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- You think anyone will
know mom's in there?
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00:00:03,490 --> 00:00:04,670
(men grunting)
3
00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:06,990
Abraham Lincoln, I'm
running for state assembly.
4
00:00:07,010 --> 00:00:08,750
It's not certain I will succeed.
5
00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:10,230
- You planin' on pourin' that?
6
00:00:10,250 --> 00:00:12,730
- I would like to dance
with you in the worst way.
7
00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:14,910
- I'm not like other
ladies, Mr. Lincoln.
8
00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,930
- I'm afraid this might
be my one and only term.
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00:00:18,020 --> 00:00:22,580
- A nation guilty of practices
more shocking and bloody.
10
00:00:22,670 --> 00:00:24,170
- Gonna be a big
argument in this country.
11
00:00:24,270 --> 00:00:25,530
I intend to be ready for it.
12
00:00:25,750 --> 00:00:29,650
Let us have faith that
right makes might.
13
00:00:31,110 --> 00:00:32,760
- Yes, Lincoln!
14
00:00:32,850 --> 00:00:35,260
- The government
will not assail you.
15
00:00:35,350 --> 00:00:36,870
How long can Sumter
to hold out for?
16
00:00:37,020 --> 00:00:39,110
- Wait for cooler heads.
- You must send more ships.
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00:00:39,210 --> 00:00:40,450
- [Advisor] I say we withdraw.
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- Fire!
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00:00:41,450 --> 00:00:43,040
(cannons booming)
20
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- [Man] Ladies and gentlemen,
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00:00:46,530 --> 00:00:49,110
some of you may
have heard of him.
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- [Doris] His story
has been passed down
23
00:00:50,550 --> 00:00:52,200
from one generation to the next.
24
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- Four score and
seven years ago.
25
00:00:55,460 --> 00:00:58,540
- He felt that democracy
in its purest form
26
00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:00,790
is for all people.
27
00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,300
- All persons held as slaves
shall be thence forward
28
00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,070
and forever free.
29
00:01:06,220 --> 00:01:08,740
- But there's something
deeper than what he did.
30
00:01:09,740 --> 00:01:11,890
It's about who he was.
31
00:01:11,980 --> 00:01:14,220
- Lincoln grew up in the
poverty.
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- Haven't done anything
33
00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:16,820
to make anyone remember
that I ever lived.
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00:01:16,970 --> 00:01:18,080
- He's living proof
35
00:01:18,230 --> 00:01:21,080
that Americans can rise
from obscurity to power.
36
00:01:21,230 --> 00:01:24,490
- With that wit and that
charm and that intellect.
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00:01:24,590 --> 00:01:26,910
- It's better to stay
silent and be thought a fool
38
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,820
than to speak up and
remove all doubt.
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00:01:28,910 --> 00:01:31,100
- He has this deep
sense of empathy.
40
00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,240
- [Christy] He takes the
Declaration of Independence.
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00:01:33,340 --> 00:01:35,170
- All men are created equal.
42
00:01:35,260 --> 00:01:38,740
- [Christy] And turns it into
a nation's moral compass.
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00:01:38,770 --> 00:01:40,180
(glass shattering)
44
00:01:40,270 --> 00:01:41,590
(mob shouting)
45
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- As the country
is breaking apart
46
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there's a turning point
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00:01:44,830 --> 00:01:46,510
where he's gonna
have to take a stand.
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- Charge!
(gun shots)
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00:01:48,110 --> 00:01:49,260
- Blood will be on your hands!
50
00:01:49,350 --> 00:01:51,280
- Blood is already on my hands!
51
00:01:51,500 --> 00:01:53,780
- He had to learn how to
be a Commander in Chief.
52
00:01:54,010 --> 00:01:55,600
- I can't have a
war on two fronts.
53
00:01:55,690 --> 00:01:59,180
- He was willing to admit
he was wrong and to change.
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- We can attack immediately.
55
00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:02,690
- [Doris] He was the right
person at the right time.
56
00:02:02,850 --> 00:02:04,960
- If we let this stand
for one minute longer,
57
00:02:05,110 --> 00:02:06,370
(gun shot)
58
00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,110
We might as well say
goodbye to the whole thing.
59
00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:13,290
Union, democracy, all of it.
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00:02:13,950 --> 00:02:16,550
(dramatic music)
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00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:28,990
Whoa!
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- Pa, I'm stopping the rebels!
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00:02:32,230 --> 00:02:34,160
- Well that's good, tadpole,
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00:02:34,380 --> 00:02:36,470
we can't let 'em get
Washington, can we?
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00:02:36,490 --> 00:02:37,320
- Pow!
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00:02:38,550 --> 00:02:41,330
(children laughing)
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00:02:45,650 --> 00:02:48,580
- You mustn't look like a
bumpkin for the cabinet.
