.120
Infantry. Anyone

03:17:34.559 --> 03:17:38.799
who shows his head above the trenches is

03:17:37.120 --> 03:17:41.600
sure to have two or three mini balls

03:17:38.799 --> 03:17:43.358
come singing around his ears. But we

03:17:41.600 --> 03:17:48.040
soon got so accustomed [music] to it

03:17:43.359 --> 03:17:48.040
that the boys grew very careless.

03:17:49.520 --> 03:17:54.960
Keep your heads down, gentlemen. Keep

03:17:51.680 --> 03:17:59.159
your heads down, man. Hit your target,

03:17:54.959 --> 03:17:59.159
but keep your heads down.

03:17:59.200 --> 03:18:04.159
For the past month in northern Georgia,

03:18:01.760 --> 03:18:06.880
Sherman and Johnston have been waging a

03:18:04.159 --> 03:18:09.039
deadly game of chess.

03:18:06.879 --> 03:18:12.000
Time and again, Sherman has tried to

03:18:09.040 --> 03:18:14.399
outflank the Confederate army. Each

03:18:12.000 --> 03:18:16.079
time, his moves have been checked by

03:18:14.398 --> 03:18:18.318
Johnston.

03:18:16.079 --> 03:18:20.079
But in the process, the Confederate

03:18:18.318 --> 03:18:24.398
general has been forced to yield

03:18:20.079 --> 03:18:26.159
precious ground. By midJune 1864,

03:18:24.398 --> 03:18:30.760
Johnston's army is [music] backed up to

03:18:26.159 --> 03:18:30.760
within 20 miles of Atlanta.

03:18:32.959 --> 03:18:37.278
Caught in a crossfire in the campaign

03:18:34.799 --> 03:18:43.238
for Atlanta are the people of Cobb

03:18:37.279 --> 03:18:43.238
County, Georgia. Population 14,000.

03:18:44.159 --> 03:18:49.079
About 1th3 of those are slaves.

03:18:53.439 --> 03:18:57.600
Most of the residents [music] are not

03:18:54.879 --> 03:19:00.879
wealthy plantation owners, but yman

03:18:57.600 --> 03:19:02.640
farmers who do not own slaves.

03:19:00.879 --> 03:19:05.199
Hurry, girls. Hurry.

03:19:02.639 --> 03:19:07.119
Lucinda Casey is a widow.

03:19:05.200 --> 03:19:10.159
That's it. Let's go.

03:19:07.120 --> 03:19:13.120
She struggles to keep the family farm

03:19:10.159 --> 03:19:16.079
while raising three children.

03:19:13.120 --> 03:19:18.800
We need to get her. So, will you help

03:19:16.079 --> 03:19:21.439
her, please? Come on, Nancy. As

03:19:18.799 --> 03:19:22.959
Sherman's army approaches,

03:19:21.439 --> 03:19:26.318
Lucinda

03:19:22.959 --> 03:19:29.119
and daughters Louisa, Nancy, and

03:19:26.318 --> 03:19:31.519
Hazeline

03:19:29.120 --> 03:19:35.399
quickly pack their belongings and flee

03:19:31.520 --> 03:19:35.399
to the safety of Atlanta.

03:19:40.079 --> 03:19:45.120
In June 1864,

03:19:42.639 --> 03:19:48.639
more than 100,000 soldiers from both

03:19:45.120 --> 03:19:51.640
Confederate and Union armies ravage Cobb

03:19:48.639 --> 03:19:51.639
County.

03:19:52.318 --> 03:19:58.199
At Lucinda Casey's home, nothing is

03:19:55.200 --> 03:19:58.200
spared.

03:19:59.840 --> 03:20:04.478
As Sherman's troops made their way

03:20:01.760 --> 03:20:06.639
through Georgia, it showed that this war

03:20:04.478 --> 03:20:09.278
had changed.

