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- [Narrator] This video was
made possible by NordVPN.

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to get 70% off an annual subscription,

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along with a very honest
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Link in the description down below.

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Okay, Mrs. Lincoln, this is it.

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One last push and we're done.

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(grunting)

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Nine months and four days ago.

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My father brought forth
upon my mother himself

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and gave to her a child
conceived in a shack in Kentucky

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and dedicated to the proposition

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that I will drink num-nums from a bottle

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and do little poo poos in my pantses

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for the next two to three years.

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Now, what is it babies do again?

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Oh yeah.

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(cries loudly)

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I am not touching that.

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Abraham Lincoln grew up

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with his relatively poor family

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in Kentucky, eventually moving to Indiana,

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and finally, Illinois.

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He read a lot of books,
worked a lot of jobs,

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wrote some questionable poetry

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and finally entered the law profession.

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Despite being self-taught,

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he turned out to be a pretty
clever and astute lawyer.

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In one case, a guy claimed he
witnessed a murder at night

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and Lincoln was like, "How
could you have seen anything

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in the dark?"

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"There was a bright full moon."

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"A what?"

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"A bright full moon."

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"Can you say that again, please?"

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"There was a bright full moon."

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"A dim half moon?"

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"No, a bright full moon."

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"That's funny because
according to this Almanac

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"there was a dim half moon that night

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which makes you a liar!"

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"Uh...

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"Well, I got a bright full
moon for y'all right here."

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"Now that's what I call a rebuttal."

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(claps loudly)

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- [Narrator] Lincoln and his cheekbones,

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weren't only interested in law however,

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he also dabbled in the world of politics,

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serving as a legislator in both local

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and national assemblies.

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And what a time it was.

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Not even 100 years after
the founding fathers wrote,

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all men are created equal.

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Politicians were already asking,

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yeah, but what does that mean exactly?

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It means all men.

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Yeah, but what does that mean...

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Exactly?

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And not just that states' rights

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versus the federal government.

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What are the executive
powers of the president?

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Is cereal a soup?

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The founding fathers left
some of these questions

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perhaps a little too
open to interpretation.

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And the biggest question
of them all was slavery,

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an ugly mark, and what should have been

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a revolutionary new nation
based on liberty and democracy.

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Thomas Jefferson had written
a condemnation of slavery

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in the declaration of independence,

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but out of fear of losing
Southern State support,

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it was removed.

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Hey guys, do you think
leaving this a little vague

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will create any unforeseen
problems in the future?

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Cannonball.

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And those unforeseen problems

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were now beginning to
rear their ugly heads.

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As the nation developed the
North and the South developed

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along two very different lines

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and two very different
cultural identities emerged.

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Northern cities began
rapidly industrializing

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while the Southern climate
allowed for large plantations

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of labor-intensive crops.

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As a result, one half of the
country didn't rely on slaves

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while the other half
had become economically

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dependent on them.

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In 1793, Eli Whitney's cotton
gin caused the slave trade

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in the South to explode,

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while in the North a growing
abolitionist movement

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was taking root.

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A general mistrust began to
develop between the North

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and the South.

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As Northerners felt the
South were hell bent

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on expanding slavery and fear
spread throughout the South

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that the North wanted to
take their slaves away.

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In 1819, there were 11 free states

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and 11 slave states, a perfect balance,

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a happy medium, a harmonious relationship.

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Hey guys, nice to meet you.

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I'm Missouri, and I would
like to become the 23rd state.

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Hey buddy, welcome to the nation.

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We'll be happy to accept
you as a free state.

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No, you don't.

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You're trying to get one over on us.

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Missouri is gonna be a slave state.

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Okay, listen why don't
we just ask Missouri

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what it wants to be...

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Slave state.

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Well, then allow me to introduce to you

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the newest freshest state
on the scene, Maine.

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Hey, you can't do that.

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And you can't have any more
slaves things about this line.

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What?

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The issue of slavery is solved

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and it will never come up again.

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A few years later, it came up again.

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You see, as America expanded westward,

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each new state or territory that was added

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threatened to up and the delicate
balance between the slave

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and free States.

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If one faction managed
to outnumber the other,

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it could gain an easy majority
and force its own ideals

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on the opposing side

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leaving a huge portion of the population,

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feeling spiteful and depressed.

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For awhile compromises,
kick the can down the road

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and kept the volatile balance in check

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as new free and slave states
were roughly added in Paris

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but then one landmass mass
state just had to barge in

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and ruin everything as usual.

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(gun shots)

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The addition of Texas
saw the United States

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enter into a war with
Mexico, which they won,

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gaining a huge amount of land out West

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and creating even more problems.

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Hey guys, nice to meet you.

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I'm California and I would
like to become the 31st state.

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Hey buddy, welcome to the nation.

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We'll be happy to accept you
as a Southern slave state.

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No, you don't.

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You're trying to get one over on us.

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California is gonna be a free state.

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Okay, listen,

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why don't we just ask
California what it wants to be

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and we can...

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Free state.

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Well, then allow me to introduce to you

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the territories of New Mexico and Utah

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able to freely vote
for slavery themselves.

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Hey, you can't do that!

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And we can enter Northern
territory anytime we want

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to recapture escaped slaves!

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What?

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The issue of slavery is solved

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and it will never come up again.

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(crowd shouts loudly)

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A few years later, it came up again.

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In 1854 a democratic Senator from Illinois

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wanted to build a really
cool Chichi train here

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and proposed the territories
of Kansas and Nebraska

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be created open to slavery,

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even though they were clearly above

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the Missouri compromise line.

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Obviously the Northern
States were like, "Hell no."

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But the Southern Democrats
who controlled Congress

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at the time were like,
"Well, if you love liberty

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and democracy so much,

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then you should let them
vote on whether slavery

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should be legal or not."

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And so it was.

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Huge numbers of pro and
anti-slavery settlers

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rushed to Kansas to sway
the vote in their favor.

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And while they were all there,

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they began to beat crap out of each other.

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One of the settlers was
a man named John Brown,

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a former businessman who failed

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at just about everything he
tried and went arguably insane.

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He was a radical abolitionist
and dedicated much of his life

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to the underground railroad
and freeing slaves.

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One night in revenge for an earlier rate

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by pro-slavery forces,

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he and his sons killed a
number of pro-slavery settlers

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in the territory, helping to
kick-start years of violence

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known as Bleeding Kansas.

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Kansas and Nebraska both
eventually voted in favor

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of outlawing slavery.

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But from here, the tension
began to grow at a rapid pace.

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In 1852 author Harriet Beecher Stowe

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penned Uncle Tom's Cabin,

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a bestselling novel that
exposed the terrible cruelty

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of slavery to the world.

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How awful.

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How morally corrupted nation must be

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to allow such things to happen.

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Your majesty, what should we do

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about all the starving children
working in the coal mines?

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Nothing!

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In 1854, the Republican party was formed,

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and Abraham Lincoln emerged
as a leading figure.