68
00:02:48,730 --> 00:02:51,250
I've seen two soldiers
camped in the east room.
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00:02:51,340 --> 00:02:53,170
Oh, they're so young.
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00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:55,150
- Don't mistake me, I'm
grateful they're here,
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00:02:55,250 --> 00:02:56,970
with the rebels at our
very doorstep.
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00:02:58,500 --> 00:03:00,680
Is there any word
on reinforcements?
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00:03:00,830 --> 00:03:03,020
- They're due to arrive
in Baltimore any moment.
74
00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:05,970
Mary, I'll be late.
75
00:03:08,860 --> 00:03:09,650
- There.
76
00:03:12,430 --> 00:03:14,360
- The cabinet's waiting,
this just came in.
77
00:03:17,270 --> 00:03:19,860
(Lincoln sighs)
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00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:30,040
(mob shouting)
(dramatic music)
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00:03:56,980 --> 00:04:00,740
- Got nowhere to run.
- Ain't lookin' good for you.
80
00:04:01,730 --> 00:04:04,210
(mob shouting)
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00:04:06,580 --> 00:04:09,330
(blows thudding)
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00:04:10,330 --> 00:04:12,710
(crowd yelling)
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00:04:21,260 --> 00:04:22,260
- After Fort Sumpter,
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00:04:22,410 --> 00:04:25,260
Washington DC is
basically defenseless.
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00:04:25,490 --> 00:04:27,670
There aren't a lot of
troops in Washington DC,
86
00:04:27,770 --> 00:04:30,330
and for the volunteers
that Lincoln has called up,
87
00:04:30,350 --> 00:04:31,440
they must get to Washington.
88
00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,670
As the 6th Massachusets is
marching through Baltimore,
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00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:37,900
a mob arrives and
there's a massive riot.
90
00:04:39,190 --> 00:04:42,180
- Baltimore was a very
pro Southern city.
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00:04:42,190 --> 00:04:44,770
It's the largest city in
the slaveholding south
92
00:04:44,790 --> 00:04:46,610
and proud of that.
93
00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:48,180
- Soldiers opened fire.
94
00:04:48,270 --> 00:04:50,040
People are killed,
soldiers are killed.
95
00:04:51,350 --> 00:04:53,940
It's a shocking moment.
96
00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,870
Here at the moment
of national peril
97
00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,130
when the president calls out
troops to suppress a rebellion
98
00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:05,100
rioters in the streets
attempt to prevent them.
99
00:05:08,140 --> 00:05:10,200
- You talk about coming in
the office with full plate.
100
00:05:10,220 --> 00:05:11,870
Lincoln's immediately tasked
101
00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:15,390
with trying to preserve
a union together
102
00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:16,940
that is already falling apart.
103
00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,040
- By the time Lincoln
comes into office,
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00:05:21,140 --> 00:05:22,450
seven states have seceded.
105
00:05:25,380 --> 00:05:26,990
The United States
doesn't even have
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00:05:27,140 --> 00:05:29,050
a sizeable military force.
107
00:05:29,150 --> 00:05:32,060
There's only about
15,000 total troops
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00:05:32,150 --> 00:05:34,390
in the United States army.
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00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,830
- So the day after the
firing on Fort Sumpter,
110
00:05:37,990 --> 00:05:40,750
Lincoln will call
for 75,000 troops.
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00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:43,300
- And with that four other
Southern states will secede.
112
00:05:45,010 --> 00:05:47,250
Problem for Washington DC is
just to the south is Virginia.
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They've just seceded.
114
00:05:48,850 --> 00:05:50,500
It's surrounded by
Maryland, a border state,
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00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:52,020
that has secessionist tendencies
116
00:05:52,170 --> 00:05:54,840
and we don't quite know what
direction they're gonna go yet.
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00:05:54,930 --> 00:05:56,910
- So Lincoln had to wonder,
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00:05:56,930 --> 00:06:01,010
is the Capitol in Washington
now an isolated island?
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00:06:01,100 --> 00:06:03,930
A federal jurisdiction in a sea
120
00:06:04,030 --> 00:06:05,770
of insurrection and rebellion.
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00:06:05,870 --> 00:06:08,040
(dramatic music)
122
00:06:08,260 --> 00:06:11,870
- You severely underestimate
rebel sympathies.
123
00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:15,620
Southerners are resigning
from my Navy every day.
124
00:06:15,710 --> 00:06:18,100
- The army is losing too many
of its best officers too.
125
00:06:18,190 --> 00:06:21,380
- We lost Virginia
we lost Robert Lee.
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00:06:21,610 --> 00:06:22,960
We need a commander.
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00:06:23,050 --> 00:06:25,780
- First we need soldiers
for him to command.