03:20:06.639 --> 03:20:12.879
It had clearly become

03:20:09.279 --> 03:20:15.920
closer to the lives of civilians. No

03:20:12.879 --> 03:20:18.159
longer was the war something fought at a

03:20:15.920 --> 03:20:21.680
distance, [screaming] something that was

03:20:18.159 --> 03:20:24.000
on some remote battlefield.

03:20:21.680 --> 03:20:26.800
That kind of distance between homeront

03:20:24.000 --> 03:20:28.159
and battlefield had collapsed. That

03:20:26.799 --> 03:20:30.719
really there wasn't much of a

03:20:28.159 --> 03:20:32.559
distinction anymore.

03:20:30.719 --> 03:20:35.959
And the war was now literally on

03:20:32.559 --> 03:20:35.959
people's doorsteps.

03:20:36.318 --> 03:20:41.199
Sherman has begun to craft this new

03:20:38.478 --> 03:20:43.519
style of warfare. One of the ways that

03:20:41.200 --> 03:20:46.399
you dominate, one of the ways that you

03:20:43.520 --> 03:20:49.600
completely control is that everything

03:20:46.398 --> 03:20:54.318
has a military objective.

03:20:49.600 --> 03:20:59.520
Everything, every jin, every barn, every

03:20:54.318 --> 03:21:04.760
horse, every cow, and every civilian,

03:20:59.520 --> 03:21:04.760
everything becomes a military objective.

03:21:05.600 --> 03:21:10.559
By mid June, Sherman's army has moved

03:21:08.639 --> 03:21:12.398
within striking distance of his

03:21:10.559 --> 03:21:15.199
objective.

03:21:12.398 --> 03:21:17.920
Only one last mountain remains between

03:21:15.200 --> 03:21:21.120
Sherman and Atlanta.

03:21:17.920 --> 03:21:26.159
Kennesaw Mountain is over 1,800 [music]

03:21:21.120 --> 03:21:28.800
ft high and 2 m long. Some call it the

03:21:26.159 --> 03:21:32.238
Gibralar [music] of Georgia.

03:21:28.799 --> 03:21:34.318
For Johnston, Kennesaw's rocky ridges

03:21:32.238 --> 03:21:37.318
are the ideal [music] place to halt

03:21:34.318 --> 03:21:37.318
Sherman.

03:21:38.398 --> 03:21:45.278
The summit is a 700 ft precipice called

03:21:42.159 --> 03:21:48.719
Big Kennesaw. To the south is a [music]

03:21:45.279 --> 03:21:51.439
spur named Pigeon Hill. Further south is

03:21:48.719 --> 03:21:53.679
a ridge soon to be known as Cheetum

03:21:51.439 --> 03:21:57.040
Hill.

03:21:53.680 --> 03:21:59.760
With an imposing 7mm line of defense,

03:21:57.040 --> 03:22:01.359
the Confederates will dare Sherman to

03:21:59.760 --> 03:22:05.200
attack.

03:22:01.359 --> 03:22:07.439
Just 20 miles beyond Kennesaw Mountain

03:22:05.200 --> 03:22:08.640
is Atlanta.

03:22:07.439 --> 03:22:10.479
So, by the time that [music] you get to

03:22:08.639 --> 03:22:12.398
Kennesaw, uh Sherman doesn't want to

03:22:10.478 --> 03:22:14.238
flank around to the west anymore. It's

03:22:12.398 --> 03:22:16.079
getting too far from this rail line. And

03:22:14.238 --> 03:22:18.959
and flanking from the east, for whatever

03:22:16.079 --> 03:22:23.200
reason, didn't seem to be much of a

03:22:18.959 --> 03:22:27.000
discussed option. And so his third

03:22:23.200 --> 03:22:27.000
option was to attack.

03:22:29.439 --> 03:22:35.359
In the pre-dawn hours of June 27th,

03:22:33.040 --> 03:22:38.160
Union officers receive special [music]

03:22:35.359 --> 03:22:39.920
field orders. Number 28.