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Southern Democrats viewed
the new Republican party

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with mistrust, believing it to
be radical and abolitionist.

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In 1856 a politician named Charles Sumner

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gave a speech in Congress,

207
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calling out slave owning
Democrats with fiery language,

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"If slavery was a woman,
she'd be an ugly one.

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"And the Senator from South Carolina

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"would like to boink her."

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Representative Brooks,
do you have a rebuttal?

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00:07:14,918 --> 00:07:16,729
I have a rebuttal, all right?

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00:07:16,730 --> 00:07:19,185
Yeah, here's a rebuttal for you.

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00:07:19,185 --> 00:07:20,699
(loud bangs)

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Come on, surely this isn't allowed.

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I dunno.

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I'll have to consult the rule book.

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Hmm, I can't find anything about caning

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00:07:29,620 --> 00:07:31,740
a political opponent,
but it says here I'm not

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allowed to wear a woman's underwear.

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News of the violence,

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00:07:36,072 --> 00:07:38,349
on the Senate floor took
the nation by storm.

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Southern slave owners sent
representative Brooks new canes

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to replace his now broken one.

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And on the floors of Congress,
politicians carried weapons

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in self-defense, which
is never a good sign.

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In 1857, the Supreme court
ruled in the Dred Scott Case

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that all people of African descent slave

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or free could not be citizens

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and therefore could not
sue for their own freedom

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under any circumstances,

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undoing years of progress
with the strike of a gavel.

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00:08:03,459 --> 00:08:05,810
Now within all this
bitter debate over slavery

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00:08:05,810 --> 00:08:08,420
there were many nuances
North versus South,

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00:08:08,420 --> 00:08:10,270
Republican versus Democrat,

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00:08:10,269 --> 00:08:12,199
States versus the federal government.

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00:08:12,199 --> 00:08:14,170
But let's strip all of that away.

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For 4 million individuals
living in America,

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00:08:16,959 --> 00:08:19,949
this wasn't about political
intrigue or party alignment.

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It was about the basic
human right to be free.

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Men, women and children were
stolen from their homelands

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and brought to the American
continent where for generations

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they were considered to be property,

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forced to live in poverty

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00:08:33,610 --> 00:08:36,159
and work from sunrise to sunset,

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plantation overseers did whatever they

247
00:08:38,179 --> 00:08:41,559
felt was necessary to get
the most out of their slaves.

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Punishments were often barbaric.

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Families were regularly separated

250
00:08:45,980 --> 00:08:48,009
and parents could often only watch

251
00:08:48,009 --> 00:08:49,779
as their children were auctioned off,

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never to be seen again.

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00:08:52,179 --> 00:08:54,189
Thousands of slaves took
the treacherous risk

254
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of running away and
abolitionists in the North helped

255
00:08:56,580 --> 00:08:58,680
many escape by the underground railroad.

256
00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:01,750
As bounty hunters entered
the North to chase them down.

257
00:09:01,750 --> 00:09:04,059
Leading figures within
the abolitionist movement

258
00:09:04,059 --> 00:09:06,949
included many significant
free black men and women.

259
00:09:06,950 --> 00:09:08,350
But it's important to note that

260
00:09:08,350 --> 00:09:10,750
from many of the anti-slavery
white individuals

261
00:09:10,750 --> 00:09:11,582
in the North,

262
00:09:11,582 --> 00:09:14,490
opposition to slavery was
often an economic issue,

263
00:09:14,490 --> 00:09:15,549
not a moral one.

264
00:09:15,549 --> 00:09:18,289
As many worried large plantations
would take their lands

265
00:09:18,289 --> 00:09:19,949
and livelihoods away.

266
00:09:19,950 --> 00:09:22,690
Abraham Lincoln knew that
slavery was a moral evil

267
00:09:22,690 --> 00:09:24,540
and he regularly spoke out against it

268
00:09:24,539 --> 00:09:26,559
in powerful speeches that helped him rise

269
00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:28,729
through the ranks of the
new Republican Party.

270
00:09:28,730 --> 00:09:30,200
He lamented at the hypocrisy

271
00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:32,410
of a great American nation meant to stand

272
00:09:32,409 --> 00:09:34,019
as a shining beacon of freedom

273
00:09:34,019 --> 00:09:38,129
while also enslaving 4 million
men, women and children.

274
00:09:38,129 --> 00:09:41,279
He most famously declared
in 1858 that a house divided

275
00:09:41,279 --> 00:09:43,240
against itself cannot stand,

276
00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:46,399
that one day, slavery
in America would end.

277
00:09:46,399 --> 00:09:49,429
However, even Lincoln was
cautious in his opposition.

278
00:09:49,429 --> 00:09:51,139
He didn't want to outlaw it entirely

279
00:09:51,139 --> 00:09:53,090
but simply prevent its expansion.

280
00:09:53,090 --> 00:09:55,320
So that given enough
time he believed it would

281
00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:56,750
naturally die out.

282
00:09:56,750 --> 00:09:59,269
Thankfully history would force his hand.

283
00:09:59,269 --> 00:10:01,740
In October, 1859 one abolitionist

284
00:10:01,740 --> 00:10:03,259
decided he tried to single-handedly

285
00:10:03,259 --> 00:10:05,110
take down slavery by force.

286
00:10:05,110 --> 00:10:07,659
Who'd be crazy enough to
even attempt such a thing?

287
00:10:07,659 --> 00:10:09,899
Ah, it's our good friend, John Brown.

288
00:10:09,899 --> 00:10:11,759
He planned to seize arms
from an armory in the town

289
00:10:11,759 --> 00:10:13,720
of Harper's ferry, free the slaves there

290
00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,340
and continue South inciting
a major slave uprising

291
00:10:16,340 --> 00:10:19,389
along the way, a noble cause, a bad plan,

292
00:10:19,389 --> 00:10:21,259
and terrible execution.

293
00:10:21,259 --> 00:10:23,500
Brown's van took the
armory and some hostages

294
00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:25,639
but we're quickly surrounded
by one Robert E. Lee

295
00:10:25,639 --> 00:10:27,429
and his US Marine.

296
00:10:27,429 --> 00:10:29,779
Brown was captured, and
a couple of months later,

297
00:10:29,779 --> 00:10:31,620
he was executed for treason.

298
00:10:31,620 --> 00:10:33,310
Northerners sympathized with Brown,

299
00:10:33,309 --> 00:10:35,449
but Southerners were like you see this,

300
00:10:35,450 --> 00:10:36,710
they're coming for us.

301
00:10:36,710 --> 00:10:39,259
Soon, there'll be a million John Browns.

302
00:10:39,259 --> 00:10:40,883
A million John Browns?

303
00:10:43,190 --> 00:10:45,030
What on earth are you thinking about?

304
00:10:45,029 --> 00:10:46,033
The John Brown farm.

305
00:10:46,870 --> 00:10:48,149
Yeah, me too.