128
00:06:25,870 --> 00:06:27,890
- And how do you propose
to pay for all these men?
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00:06:28,110 --> 00:06:30,180
- You're the one holding
the purse strings.
130
00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:35,310
- I cannot imagine the
pressure that he was under.
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00:06:36,300 --> 00:06:37,390
Nobody's sure that this country
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00:06:37,620 --> 00:06:40,560
is actually even gonna
last through his term.
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00:06:41,980 --> 00:06:44,560
- [Ted] He was in a
very weak position.
134
00:06:44,570 --> 00:06:47,980
The Republican party
is only six years old.
135
00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:50,060
It has never had a president.
136
00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:51,970
- He lands in the White House
137
00:06:52,060 --> 00:06:54,490
and he has to
construct a cabinet
138
00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,570
that includes people who were
previously his political foes
139
00:06:57,580 --> 00:06:59,580
and who are absolutely confident
140
00:06:59,810 --> 00:07:02,480
that they should be
president instead of him.
141
00:07:02,500 --> 00:07:04,580
- [Ted] Salmon Chase
still was upset
142
00:07:04,670 --> 00:07:07,600
about losing the
Republican nomination.
143
00:07:07,820 --> 00:07:11,430
Edward Bates of Missouri,
basically the same thing.
144
00:07:11,580 --> 00:07:13,760
William Henry Seward
is a very famous
145
00:07:13,990 --> 00:07:17,160
Republican Senator from New
York and a former governor.
146
00:07:17,250 --> 00:07:20,010
- He's the favorite child
of the Republican party.
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00:07:20,110 --> 00:07:23,030
Seward is kind of angling
to try and be the,
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00:07:24,020 --> 00:07:25,240
the puppeteer, if you will.
149
00:07:26,610 --> 00:07:28,030
- The first thing we should do
150
00:07:29,020 --> 00:07:30,450
is blockade the southern ports.
151
00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,100
- Don't let supplies
in or come out.
152
00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:37,960
- A blockade will be seen
as an act of war by Europe.
153
00:07:38,110 --> 00:07:40,460
- We are at war.
154
00:07:40,690 --> 00:07:42,610
What's stopping us, we
have a Navy and ships.
155
00:07:42,630 --> 00:07:43,800
- Ships?
156
00:07:44,020 --> 00:07:47,020
Right now I don't have
any at my disposal.
157
00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:49,040
Oh, and please tell
me, Mr. Seward,
158
00:07:49,190 --> 00:07:52,470
what can we do with ships if I
don't have crews to man them?
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00:07:56,130 --> 00:07:58,610
(mob shouting)
160
00:08:04,390 --> 00:08:09,320
- Gentlemen, a secessionist mob
161
00:08:09,550 --> 00:08:12,910
has attacked the 6th
Massachusetts in Baltimore.
162
00:08:14,810 --> 00:08:15,580
Some dead.
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00:08:20,670 --> 00:08:22,960
And we don't know when troops
will make it to Washington.
164
00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:29,510
- So what do you
propose, Mr. President?
165
00:08:31,090 --> 00:08:35,090
You find every rebel sympathizer
we can and you hold 'em,
166
00:08:35,180 --> 00:08:36,420
without charge if you have to.
167
00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:39,080
- Sir, that would be illegal.
168
00:08:39,170 --> 00:08:41,930
- We don't know who's
loyal, Mr. Bates.
169
00:08:42,020 --> 00:08:43,600
We have to keep control.
170
00:08:44,930 --> 00:08:47,100
This is no time to be timid.
171
00:08:47,250 --> 00:08:49,780
And where are the troops from
Rhode Island and New York?
172
00:08:51,420 --> 00:08:53,320
Now I reckon we should
have a full blockade.
173
00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:56,520
- What about Congress?
174
00:08:56,540 --> 00:08:59,690
- I'll call a special session
of Congress in due course.
175
00:08:59,780 --> 00:09:01,000
But we have to act now.
176
00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:05,130
Is there another choice?
177
00:09:07,530 --> 00:09:10,720
A third of our country
is in rebellion
178
00:09:10,870 --> 00:09:13,050
because they don't like
the laws we all agreed on.
179
00:09:14,390 --> 00:09:16,890
If we let this stand
for one minute longer
180
00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,190
we might as well say
goodbye to the whole thing.
181
00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:22,980
Union, democracy,
182
00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:25,230
all of it.
183
00:09:25,380 --> 00:09:27,230
(dramatic music)
184
00:09:27,460 --> 00:09:30,310
- Lincoln is not
allowing the south
185
00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:34,960
to just go its merry old
way without challenging it,
186
00:09:35,060 --> 00:09:38,150
because the democracy
that America had created,
187
00:09:38,250 --> 00:09:39,870
was unique in the world.