03:22:38.159 --> 03:22:42.318
Major General Thomas will assault the

03:22:39.920 --> 03:22:44.238
enemy at any point near his center to be

03:22:42.318 --> 03:22:46.639
selected by [music] himself. Major

03:22:44.238 --> 03:22:49.439
General at Kennesaw Mountain.

03:22:46.639 --> 03:22:51.119
Sherman decides on a new tactic. Instead

03:22:49.439 --> 03:22:53.920
of flanking,

03:22:51.120 --> 03:22:55.840
he orders a frontal assault.

03:22:53.920 --> 03:22:56.719
But attack some one point of the enemy's

03:22:55.840 --> 03:22:59.279
line is near.

03:22:56.719 --> 03:23:01.679
Upon hearing the order, an officer with

03:22:59.279 --> 03:23:03.120
the 86th Illinois responds [music] by

03:23:01.680 --> 03:23:05.120
saying,

03:23:03.120 --> 03:23:07.040
"The stupidity of this order is enough

03:23:05.120 --> 03:23:11.359
to paralyze me."

03:23:07.040 --> 03:23:14.319
By order of Major General Deput Sherman,

03:23:11.359 --> 03:23:18.000
a little after 8:00 a.m., the Battle of

03:23:14.318 --> 03:23:21.680
Kennesaw Mountain begins.

03:23:18.000 --> 03:23:24.639
5,500 federals surge up the steep slopes

03:23:21.680 --> 03:23:29.639
of Pigeon Hill.

03:23:24.639 --> 03:23:29.639
A knob just below Kennesaw Mountain.

03:23:35.840 --> 03:23:41.159
The attack is doomed from the stars.

03:23:48.079 --> 03:23:52.520
The battle of Kennesaw Mountain

03:23:52.639 --> 03:23:57.920
goes against

03:23:54.559 --> 03:24:02.639
everything that Sherman has been talking

03:23:57.920 --> 03:24:04.960
about and has been trying to do.

03:24:02.639 --> 03:24:07.599
Why does he do why does he make this uh

03:24:04.959 --> 03:24:11.159
you know assault direct assault against

03:24:07.600 --> 03:24:11.159
dug in troops

03:24:11.840 --> 03:24:16.880
on a high mountain.

03:24:14.959 --> 03:24:18.639
But why does he do this when it it's

03:24:16.879 --> 03:24:21.639
clear that this is just not going to

03:24:18.639 --> 03:24:21.639
work?

03:24:26.000 --> 03:24:30.639
Sherman orders old cooks and musicians

03:24:28.478 --> 03:24:33.119
to the Kennesaw battlefield to aid the

03:24:30.639 --> 03:24:36.159
wounded.

03:24:33.120 --> 03:24:41.640
Unarmed, Austin Gilmore attempts to save

03:24:36.159 --> 03:24:41.639
a Union soldier wounded on Pigeon Hill.

03:24:43.680 --> 03:24:49.040
The former slave is struck in the hip by

03:24:45.760 --> 03:24:51.120
a mini bowl.

03:24:49.040 --> 03:24:54.840
Yet Gilmore manages to [music] drive the

03:24:51.120 --> 03:24:54.840
soldier to safety.

03:24:57.920 --> 03:25:02.159
The Union wounded are taken to a field

03:25:00.478 --> 03:25:04.000
hospital at the base of Kennesaw

03:25:02.159 --> 03:25:06.959
Mountain.

03:25:04.000 --> 03:25:10.211
It is a crude open air facility with

03:25:06.959 --> 03:25:12.238
little regard to sanitation.

03:25:10.211 --> 03:25:14.879
[music] Antibiotics have not yet been

03:25:12.238 --> 03:25:18.959
discovered.

03:25:14.879 --> 03:25:20.959
Medical instruments go unsterilized.

03:25:18.959 --> 03:25:23.039
The overwhelmed surgeons work [music]

03:25:20.959 --> 03:25:25.679
courageously

03:25:23.040 --> 03:25:28.560
as do battlefield nurses

03:25:25.680 --> 03:25:31.040
like Emma Stevenson.