306
00:10:48,149 --> 00:10:49,370
To make matters worse,

307
00:10:49,370 --> 00:10:51,810
new Northern free States
meant now the Southern States

308
00:10:51,809 --> 00:10:53,809
really were outnumbered
and they were beginning to

309
00:10:53,809 --> 00:10:56,219
feel bitterly, spiteful and oppressed.

310
00:10:56,220 --> 00:10:58,129
Further fear began to spread in the South,

311
00:10:58,129 --> 00:11:00,879
when news broke that a relatively
unknown figure had just

312
00:11:00,879 --> 00:11:03,899
secured the Republican party
nomination for president.

313
00:11:03,899 --> 00:11:06,509
Abraham Lincoln mostly well
liked among anti-slavery

314
00:11:06,509 --> 00:11:08,529
northerners had made some
of the most powerfully

315
00:11:08,529 --> 00:11:11,159
worded speeches against
slavery of any politician

316
00:11:11,159 --> 00:11:12,019
at the time.

317
00:11:12,019 --> 00:11:13,149
And now there was a chance

318
00:11:13,149 --> 00:11:16,259
that he and his cheekbones
could become president,

319
00:11:16,259 --> 00:11:17,120
for the South,

320
00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:18,909
that would be too much.

321
00:11:18,909 --> 00:11:20,159
In the 1860 election,

322
00:11:20,159 --> 00:11:22,299
Lincoln's name, didn't
even appear on the ballot

323
00:11:22,299 --> 00:11:25,189
in 10 Southern States,
but much to their horror,

324
00:11:25,190 --> 00:11:26,740
when the final results came in

325
00:11:26,740 --> 00:11:30,080
Lincoln had won by an
electoral college landside

326
00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,360
Lincoln himself tried to calm their fear.

327
00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:34,240
How many times do I have to tell you,

328
00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,350
I'm not gonna take away your slaves?

329
00:11:36,350 --> 00:11:37,889
Yeah, right honest Abe.

330
00:11:37,889 --> 00:11:39,480
We've had enough of you northerners.

331
00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:41,350
We're gonna go form our own country.

332
00:11:41,350 --> 00:11:42,290
You can't do that.

333
00:11:42,289 --> 00:11:43,159
Why not?

334
00:11:43,159 --> 00:11:45,100
Well, if you had won the election,

335
00:11:45,100 --> 00:11:46,810
would it be okay for us to leave?

336
00:11:46,809 --> 00:11:47,642
Of course not.

337
00:11:47,643 --> 00:11:48,779
Well, why not?

338
00:11:48,779 --> 00:11:51,610
Because that's not how
victim mentality works.

339
00:11:51,610 --> 00:11:53,669
Many States felt that
when they joined union

340
00:11:53,669 --> 00:11:55,209
they always withheld the right to leave it

341
00:11:55,210 --> 00:11:56,370
whenever they pleased.

342
00:11:56,370 --> 00:11:58,929
Many people living in 19th
century, America often

343
00:11:58,929 --> 00:12:01,889
felt more loyalty to their
state than to the nation.

344
00:12:01,889 --> 00:12:04,549
And now with the South feeling
like it had lost its voice

345
00:12:04,549 --> 00:12:07,849
in the federal government,
they were out of here.

346
00:12:07,850 --> 00:12:09,659
South Carolina was the first to go.

347
00:12:09,659 --> 00:12:13,419
And over a period of six months,
one by one 11 slave States

348
00:12:13,419 --> 00:12:15,199
officially succeeded from the union

349
00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,810
with just four contested
border States opting to remain.

350
00:12:18,809 --> 00:12:20,449
The succeeding States issued a number

351
00:12:20,450 --> 00:12:23,540
of official documents
justifying their succession.

352
00:12:23,539 --> 00:12:26,069
South Carolina proclaimed
that it was Northern States

353
00:12:26,070 --> 00:12:27,940
hostility to slavery that rendered

354
00:12:27,940 --> 00:12:29,750
the federal government illegitimate.

355
00:12:29,750 --> 00:12:31,889
Mississippi declared that their position

356
00:12:31,889 --> 00:12:33,460
was thoroughly identified

357
00:12:33,460 --> 00:12:36,350
with the institution of
slavery and then a speech.

358
00:12:36,350 --> 00:12:38,269
The Confederate vice-president stated

359
00:12:38,269 --> 00:12:39,980
that the new Confederate government rested

360
00:12:39,980 --> 00:12:43,570
upon what he called the great
truth of racial inequality.

361
00:12:43,570 --> 00:12:44,940
Revered American generals,

362
00:12:44,940 --> 00:12:46,930
such as Robert E. Lee opted to side

363
00:12:46,929 --> 00:12:48,809
with their States over the union.

364
00:12:48,809 --> 00:12:50,819
And with all the chaos,
one New York lawyer wrote

365
00:12:50,820 --> 00:12:53,190
that rather than a bold
Eagle America's national

366
00:12:53,190 --> 00:12:55,230
bird should be a debilitated chicken.

367
00:12:55,230 --> 00:12:57,639
And hey, I kind of like that.

368
00:12:57,639 --> 00:13:00,039
One man watching the crisis unfold

369
00:13:00,039 --> 00:13:02,309
knew it would be his job to solve it.

370
00:13:02,309 --> 00:13:04,339
Lincoln was just about to hop on a train

371
00:13:04,340 --> 00:13:08,170
and become the president of
the United States of America.

372
00:13:08,169 --> 00:13:09,759
Hey man, you're hella ugly

373
00:13:09,759 --> 00:13:12,129
Grow a beard or something
to hide that face.

374
00:13:12,129 --> 00:13:14,700
Hmm, good idea.

375
00:13:14,700 --> 00:13:15,533
Hmm.

376
00:13:17,710 --> 00:13:18,920
Still ugly

377
00:13:18,919 --> 00:13:21,129
With assassination plots already underway,

378
00:13:21,129 --> 00:13:23,090
Lincoln had to travel to Washington DC,

379
00:13:23,090 --> 00:13:25,280
under heavy disguise and protection.

380
00:13:25,279 --> 00:13:28,409
All along the way he received
stacks of threatening letters.

381
00:13:28,409 --> 00:13:30,679
May the hand of the devil strike you down.

382
00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:32,449
You are destroying this country.

383
00:13:32,450 --> 00:13:36,870
Damn you every breath you
take, love from, grandma?

384
00:13:36,870 --> 00:13:38,759
At his inauguration speech Lincoln

385
00:13:38,759 --> 00:13:40,039
once again, reiterated that,

386
00:13:40,039 --> 00:13:43,319
no, I do not wanna take
away anyone's slaves

387
00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:46,080
but for Lincoln, he did
want to preserve the union.

388
00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:47,580
He declared succession to be nothing

389
00:13:47,580 --> 00:13:51,360
but an illegitimate rebellion
in your hands and not in mine.

390
00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:54,500
He said is the momentous
issue of civil war.