188
00:09:40,910 --> 00:09:42,230
- It's important to remember,
189
00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:44,800
Lincoln's just one
generation removed
190
00:09:44,830 --> 00:09:47,310
from Washington and
Adams and Jefferson.
191
00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,830
He feels his generation
has the responsibility
192
00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,310
to keep that experiment going.
193
00:09:52,330 --> 00:09:55,150
- Lincoln believed
deeply in the sanctity
194
00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:56,830
and the spirit of
what this country was
195
00:09:56,930 --> 00:09:58,220
and what it represented.
196
00:09:59,830 --> 00:10:03,610
And so the idea that states
would secede was infuriating
197
00:10:03,830 --> 00:10:05,750
because he was like,
well, we can't just
198
00:10:05,770 --> 00:10:08,660
let them hold out the
threat of secession
199
00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,610
anytime they don't
get what they want,
200
00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:12,690
'cause they'll just
do this forever.
201
00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,450
- So the war was a war
to preserve the union,
202
00:10:15,670 --> 00:10:16,850
first and foremost.
203
00:10:16,950 --> 00:10:19,600
They're going off to protect
this great experiment
204
00:10:19,690 --> 00:10:22,030
that was incredibly fragile.
205
00:10:24,270 --> 00:10:27,200
- So Lincoln assumed a
new presidential power,
206
00:10:27,290 --> 00:10:29,700
which he called the war power.
207
00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,540
- Lincoln declares the
suspension of habeas corpus
208
00:10:32,630 --> 00:10:34,950
in Maryland, in Pennsylvania.
209
00:10:34,970 --> 00:10:38,380
The military can now
arrest people at will
210
00:10:38,530 --> 00:10:41,870
and imprison them without the
necessity of a court hearing.
211
00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,200
- And he also
declares a blockade
212
00:10:44,220 --> 00:10:47,460
to prevent the south from
exporting things like cotton
213
00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:51,470
and importing all of the things
they need such as weaponry.
214
00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:53,730
The north has the advantage
in terms of population,
215
00:10:53,820 --> 00:10:56,560
in terms of industrial capacity.
216
00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:00,240
- But the south had an
almost invisible army
217
00:11:00,330 --> 00:11:03,410
and that was the army of slaves.
218
00:11:03,500 --> 00:11:05,910
These were the people who did
the drudge work of the army.
219
00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,730
These were the people who
performed all the camp duties.
220
00:11:09,740 --> 00:11:12,420
This would benefit the
Confederate army a great deal.
221
00:11:14,900 --> 00:11:18,490
- Now, wherever there was a
substantial Union army presence
222
00:11:18,590 --> 00:11:20,740
enslaved people were
pretty much doing
223
00:11:20,830 --> 00:11:23,010
what they had done even
before the Civil War,
224
00:11:23,170 --> 00:11:25,020
which was to seek freedom.
225
00:11:25,170 --> 00:11:27,520
And it creates a
logistical problem.
226
00:11:27,750 --> 00:11:29,780
What is the status
of these people?
227
00:11:31,580 --> 00:11:34,760
- In Virginia, enslaved
African-Americans
228
00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,850
began taking boats in
the dead of the night
229
00:11:37,860 --> 00:11:41,750
to the federal
installation at Fort Monroe
230
00:11:41,850 --> 00:11:43,610
commanded by General
Benjamin Butler,
231
00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:45,280
a New England politician.
232
00:11:49,380 --> 00:11:50,210
- These are the Negroes.
233
00:11:51,790 --> 00:11:53,380
They came across
Union lines, general.
234
00:11:55,030 --> 00:11:57,110
- These runaways are mine.
235
00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,510
My bosses that is, I'm
here to bring 'em back.
236
00:12:00,780 --> 00:12:01,950
- That true?
237
00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:02,970
Y'all runaways?
238
00:12:05,730 --> 00:12:08,400
- You have to hand
them over, its the law.
239
00:12:10,460 --> 00:12:12,400
- I'm aware of the law.
240
00:12:12,620 --> 00:12:15,900
- Sir, if me and these
boys is gonna dig holes,
241
00:12:16,900 --> 00:12:18,070
we'd rather dig 'em for Yankees.
242
00:12:22,580 --> 00:12:26,040
- Your employer hire these men
out to dig entrenchments?
243
00:12:27,140 --> 00:12:29,320
Were they secession?
244
00:12:29,470 --> 00:12:30,410
- He's got every right.
245
00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:32,420
There his property.
246
00:12:38,830 --> 00:12:40,980
- Consider them confiscated.
247
00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,160
If they're gonna contribute
to the war effort,
248
00:12:44,250 --> 00:12:45,730
it'll be on the
side of the Union.
249
00:12:47,340 --> 00:12:49,660
- You're gonna hear about this.