03:25:28.559 --> 03:25:32.799
She was in a hospital where there was

03:25:31.040 --> 03:25:35.439
probably not enough room for all [music]

03:25:32.799 --> 03:25:36.959
of the patients there. So it was

03:25:35.439 --> 03:25:40.639
crowded,

03:25:36.959 --> 03:25:43.119
it was loud, it was [music] horrifying.

03:25:40.639 --> 03:25:44.398
And yet she still chose this line of

03:25:43.120 --> 03:25:46.800
work.

03:25:44.398 --> 03:25:49.278
It says something about [music] her

03:25:46.799 --> 03:25:51.840
determination to become free, her

03:25:49.279 --> 03:25:54.960
determination to do what she could to

03:25:51.840 --> 03:25:56.960
ensure that the Union Army had the labor

03:25:54.959 --> 03:25:59.919
and the resources it needed to win this

03:25:56.959 --> 03:26:02.559
war.

03:25:59.920 --> 03:26:04.000
Sherman's frontal assault on Pigeon Hill

03:26:02.559 --> 03:26:06.719
is a disaster.

03:26:04.000 --> 03:26:11.000
Keep ping.

03:26:06.719 --> 03:26:11.000
Come on, [screaming] lad. Push it.

03:26:13.520 --> 03:26:19.439
An officer with the 53rd Ohio sums up

03:26:16.398 --> 03:26:21.920
the fight on Pigeon Hill by saying, "The

03:26:19.439 --> 03:26:25.800
rebels fought with a desperation worthy

03:26:21.920 --> 03:26:25.799
of a better cause."

03:26:26.000 --> 03:26:30.879
Simultaneous to the fight on Pigeon

03:26:27.680 --> 03:26:34.079
Hill, Sherman launches the other wave of

03:26:30.879 --> 03:26:37.358
his main attack. It occurs not at Big

03:26:34.079 --> 03:26:39.520
Kennesaw, but 2 miles south at Chetm

03:26:37.359 --> 03:26:42.079
Hill.

03:26:39.520 --> 03:26:45.200
In the woods below Chitham Hill are

03:26:42.079 --> 03:26:48.959
8,000 Union soldiers.

03:26:45.200 --> 03:26:52.399
To embolden his 52nd Ohio, Colonel Dan

03:26:48.959 --> 03:26:54.398
Mcook recites a poem about warriors of

03:26:52.398 --> 03:26:57.519
ancient Rome.

03:26:54.398 --> 03:27:01.840
Outspake brave Horatius, the captain of

03:26:57.520 --> 03:27:06.079
the gate. To every man upon this earth,

03:27:01.840 --> 03:27:09.279
death cometh soon or late.

03:27:06.079 --> 03:27:13.120
And how can man die better

03:27:09.279 --> 03:27:16.640
than facing fearful odds

03:27:13.120 --> 03:27:18.800
for the ashes of your fathers

03:27:16.639 --> 03:27:22.278
and the temples

03:27:18.799 --> 03:27:22.278
of your gods.

03:27:26.079 --> 03:27:30.959
Easy boys, easy.

03:27:28.879 --> 03:27:34.438
To reach the Confederate earthworks on

03:27:30.959 --> 03:27:34.438
Chetam Hill.

03:27:34.879 --> 03:27:39.759
What?

03:27:36.879 --> 03:27:44.199
The Federals must advance across an open

03:27:39.760 --> 03:27:44.200
field in battery

03:27:46.639 --> 03:27:50.599
and up a steep incline.

03:27:57.359 --> 03:28:03.760
Come on.

03:28:00.318 --> 03:28:07.199
It is a 400yard march

03:28:03.760 --> 03:28:10.200
into certain death.

03:28:07.200 --> 03:28:10.200
Aim

03:28:10.559 --> 03:28:16.287
close enough to the works.

03:28:14.269 --> 03:28:16.288
[music]

03:28:36.000 --> 03:28:39.079
Heat. Heat.