391
00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:56,879
You can have no conflict
without being yourselves

392
00:13:56,879 --> 00:14:00,409
the aggressors, we are
not enemies, but friends.

393
00:14:00,409 --> 00:14:03,049
It was clear Lincoln was ready
and willing to get freaky

394
00:14:03,049 --> 00:14:05,399
and open up a can of
Scatman John if he had to,

395
00:14:05,399 --> 00:14:06,919
whether he had the support of the people,

396
00:14:06,919 --> 00:14:08,509
however, was in question.

397
00:14:08,509 --> 00:14:10,279
In the end it was the Confederates

398
00:14:10,279 --> 00:14:12,049
that fired the first shot.

399
00:14:12,049 --> 00:14:12,949
As they succeeded

400
00:14:12,950 --> 00:14:15,610
the Confederate States began
seizing federal us property

401
00:14:15,610 --> 00:14:16,629
throughout the South.

402
00:14:16,629 --> 00:14:18,700
Off the coast of Charleston South Carolina

403
00:14:18,700 --> 00:14:20,509
was one such federal property,

404
00:14:20,509 --> 00:14:24,259
Fort Sumpter, held by a measly
under supplied US force.

405
00:14:24,259 --> 00:14:26,909
The Confederate militia there
demanded the Fort surrender,

406
00:14:26,909 --> 00:14:28,889
a request, which was quickly denied

407
00:14:28,889 --> 00:14:31,000
and any remaining hope
for a peaceful solution

408
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,649
to the secession crisis probably then died

409
00:14:33,649 --> 00:14:36,939
when the Confederates did this.

410
00:14:36,940 --> 00:14:40,080
The battle of Fort Sumpter is
considered to be the beginning

411
00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:41,879
of the American Civil War.

412
00:14:41,879 --> 00:14:44,070
Many of the Confederates
there also considered it to

413
00:14:44,070 --> 00:14:46,100
be the end of the American Civil War.

414
00:14:46,100 --> 00:14:49,700
They hoped old Abe would just
sign and say, okay, you win.

415
00:14:49,700 --> 00:14:51,937
Unfortunately for them,
Lincoln actually said

416
00:14:51,937 --> 00:14:54,090
"You're about to get a
roundhouse to the face."

417
00:14:54,090 --> 00:14:57,149
Lincoln sent out the call
for 75,000 volunteers

418
00:14:57,149 --> 00:14:59,689
and men signed up in droves hopeful

419
00:14:59,690 --> 00:15:03,440
for some adventure and
good old fashioned F-U-N.

420
00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:05,710
In the new Confederate
Capitol at Richmond Virginia,

421
00:15:05,710 --> 00:15:07,530
Confederate president Jefferson Davis

422
00:15:07,529 --> 00:15:09,589
and his cheekbones had
also sent out the call

423
00:15:09,590 --> 00:15:10,990
for 100,000 men.

424
00:15:10,990 --> 00:15:13,620
As ever both sides hope
for a quick end to the war.

425
00:15:13,620 --> 00:15:14,470
Is it over yet?

426
00:15:14,470 --> 00:15:16,430
No, Jimmy it's been one week.

427
00:15:16,429 --> 00:15:17,469
Is it over now?

428
00:15:17,470 --> 00:15:18,560
No.

429
00:15:18,559 --> 00:15:19,392
How about now?

430
00:15:19,393 --> 00:15:21,100
If you ask that one more time

431
00:15:21,100 --> 00:15:23,570
I swear I will turn this army around

432
00:15:23,570 --> 00:15:25,270
and you'll all have to go back home

433
00:15:25,269 --> 00:15:27,297
to your wives and
children (troop cheering).

434
00:15:28,610 --> 00:15:29,919
But in particular, the South

435
00:15:29,919 --> 00:15:32,009
knew the conflict would
pose a bit of a challenge.

436
00:15:32,009 --> 00:15:34,149
How can we expect to win with a population

437
00:15:34,149 --> 00:15:37,500
of only 5 million against
22 million in the North?

438
00:15:37,500 --> 00:15:38,970
If you count us 4 million slaves

439
00:15:38,970 --> 00:15:41,210
you'd have 9 million, great idea.

440
00:15:41,210 --> 00:15:44,600
Hand these rifles to all
the, hey, wait a minute,

441
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:45,790
you almost had me there.

442
00:15:45,789 --> 00:15:47,289
The problem for Lincoln was that many

443
00:15:47,289 --> 00:15:48,899
of his top generals were getting old

444
00:15:48,899 --> 00:15:50,610
and were being a bit too cautious.

445
00:15:50,610 --> 00:15:53,180
The commanding general was
a man named Winfield, Scott

446
00:15:53,179 --> 00:15:54,969
a veteran of the Mexican American war.

447
00:15:54,970 --> 00:15:57,980
And by now he was too fat
to even mount a horse.

448
00:15:57,980 --> 00:15:58,812
Okay chaps,

449
00:15:58,812 --> 00:16:00,720
we need to come up with a plan, hit me.

450
00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,100
We could wait for the Confederates
to come and apologize.

451
00:16:03,100 --> 00:16:03,932
Maybe we should all sit

452
00:16:03,932 --> 00:16:05,720
in a circle and discuss our feelings.

453
00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,160
Crossing the Delaware into
New Jersey worked for me.

454
00:16:08,159 --> 00:16:12,100
Those are all terrible
ideas and you, wrong video.

455
00:16:12,100 --> 00:16:13,440
Hey, I'm the greatest president

456
00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:14,630
in the history of this nation.

457
00:16:14,629 --> 00:16:16,330
Yeah, we'll see about that Dingus.

458
00:16:16,330 --> 00:16:17,970
Eventually Lincoln's generals came

459
00:16:17,970 --> 00:16:19,649
up with a multi-pronged strategy.

460
00:16:19,649 --> 00:16:21,269
First, a blockade would cut off

461
00:16:21,269 --> 00:16:23,500
and starve the South of supplies by sea.

462
00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:24,779
Secondly, taking control

463
00:16:24,779 --> 00:16:26,750
of the great Mississippi
river would sever the

464
00:16:26,750 --> 00:16:29,509
South's economic artery
while splitting it into two.

465
00:16:29,509 --> 00:16:32,569
And finally a main union force
in the East would move South

466
00:16:32,570 --> 00:16:35,140
and take the Confederate
Capitol ending the war,

467
00:16:35,139 --> 00:16:36,539
bada-boom bada-bing.

468
00:16:36,539 --> 00:16:37,929
Skirmishes began to break out

469
00:16:37,929 --> 00:16:39,709
across the nation and the union army

470
00:16:39,710 --> 00:16:42,240
in the East began to move
South towards Richmond.

471
00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:43,669
Everything seemed to be going well

472
00:16:43,669 --> 00:16:45,089
until they reached Manassas

473
00:16:45,090 --> 00:16:47,500
where they came upon a
large Confederate force.

474
00:16:47,500 --> 00:16:49,320
It's almost like they were waiting for us.