250
00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:51,440
- [Soldier] Sir, what
do I do with them?
251
00:12:54,270 --> 00:12:55,060
- Put 'em to work.
252
00:12:57,430 --> 00:13:00,200
- Well, come on.
- Come on, boys, come on!
253
00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,020
- According to the
fugitive slave law,
254
00:13:08,030 --> 00:13:09,350
which is still on the books,
255
00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,030
we're supposed to
return these people.
256
00:13:12,180 --> 00:13:16,920
Butler said, I declare
you contraband of war.
257
00:13:18,300 --> 00:13:20,630
You're here in camp,
you may stay in camp.
258
00:13:20,780 --> 00:13:25,620
And Lincoln did nothing to
countermand the decision,
259
00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,290
which led to the
self emancipation
260
00:13:28,310 --> 00:13:30,980
of tens of thousands
of African-Americans.
261
00:13:32,650 --> 00:13:36,630
- Right to the start, enslaved
people view the union army,
262
00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,540
Lincoln, as their liberators
263
00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:41,730
before they viewed
themselves in that role.
264
00:13:41,820 --> 00:13:44,320
'Cause Lincoln is very nervous
at the start of the war
265
00:13:44,550 --> 00:13:47,490
to keep the border slave
states within the union.
266
00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,900
Maryland, Delaware,
Missouri, and Kentucky.
267
00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:53,910
He said, we can't afford
to lose the states.
268
00:13:54,060 --> 00:13:57,150
- He kind of stakes
the future of the Union
269
00:13:57,170 --> 00:14:00,060
on his ability to keep
those slave states.
270
00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,510
Because as long as those
border states are still there,
271
00:14:03,510 --> 00:14:05,680
this is not a war about slavery.
272
00:14:05,830 --> 00:14:07,010
Because there are
still slave states
273
00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:08,400
who are part of the union.
274
00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:10,430
- [Manisha] But the people
who clearly see this
275
00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:12,020
as a war about slavery
276
00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,760
are abolitionists,
are African-Americans.
277
00:14:15,910 --> 00:14:19,170
- Frederick Douglass was a
few years ahead of everybody,
278
00:14:19,190 --> 00:14:21,020
including Lincoln.
279
00:14:21,180 --> 00:14:24,010
He had moved the family
to Rochester, New York
280
00:14:24,110 --> 00:14:26,280
to publish the North
Star newspaper,
281
00:14:26,370 --> 00:14:29,260
which became the leading
abolitionist voice.
282
00:14:29,350 --> 00:14:31,850
Douglass believed
that the Civil War
283
00:14:31,950 --> 00:14:34,000
was about ending slavery,
284
00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,460
ridding the country of
this horrific institution.
285
00:14:41,530 --> 00:14:42,670
- More eggs, please, mama.
286
00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,810
- Now that's it, I can't go
to the office this morning.
287
00:14:50,390 --> 00:14:51,890
- But the issue's coming
out tomorrow, love?
288
00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:52,960
- Yes, but before it does,
289
00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:54,810
I have to write a
response to that.
290
00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:57,730
- Lincoln's speech to Congress?
291
00:14:57,960 --> 00:14:58,570
- Mm-hmm.
292
00:15:01,050 --> 00:15:02,980
- He calls the war
a people's contest.
293
00:15:03,130 --> 00:15:04,910
- Keep reading, son.
294
00:15:05,130 --> 00:15:06,910
He doesn't mention
our people once.
295
00:15:08,470 --> 00:15:11,230
Lincoln's for the Union,
I'm for the Union too.
296
00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:13,300
But this war is about slavery
297
00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:14,990
and he's trying to
pretend it isn't.
298
00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,560
- But you supported him.
299
00:15:17,580 --> 00:15:19,900
- The man needs to be pushed.
300
00:15:19,990 --> 00:15:21,660
The whole country does.
301
00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:23,740
The only way he wins this war
302
00:15:23,830 --> 00:15:27,170
is by using the strength of our
people against those rebels.
303
00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:30,890
And I got three warriors
right here to help him do it.
304
00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:38,160
- Up in the north,
305
00:15:38,180 --> 00:15:41,760
in order to not lose support,
particularly from Democrats,
306
00:15:41,850 --> 00:15:43,280
it's important to frame the war
307
00:15:43,500 --> 00:15:47,170
as being essentially only
about saving the Union.
308
00:15:47,260 --> 00:15:49,260
- The most important
thing to recognize
309
00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:51,860
is it's not just the
north against the south.
310
00:15:52,010 --> 00:15:55,270
It's the north itself that is
divided by different factions.
311
00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:56,340
There are peace Democrats
312
00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:58,270
who want to stop
the war immediately.
313
00:15:58,370 --> 00:16:00,110
Those are the Copperheads.
314
00:16:00,130 --> 00:16:02,190
On the other hand, you
have war Democrats.
315
00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:04,190
The war Democrats
are willing to fight,
316
00:16:04,210 --> 00:16:07,880
but only to restore the
union, not for emancipation.
317
00:16:07,970 --> 00:16:10,710
- There are radical
Republicans, someone like Seward
318
00:16:10,860 --> 00:16:13,790
who believed in
emancipation from the get-go
319
00:16:13,810 --> 00:16:15,790
thought that the war
should be about that.
320
00:16:15,810 --> 00:16:18,040
And then you have more
moderate Republicans
321
00:16:18,130 --> 00:16:21,060
who simply want to
preserve the Union.
322
00:16:21,150 --> 00:16:22,480
- And so all of those
different interests
323
00:16:22,630 --> 00:16:27,710
are trying to push Lincoln
in their particular thing.
324
00:16:28,300 --> 00:16:31,390
But let's not forget, he's
a very shrewd politician.
325
00:16:31,490 --> 00:16:34,900
- And so even though Lincoln
thought slavery was wrong,
326
00:16:35,050 --> 00:16:37,880
he wasn't even thinking
about the idea that
327
00:16:37,980 --> 00:16:40,220
freeing black people
would be necessary
328
00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,130
in the project of
preserving the Union.
329
00:16:44,820 --> 00:16:46,650
- The loss of Fort
Sumter was in April.
330
00:16:46,670 --> 00:16:48,840
Now we find ourselves in June.
331
00:16:49,070 --> 00:16:51,590
There is a growing public
belief in the north
332
00:16:51,740 --> 00:16:54,740
that we need to do
something, we need to act.
333
00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:57,910
- And so by June, the
largest field army
334
00:16:57,930 --> 00:17:01,020
the United States has ever
seen with about 35,000 men
335
00:17:01,250 --> 00:17:03,340
under the command
of Irvin McDowell
336
00:17:03,430 --> 00:17:05,430
is stationed in Washington.
337
00:17:05,530 --> 00:17:09,260
- So Lincoln meets with McDowell
and general Winfield Scott,
338
00:17:09,270 --> 00:17:11,590
the Commanding General
of the Union army.
339
00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,420
He had been a hero
in the Mexican War,
340
00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:17,030
but Scott was over
70 and he was ill.
341
00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,540
- Now, Lincoln's not
trained in military science.
342
00:17:21,690 --> 00:17:24,690
He will check out books from
the Library of Congress,
343
00:17:24,790 --> 00:17:26,210
but he's really
trying to figure out
344
00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:28,880
what it means to be
Commander in Chief.
345
00:17:29,110 --> 00:17:31,870
- He had to learn how to
be a Commander in Chief,
346
00:17:31,890 --> 00:17:34,120
just like he had to
learn to be a president.
347
00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:36,050
And he had to
develop experience,
348
00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:38,200
'cause the president has
to make some decisions
349
00:17:38,300 --> 00:17:40,230
to fight the war,
350
00:17:40,450 --> 00:17:42,350
as opposed to the general
fighting the battle.
351
00:17:43,810 --> 00:17:46,240
(Scott snoring)
352
00:17:50,310 --> 00:17:52,400
- Richmond is the
key, Mr. President.
353
00:17:54,910 --> 00:17:56,910
Isn't that right, General Scott?
354
00:17:59,140 --> 00:17:59,870
- Indeed.
355
00:18:02,060 --> 00:18:03,540
They've claimed it
as their capitol.
356
00:18:05,250 --> 00:18:11,000
We take it, they're so called
Confederacy, will fall.
357
00:18:12,260 --> 00:18:13,380
- I see the merit.
358
00:18:15,340 --> 00:18:16,520
Can you move now?
359
00:18:17,930 --> 00:18:20,080
- Let's not be too eager, sir.
360
00:18:20,170 --> 00:18:21,390
- But I am eager.
361
00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:25,940
Our enlistment period
is almost over.
362
00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:28,270
We have got to end this
thing before it begins.
363
00:18:28,500 --> 00:18:30,830
- The troops who are young
and barely in uniform.
364
00:18:30,850 --> 00:18:32,530
We need time to train them.
365
00:18:34,010 --> 00:18:35,950
- Well, if we are green
then so are the rebels.
366
00:18:43,180 --> 00:18:44,910
We'll move on Richmond.
367
00:18:46,130 --> 00:18:48,460
(tense music)
368
00:18:48,690 --> 00:18:49,300
Immediately.
369
00:18:57,620 --> 00:19:00,970
- To everything,
there's a season,
370
00:19:02,370 --> 00:19:05,980
a time to love and
a time to hate.