475
00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:50,290
How did they know?

476
00:16:50,289 --> 00:16:52,980
As it turned out, spies in
DC had sent a coded message

477
00:16:52,980 --> 00:16:55,029
to the Confederates
warning of the invasion.

478
00:16:55,029 --> 00:16:56,610
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479
00:16:56,610 --> 00:16:58,529
What the heck is Nord VPN?

480
00:16:58,529 --> 00:17:00,769
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481
00:17:00,769 --> 00:17:02,809
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482
00:17:02,809 --> 00:17:03,689
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483
00:17:03,690 --> 00:17:05,789
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484
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485
00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:08,259
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486
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487
00:17:10,509 --> 00:17:13,950
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488
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489
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490
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491
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493
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494
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495
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496
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499
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500
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501
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503
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504
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505
00:17:54,059 --> 00:17:56,289
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506
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So thank you.

507
00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:58,460
Now, where were we?

508
00:17:58,460 --> 00:18:00,890
Oh yeah, succession, fat man,

509
00:18:00,890 --> 00:18:03,280
and the union invasion into Virginia.

510
00:18:03,279 --> 00:18:04,690
The two sites encountered each other

511
00:18:04,690 --> 00:18:06,390
at Manassas and both geared up

512
00:18:06,390 --> 00:18:08,910
for the first major
battle of the Civil War.

513
00:18:08,910 --> 00:18:11,320
The first battle of Bull Run.

514
00:18:11,319 --> 00:18:13,679
The Confederates rapidly
brought in support by a rail

515
00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:15,880
and the two sites were
about equal in numbers.

516
00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,680
However, they were also
equally inexperienced.

517
00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:20,650
A large number of civilians also wrote

518
00:18:20,650 --> 00:18:22,440
out by carriage from DC to picnic

519
00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:25,320
on the nearby hills and
watch the excitement unfold.

520
00:18:25,319 --> 00:18:27,240
Nobody seemed to quite understand how

521
00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,410
destructive this war was going to be.

522
00:18:29,410 --> 00:18:31,490
The union forces pulled
a flanking maneuver to

523
00:18:31,490 --> 00:18:32,730
hit the Confederates on their left

524
00:18:32,730 --> 00:18:35,170
and the two sides fired
on each other in rows.

525
00:18:35,170 --> 00:18:36,740
Farm families living in the area

526
00:18:36,740 --> 00:18:37,990
were forced to flee the fighting

527
00:18:37,990 --> 00:18:40,180
including a man named Wilmer McLean.

528
00:18:40,180 --> 00:18:42,610
Hurry up, Martha, there's a war out here.

529
00:18:42,609 --> 00:18:46,702
The more you tell me to hurry
up, the slower I will go.

530
00:18:48,039 --> 00:18:49,879
The union foresaw initial success

531
00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,100
pushing the Confederates
back to Henry Hill.

532
00:18:52,099 --> 00:18:54,679
But one as of yet, fairly unknown general

533
00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,330
Thomas Jackson had arrived

534
00:18:56,329 --> 00:18:58,679
and he took a defensive position standing

535
00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:01,279
from like a Stonewall,
holding the union army off

536
00:19:01,279 --> 00:19:03,250
and finally sending them running back

537
00:19:03,250 --> 00:19:06,130
to Washington DC with heavy casualties.

538
00:19:06,130 --> 00:19:08,960
The sobering reality of
war hit both sides hard

539
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:11,029
and the North having just lost the first

540
00:19:11,029 --> 00:19:13,440
major battle had to face
this serious prospect

541
00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,670
that they may not actually win this war.

542
00:19:15,670 --> 00:19:18,320
President Lincoln, General
Jackson whipped us so hard,

543
00:19:18,319 --> 00:19:20,519
the Confederates are calling
him Stonewall Jackson.

544
00:19:20,519 --> 00:19:22,210
Wait, that's why they're calling him that?

545
00:19:22,210 --> 00:19:23,049
Not because he looks like

546
00:19:23,049 --> 00:19:24,750
he ran face first into a Stonewall?

547
00:19:24,750 --> 00:19:25,599
Apparently not.

548
00:19:25,599 --> 00:19:28,299
Worse yet, the North had also
lost the first major battle

549
00:19:28,299 --> 00:19:31,369
out West giving away control
of Southwest, Missouri.

550
00:19:31,369 --> 00:19:33,989
All of this was terrible
news for Abraham Lincoln.

551
00:19:33,990 --> 00:19:35,609
Especially since many of his generals

552
00:19:35,609 --> 00:19:38,109
in cabinet already didn't
have much respect for him.

553
00:19:38,109 --> 00:19:40,229
They felt he wasn't
capable of running a war

554
00:19:40,230 --> 00:19:42,650
because he seemed a bit like
your friendly old grandpa.

555
00:19:42,650 --> 00:19:45,800
He famously loved a long-winded
story and a good pun.

556
00:19:45,799 --> 00:19:46,879
I've been so busy.

557
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,173
My wife is missing me, but her
aim is starting to improve.

558
00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:53,259
But deep down do you
realized he could also

559
00:19:53,259 --> 00:19:54,960
be incredibly shrewd.

560
00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,069
Oh Abe, you're so funny.

561
00:19:57,069 --> 00:19:57,903
Funny how?

562
00:19:59,190 --> 00:20:00,940
Funny, like I'm a clown?

563
00:20:00,940 --> 00:20:01,773
Abe, I was just.

564
00:20:01,772 --> 00:20:03,919
No, no funny how, like
I'm here to amuse you?

565
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,330
During the war Lincoln
committed acts that were viewed

566
00:20:06,329 --> 00:20:07,699
by some as impeachable.

567
00:20:07,700 --> 00:20:09,789
His administration
suppressed the free media

568
00:20:09,789 --> 00:20:12,460
from printing articles
sympathetic towards the South.

569
00:20:12,460 --> 00:20:14,750
Some Southern sympathizers
were even arrested

570
00:20:14,750 --> 00:20:15,650
without a trial.

571
00:20:15,650 --> 00:20:19,050
Lincoln's criticizers began
accusing him of being a tyrant

572
00:20:19,049 --> 00:20:20,517
but to quote the man himself,

573
00:20:20,517 --> 00:20:22,007
"Hey it's war, baby.

574
00:20:22,007 --> 00:20:23,200
"What are you gonna do?"

575
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:25,960
By the end of 1861 with
things already looking bad

576
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:26,799
for the North,

577
00:20:26,799 --> 00:20:29,250
abolitionists such as Frederick
Douglas couldn't believe

578
00:20:29,250 --> 00:20:31,950
that the union army weren't
enlisting black men.

579
00:20:31,950 --> 00:20:34,410
He continued to put pressure
on Lincoln to make the war

580
00:20:34,410 --> 00:20:35,670
about emancipation.

581
00:20:35,670 --> 00:20:39,300
Mr. President, it's time to
make the war about emancipation.

582
00:20:39,299 --> 00:20:40,869
I don't wanna ruffle any feathers.

583
00:20:40,869 --> 00:20:43,259
The feathers are already ruffled.

584
00:20:43,259 --> 00:20:44,710
But Lincoln hanging on to hope

585
00:20:44,710 --> 00:20:46,150
for a quick end to the conflict,

586
00:20:46,150 --> 00:20:49,509
continued to fight only for
the preservation of the union.

587
00:20:49,509 --> 00:20:51,779
It was decided, however,
that escaped slaves

588
00:20:51,779 --> 00:20:54,559
from the Confederacy could
be held as enemy contraband.

589
00:20:54,559 --> 00:20:56,230
And many of these men were put to work,

590
00:20:56,230 --> 00:20:59,200
bolstering the unions,
infrastructure and supply lines.

591
00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:00,420
Hoping to get things moving,

592
00:21:00,420 --> 00:21:02,460
Lincoln made young
General George McClellan

593
00:21:02,460 --> 00:21:05,230
the new commanding general
and McClellan began to train

594
00:21:05,230 --> 00:21:06,063
up his men.

595
00:21:06,063 --> 00:21:08,200
He thought a lot of himself,
however, and believed he

596
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:10,400
was going to be the nation's great savior.

597
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:12,830
Unlike many others, he didn't
approve of the president's

598
00:21:12,829 --> 00:21:13,899
handling of the war.

599
00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:16,430
On one occasion, Lincoln went
to McClellan's house to meet

600
00:21:16,430 --> 00:21:18,759
with him, but McClellan
was late returning home.

601
00:21:18,759 --> 00:21:20,000
He kept the president waiting.

602
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:21,380
And when he finally got there,

603
00:21:21,380 --> 00:21:24,080
he just straight up went to bed.

604
00:21:24,079 --> 00:21:26,059
Now that's what I call disrespectful.

605
00:21:26,059 --> 00:21:29,190
McClellan talked the talk,
but could he walk the walk?

606
00:21:29,190 --> 00:21:31,000
No, like Lincoln's other generals,

607
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,259
McClellan was maddeningly cautious.

608
00:21:33,259 --> 00:21:35,529
Hey man, could you move
South and attack the enemy?

609
00:21:35,529 --> 00:21:36,899
What are you crazy?

610
00:21:36,900 --> 00:21:38,750
What if they have a big,
scary army down there?

611
00:21:38,750 --> 00:21:40,380
They probably do.

612
00:21:40,380 --> 00:21:41,213
What?

613
00:21:41,212 --> 00:21:42,129
Oh my gosh.

614
00:21:42,130 --> 00:21:44,020
McClellan worried that he
did not have the numbers

615
00:21:44,019 --> 00:21:45,740
he needed to fight effectively.

616
00:21:45,740 --> 00:21:47,690
What if they have like 10,000 men?

617
00:21:47,690 --> 00:21:48,750
Okay, no problem.

618
00:21:48,750 --> 00:21:50,109
We'll get you 20,000 men.

619
00:21:50,109 --> 00:21:52,179
Well, what if they have 30,000 men?

620
00:21:52,180 --> 00:21:53,210
I'll need 40.

621
00:21:53,210 --> 00:21:54,690
Okay, you can have 40.

622
00:21:54,690 --> 00:21:58,519
Well, what if they have 50 I'll need 60.

623
00:21:58,519 --> 00:22:00,549
Lincoln tried but it was all in vain.

624
00:22:00,549 --> 00:22:03,529
McClellan would not make a
move for the rest of the year.

625
00:22:03,529 --> 00:22:05,250
The North's one saving grace for now,

626
00:22:05,250 --> 00:22:08,390
was a General out west fighting
Kentucky and Tennessee.

627
00:22:08,390 --> 00:22:12,009
General Ulysses S. Grant
cool, collected, methodical

628
00:22:12,009 --> 00:22:13,700
and a big fan of whiskey.

629
00:22:13,700 --> 00:22:16,900
His chief of staff took it upon
himself to keep Grant sober.

630
00:22:16,900 --> 00:22:19,650
One officer said that Grant
habitually worn expression

631
00:22:19,650 --> 00:22:21,190
as though he were
determined to drive his head

632
00:22:21,190 --> 00:22:23,180
through a brick wall
and was about to do it.

633
00:22:23,180 --> 00:22:25,289
And that determination
led him to score a number

634
00:22:25,289 --> 00:22:27,659
of key victories when others
around him were failing.

635
00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:29,480
At the battle of Fort
Donaldson Grant was like,

636
00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:31,920
why does Stonewall Jackson get
a cool nickname and I don't?

637
00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:33,110
I want a cool nickname.

638
00:22:33,109 --> 00:22:35,199
Sir, the Confederate say
they're ready to surrender

639
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,420
and wanna know your terms.

640
00:22:36,420 --> 00:22:37,330
No terms.

641
00:22:37,329 --> 00:22:39,429
Just unconditional surrender.

642
00:22:39,430 --> 00:22:42,580
Hey, Unconditional Surrender Grant.

643
00:22:42,579 --> 00:22:46,009
That's a pretty cool
nickname, right guys, right?

644
00:22:46,009 --> 00:22:48,430
Later in April, 1862,
the Confederates launched

645
00:22:48,430 --> 00:22:50,340
a sudden attack on Grant's army at Shiloh

646
00:22:50,339 --> 00:22:52,720
but the determined
Unconditional Surrender Grant

647
00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,250
through his lines at the
rebels and sent them running.

648
00:22:55,250 --> 00:22:57,599
The battle resulted in
the heaviest casualties

649
00:22:57,599 --> 00:22:59,480
in US history so far.

650
00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,490
And despite his victory, Grant
found himself under fire.

651
00:23:02,490 --> 00:23:03,829
You have to get rid of Grant.

652
00:23:03,829 --> 00:23:04,663
Why?

653
00:23:04,663 --> 00:23:05,496
Didn't he win?

654
00:23:05,496 --> 00:23:07,920
Yes, but he just threw
his men at the enemy.

655
00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:09,000
Isn't that the point?

656
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,549
Also he's a loony drunk.

657
00:23:10,549 --> 00:23:11,849
Well, what does he like to drink?

658
00:23:11,849 --> 00:23:13,240
I believe whiskey, sir.

659
00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:14,823
Then send him more.

660
00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,339
Lincoln watched as his cabinet
did nothing but bicker.

661
00:23:19,339 --> 00:23:23,139
And his generals did nothing
but then worst of all,

662
00:23:23,140 --> 00:23:26,960
personal tragedy struck
Lincoln's young son, Willie.

663
00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,160
Very much loved by the
president died of typhoid fever

664
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:31,390
at the age of 11.

665
00:23:31,390 --> 00:23:32,860
Lincoln was a sensitive man

666
00:23:32,859 --> 00:23:35,099
and was heavily effected by the loss.