371
00:19:07,460 --> 00:19:10,650
A time of war and a time
372
00:19:13,540 --> 00:19:14,440
of peace.
373
00:19:17,570 --> 00:19:21,660
- In July, 1861, only a few
months after Fort Sumter,
374
00:19:21,890 --> 00:19:26,820
Union forces under
McDowell marched south
375
00:19:26,830 --> 00:19:30,980
into Northern Virginia for the
first encounter of the war,
376
00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:33,490
very close to Washington.
377
00:19:33,510 --> 00:19:36,420
It happens around
the town of Manassas.
378
00:19:36,570 --> 00:19:39,180
The battle is alternatively
called Bull Run
379
00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:41,340
because that was a creek
on the battlefield.
380
00:19:43,260 --> 00:19:44,500
- Lincoln's expectation
381
00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:46,260
going into the first
battle of Bull Run is that
382
00:19:46,350 --> 00:19:49,410
the war will be settled
in this one battle.
383
00:19:49,510 --> 00:19:50,600
The south will win
its independence
384
00:19:50,750 --> 00:19:52,770
or the north will put
down the rebellion.
385
00:19:52,860 --> 00:19:55,320
Both armies are green,
not a lot of experience.
386
00:19:57,090 --> 00:19:58,680
When Abraham Lincoln calls
for 75,000 volunteers
387
00:19:58,770 --> 00:20:00,010
to put down the rebellion,
388
00:20:00,030 --> 00:20:02,350
they are limited to a
three month enlistment.
389
00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:05,760
The militia act of 1795, by
which he calls them forward,
390
00:20:05,850 --> 00:20:07,760
says it's only three months.
391
00:20:07,780 --> 00:20:10,520
- That's the way
we've always done it.
392
00:20:10,540 --> 00:20:12,520
You know, the crisis comes along
393
00:20:12,550 --> 00:20:14,050
and we call in all the farmers
394
00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:16,030
to get your musket
over the fireplace.
395
00:20:16,050 --> 00:20:18,440
And when the war's over,
396
00:20:18,460 --> 00:20:20,220
we send 'em home to
be farmers again.
397
00:20:21,370 --> 00:20:22,610
- [Doug] Lincoln recognizes
398
00:20:22,710 --> 00:20:24,560
that his men are
not well-trained,
399
00:20:24,710 --> 00:20:26,890
but politically it would
have been an abject sin
400
00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:28,890
to send all those
soldiers back home
401
00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:31,620
if they hadn't been
used in the first place.
402
00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:33,380
- The reality is
the overwhelming
403
00:20:33,470 --> 00:20:34,710
sentiment on both sides
404
00:20:34,730 --> 00:20:37,290
was let's get an army out
there and get it done.
405
00:20:37,390 --> 00:20:38,570
And so Lincoln and other leaders
406
00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,630
were pressuring the Union
army under Irvin McDowell
407
00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,400
to get up there and let's fight.
408
00:20:45,060 --> 00:20:47,410
- Even though it seems
so foreign to us,
409
00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:49,250
there was a great
deal of excitement.
410
00:20:49,470 --> 00:20:52,250
There was a great deal
of war enthusiasm.
411
00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:54,810
Keep in mind, the
technology of the time.
412
00:20:54,900 --> 00:20:57,490
We had no way to
see a battlefield.
413
00:20:57,650 --> 00:21:00,820
People had seen
paintings and sketches.
414
00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:03,930
And the notion was that
these men are in formations
415
00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:07,660
and firing at each other, but
it must be relatively safe.
416
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:11,330
- There are people who
literally showing up there
417
00:21:11,350 --> 00:21:13,520
with picnic baskets
on their wagons
418
00:21:13,610 --> 00:21:16,950
to look at the armies
fight down on the hill.
419
00:21:17,090 --> 00:21:18,440
- Congressmen and senators
420
00:21:18,670 --> 00:21:21,100
and the social
elite of Washington
421
00:21:21,110 --> 00:21:23,590
had come out to view the battle.
422
00:21:23,690 --> 00:21:27,510
This is a major spectacle,
this is major entertainment.
423
00:21:27,530 --> 00:21:29,120
- [Caroline] And
people really thought
424
00:21:29,270 --> 00:21:32,620
this would be their only
chance to see one battle.
425
00:21:33,780 --> 00:21:36,040
The Union army cross creek.
426
00:21:36,130 --> 00:21:38,540
(horses neighing)
427
00:21:38,690 --> 00:21:39,870
They wage an attack
428
00:21:39,970 --> 00:21:43,260
against this very formidable
force of Confederates.
429
00:21:44,470 --> 00:21:47,380
(dramatic music)
430
00:21:47,530 --> 00:21:50,120
- [Preacher] Even during
these difficult times,
431
00:21:50,220 --> 00:21:52,980
these trying times of war,
432
00:21:53,130 --> 00:21:57,820
we must remain strong and
keep our faith in Him.