667
00:23:35,099 --> 00:23:37,079
His wife was inconsolable

668
00:23:37,079 --> 00:23:38,859
but one of Lincoln's greatest traits,

669
00:23:38,859 --> 00:23:40,759
what made him such a great leader was

670
00:23:40,759 --> 00:23:42,140
in the darkest of times

671
00:23:42,140 --> 00:23:46,440
with composure and determination,
he kept moving forward.

672
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,019
He knew it was his
responsibility to hold himself

673
00:23:49,019 --> 00:23:50,430
and his family together.

674
00:23:50,430 --> 00:23:53,610
And by doing so, he hoped
to hold the nation together

675
00:23:53,609 --> 00:23:56,469
and he had had it with
McClellan's in action.

676
00:23:56,470 --> 00:23:59,180
Lincoln decided he was gonna take control.

677
00:23:59,180 --> 00:24:01,529
In March, 1862 Lincoln firmly ordered

678
00:24:01,529 --> 00:24:04,190
McClellan to once again
move South towards Richmond,

679
00:24:04,190 --> 00:24:06,250
McClellan insisted
instead they moved by sea

680
00:24:06,250 --> 00:24:07,640
to the Virginia Peninsula

681
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:09,690
and attack Richmond from the South East.

682
00:24:09,690 --> 00:24:10,910
Yes, said Lincoln.

683
00:24:10,910 --> 00:24:12,390
Okay, anything.

684
00:24:12,390 --> 00:24:14,970
Lincoln held onto some of
McClellan's men to defend DC

685
00:24:14,970 --> 00:24:17,180
from a nearby Stonewall
Jackson wreaking havoc

686
00:24:17,180 --> 00:24:18,480
in the Shenandoah Valley.

687
00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:20,059
And he sent McClellan South.

688
00:24:20,059 --> 00:24:21,730
McClellan landed on the Peninsula

689
00:24:21,730 --> 00:24:23,190
and he began to move inland.

690
00:24:23,190 --> 00:24:24,990
He came up against a
small Confederate army

691
00:24:24,990 --> 00:24:26,559
that had dug in at Yorktown.

692
00:24:26,559 --> 00:24:28,720
McClellan vastly outnumbered the force

693
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:30,549
but it said that
Confederate general Magruder

694
00:24:30,549 --> 00:24:31,539
deceived McClellan

695
00:24:31,539 --> 00:24:33,690
by cleverly maneuvering his smaller force

696
00:24:33,690 --> 00:24:36,559
and making McClellan believe
he faced a huge army.

697
00:24:36,559 --> 00:24:39,653
No, you have way more men
than them, move forward.

698
00:24:40,490 --> 00:24:41,323
No.

699
00:24:41,323 --> 00:24:43,730
McClellan settled in for a
month long siege, giving time

700
00:24:43,730 --> 00:24:46,120
for Johnston to move South
from Manassas and Magruder

701
00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:47,179
time to retreat.

702
00:24:47,180 --> 00:24:49,750
When he finally entered the
city and found it deserted

703
00:24:49,750 --> 00:24:53,230
he declared it a victory
calling his success brilliant.

704
00:24:53,230 --> 00:24:55,630
Then after meeting some
resistance at Williamsburg

705
00:24:55,630 --> 00:24:58,400
McClellan moved to within
just 20 miles of Richmond

706
00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:00,610
his Army's able to hear
the church bells ringing

707
00:25:00,609 --> 00:25:01,949
in the enemy capital.

708
00:25:01,950 --> 00:25:03,460
You still outnumber them.

709
00:25:03,460 --> 00:25:05,110
Go give them hell.

710
00:25:05,109 --> 00:25:05,942
No.

711
00:25:05,942 --> 00:25:07,440
McClellan once again held back

712
00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:09,230
moving slowly and defensively.

713
00:25:09,230 --> 00:25:11,240
And with his army split
in two, the Confederate

714
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,430
saw an opportunity to strike back.

715
00:25:13,430 --> 00:25:16,570
McClellan's advance was halted,
and now the Confederates

716
00:25:16,569 --> 00:25:18,200
pulled an ace out of their sleep.

717
00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:19,830
General Lee, you're up.

718
00:25:19,829 --> 00:25:21,619
Do you think we should evacuate Richmond?

719
00:25:21,619 --> 00:25:23,549
No. Mr. President, no need.

720
00:25:23,549 --> 00:25:25,000
General. Robert E. Lee,

721
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,849
one of the most brilliant
military commanders

722
00:25:26,849 --> 00:25:29,079
of the time was now in charge.

723
00:25:29,079 --> 00:25:30,990
One of his biggest
strengths was his ability to

724
00:25:30,990 --> 00:25:33,549
read the mind of his enemy
and he knew McClellan was

725
00:25:33,549 --> 00:25:36,819
cautious and weak after moving
Stonewall Jackson South to

726
00:25:36,819 --> 00:25:37,653
join him.

727
00:25:37,653 --> 00:25:39,870
And even though he had a
smaller army, Lee hit McClellan

728
00:25:39,869 --> 00:25:42,500
in a series of fast paced,
close combat battles

729
00:25:42,500 --> 00:25:45,630
that had McClellan spook,
McClellan retreated the union

730
00:25:45,630 --> 00:25:49,970
army back again and again and
again, escaping the Peninsula

731
00:25:49,970 --> 00:25:51,569
and returning to DC.

732
00:25:51,569 --> 00:25:54,980
Lee had defeated McClellan
and the campaign had failed.

733
00:25:54,980 --> 00:25:56,740
Well, that was a major success.

734
00:25:56,740 --> 00:25:57,700
A success?

735
00:25:57,700 --> 00:26:00,009
Tell me exactly what was
successful about that.

736
00:26:00,009 --> 00:26:01,970
Well, we successfully retreated.

737
00:26:01,970 --> 00:26:03,150
You lost.

738
00:26:03,150 --> 00:26:04,430
I didn't lose.

739
00:26:04,430 --> 00:26:06,039
I merely failed to win.

740
00:26:06,039 --> 00:26:08,369
Things just kept looking
worse for the North.

741
00:26:08,369 --> 00:26:11,209
At least their Navy had seen
some success capturing a number

742
00:26:11,210 --> 00:26:13,690
of key port cities, notably
when they steamrolled

743
00:26:13,690 --> 00:26:16,400
past Confederate forts
to take New Orleans.

744
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:17,600
And speaking of the Navy

745
00:26:17,599 --> 00:26:19,839
both sides have begun using ironclads.

746
00:26:19,839 --> 00:26:20,699
So that's pretty cool.

747
00:26:20,700 --> 00:26:23,210
But in the East, they still
weren't having any luck.

748
00:26:23,210 --> 00:26:25,400
After McClellan's disastrous campaign,

749
00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,730
Lincoln briefly sent that
one General John Pope

750
00:26:27,730 --> 00:26:29,509
to attack Northern Virginia.

751
00:26:29,509 --> 00:26:30,920
Hey man, just checking in.

752
00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:31,753
How's it going?

753
00:26:31,752 --> 00:26:34,000
Well, the Confederates kicked
my butt at Cedar mountain.

754
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:35,430
Then they raided my camp and ran off

755
00:26:35,430 --> 00:26:36,490
with my money and clothes.

756
00:26:36,490 --> 00:26:38,539
Also, I appear to have been wedgied.

757
00:26:38,539 --> 00:26:40,730
Lee defeated Pope at yet another battle

758
00:26:40,730 --> 00:26:43,000
at Bull Run in which nearby farm families,

759
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:45,470
once again got caught up in the fighting.

760
00:26:45,470 --> 00:26:48,700
Hurry up, Martha, there's
another war out here.

761
00:26:48,700 --> 00:26:51,492
I'm waiting for my hair to dry.

762
00:26:52,529 --> 00:26:55,609
Wilmer McLean sick of war
moved his family South

763
00:26:55,609 --> 00:26:57,419
where he knew the war would definitely

764
00:26:57,420 --> 00:27:00,110
absolutely never touch him again.

765
00:27:00,109 --> 00:27:02,449
But Lincoln had yet another
problem to contend with

766
00:27:02,450 --> 00:27:04,819
European powers in particular the UK

767
00:27:04,819 --> 00:27:05,819
we're looking increasingly

768
00:27:05,819 --> 00:27:07,679
like they may intervene diplomatically

769
00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:09,269
on the side of the Confederates.

770
00:27:09,269 --> 00:27:10,819
They were missing their precious supply

771
00:27:10,819 --> 00:27:13,250
of Southern cotton because
of the union blockade.

772
00:27:13,250 --> 00:27:15,720
And they wanted to see a
swift conclusion to the war.

773
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:17,529
The tension between
America and Great Britain

774
00:27:17,529 --> 00:27:20,299
had been increasing especially
after Confederate diplomats

775
00:27:20,299 --> 00:27:22,079
were discovered on a British ship.

776
00:27:22,079 --> 00:27:24,649
Now after McClellan's
failure to take Richmond

777
00:27:24,650 --> 00:27:27,690
the UK declared it impossible
for the North to win.

778
00:27:27,690 --> 00:27:29,100
Lincoln needed something to

779
00:27:29,099 --> 00:27:30,740
prevent Europe from getting involved.

780
00:27:30,740 --> 00:27:33,009
And after more petitioning
from abolitionists

781
00:27:33,009 --> 00:27:35,960
he decided maybe the time was
finally right to make the war

782
00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,329
about ending the institution
he hated, slavery.

783
00:27:39,329 --> 00:27:41,500
If the North had a noble
cause to fight for,

784
00:27:41,500 --> 00:27:43,859
Europe would be less likely to intervene

785
00:27:43,859 --> 00:27:45,559
but Lincoln and his
cabinet knew before they

786
00:27:45,559 --> 00:27:48,049
could declare something as
radical as emancipation,

787
00:27:48,049 --> 00:27:50,299
they needed a victory, especially now

788
00:27:50,299 --> 00:27:53,220
that the Confederates were
about to go on the attack.

789
00:27:53,220 --> 00:27:55,710
Aware that he had a limited
number of men and supplies,

790
00:27:55,710 --> 00:27:56,730
Lee now hoped that

791
00:27:56,730 --> 00:27:59,240
if he could just threaten
Washington DC militarily

792
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:01,049
he would gain Europe's recognition

793
00:28:01,049 --> 00:28:02,529
and crush Northern morale in time

794
00:28:02,529 --> 00:28:05,490
for the midterm elections,
forcing the North to negotiate.

795
00:28:05,490 --> 00:28:07,120
With confidence at an all-time high

796
00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,789
for the first time Robert
E. Lee invaded the North

797
00:28:10,789 --> 00:28:14,170
but on September 13th, the
North finally had some luck.

798
00:28:14,170 --> 00:28:15,800
Oh boy, it's my lucky day.

799
00:28:15,799 --> 00:28:17,059
That's a garner field.

800
00:28:17,059 --> 00:28:18,250
Hey, what's this wrapped around it?

801
00:28:18,250 --> 00:28:19,730
Oh my gosh.

802
00:28:19,730 --> 00:28:20,563
That's right.

803
00:28:20,563 --> 00:28:22,360
The North had discovered
General Lee's battle plans

804
00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:23,869
wrapped around some cigars

805
00:28:23,869 --> 00:28:26,949
and in them they saw that
Lee had split up his forces

806
00:28:26,950 --> 00:28:29,460
McClellan headed out from
DC and the two sides met

807
00:28:29,460 --> 00:28:31,180
in the battle of Antietam.

808
00:28:31,180 --> 00:28:34,019
A crucial battle that would
decide the course of the war.

809
00:28:34,019 --> 00:28:36,660
It saw the most vicious
fighting to date and still

810
00:28:36,660 --> 00:28:40,100
remains the single bloodiest
day in American history.

811
00:28:40,099 --> 00:28:42,949
But for once the North came out victorious

812
00:28:42,950 --> 00:28:44,799
and Lee was forced to retreat.

813
00:28:44,799 --> 00:28:47,950
He's on the run, chase him
down and finish them off.

814
00:28:47,950 --> 00:28:49,610
No.

815
00:28:49,609 --> 00:28:52,969
You know what old buddy
old pal, you're fired.

816
00:28:52,970 --> 00:28:55,589
The North had won their crucial victory.

817
00:28:55,589 --> 00:28:57,579
Lincoln breathed a huge sigh of relief.

818
00:28:57,579 --> 00:29:01,009
And with that wind, he was
prepared to take a huge step

819
00:29:01,009 --> 00:29:05,390
on September 22nd, the emancipation
proclamation was issued

820
00:29:05,390 --> 00:29:06,330
in January.

821
00:29:06,329 --> 00:29:09,480
All slaves held in the
Confederate States would be as far

822
00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:12,970
as the US government was
concerned officially free.

823
00:29:12,970 --> 00:29:15,150
Throughout the North
free black men and women

824
00:29:15,150 --> 00:29:17,440
rejoiced knowing that
if the North were to win

825
00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:19,590
their brothers and sisters would no longer

826
00:29:19,589 --> 00:29:20,909
be held in bondage.

827
00:29:20,910 --> 00:29:23,100
The proclamation also
had the intended effect

828
00:29:23,099 --> 00:29:25,809
on Europe who were not
willing to oppose a pledge to

829
00:29:25,809 --> 00:29:28,690
end slavery and outraged
Confederacy knew that

830
00:29:28,690 --> 00:29:30,890
Lincoln had given the war a new meaning.

831
00:29:30,890 --> 00:29:34,230
It was no longer just about
the preservation of the union.

832
00:29:34,230 --> 00:29:36,700
Now, it was about creating a new union,

833
00:29:36,700 --> 00:29:39,160
washed clean of its original sin,

834
00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:41,870
a union without slavery.

835
00:29:41,869 --> 00:29:44,452
(upbeat music)