433
00:22:02,230 --> 00:22:04,490
- Sir, news from the field.
434
00:22:06,330 --> 00:22:08,290
(people murmuring)
435
00:22:13,910 --> 00:22:15,890
What does it say?
436
00:22:15,910 --> 00:22:19,170
- [Doug] Lincoln is waiting
to hear how it's going.
437
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:20,820
- [Church Attendee]
Seems like good news.
438
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,510
- And it starts as a union
advantage early in the morning.
439
00:22:25,570 --> 00:22:28,010
After church, Lincoln
spends the rest of the day
440
00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:29,840
in the telegraph office.
441
00:22:30,070 --> 00:22:32,350
This will be his
source of information.
442
00:22:33,580 --> 00:22:35,860
- The arrival of the telegraph,
443
00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,360
what Lincoln used to
call lightning messages,
444
00:22:39,580 --> 00:22:43,520
changed the nature
of information.
445
00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,180
Suddenly what was
known in one place
446
00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,370
could be known in other
places almost instantaneously.
447
00:22:50,700 --> 00:22:52,090
- Before you'd get up,
448
00:22:52,190 --> 00:22:54,930
a dispatch would come in
every few weeks or something.
449
00:22:54,950 --> 00:22:58,210
And so you really had to
give almost complete autonomy
450
00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,270
to military leaders
in the field.
451
00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:02,880
Now he's connected by a wire.
452
00:23:04,940 --> 00:23:07,290
- The day began very
well for the Union.
453
00:23:07,390 --> 00:23:10,620
They routed Confederate
forces and pushed them back
454
00:23:10,710 --> 00:23:12,640
and not until the late afternoon
455
00:23:12,780 --> 00:23:16,220
did the Confederate
forces counter attack.
456
00:23:16,450 --> 00:23:18,800
- General McDowell has
a pretty good plan.
457
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,790
The problem was he
had a very green army.
458
00:23:21,810 --> 00:23:23,400
And so on the battlefield,
459
00:23:23,630 --> 00:23:26,410
they had a difficult
time maneuvering.
460
00:23:26,630 --> 00:23:29,480
The south had many
of the same problems,
461
00:23:29,630 --> 00:23:32,980
but then the south was fortunate
because during the battle,
462
00:23:33,140 --> 00:23:35,820
the railroad allowed the south
to move reinforcements up,
463
00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:38,250
which reached the battlefield
at a critical moment.
464
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,090
- Federal troops hear the
terrifying rebel yell.
465
00:23:44,330 --> 00:23:45,760
This high pitched yelping.
466
00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:50,500
Union troops described
it as otherworldly.
467
00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:52,770
It had enormous results,
let's put it that way.
468
00:23:54,180 --> 00:23:56,500
- The Confederates
start pushing back
469
00:23:56,510 --> 00:24:00,680
and the federals cross back
across the creek in a mad dash.
470
00:24:00,830 --> 00:24:02,610
They have been
completely routed.
471
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:06,610
- Citizens of Washington
472
00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:08,600
who had gone down
in their carriages
473
00:24:08,690 --> 00:24:10,120
and set up picnic baskets
474
00:24:10,270 --> 00:24:12,530
on the bluffs overlooking
the battlefield,
475
00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,010
they were having a high
old time for lunch.
476
00:24:15,100 --> 00:24:16,510
And then when the battle turned,
477
00:24:16,610 --> 00:24:20,630
their picnic baskets were
upended, they fled in disarray.
478
00:24:20,850 --> 00:24:22,960
And the union troops
had to march back
479
00:24:23,110 --> 00:24:28,190
in this searing, July
heat, humiliated.
480
00:24:28,860 --> 00:24:31,950
- For Lincoln now the defeat
is not something that happens
481
00:24:31,970 --> 00:24:34,140
hundreds of miles away
that you read about,
482
00:24:34,370 --> 00:24:37,150
you see wounded soldiers,
defeated soldiers,
483
00:24:37,370 --> 00:24:39,310
soldiers who've thrown
away their arms,
484
00:24:39,540 --> 00:24:41,970
come streaming right
back into the Capitol.
485
00:24:41,980 --> 00:24:46,210
So the idea of a
disaster became tangible.
486
00:24:46,230 --> 00:24:48,110
You could see it,
you could smell it.
487
00:24:56,740 --> 00:24:57,960
- What does McDowell say?
488
00:25:02,580 --> 00:25:03,960
- That the day is lost.
489
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,340
(somber music)
490
00:25:18,410 --> 00:25:21,240
- It was probably his
first military error.
491
00:25:21,260 --> 00:25:24,350
And on that day,
Lincoln realized
492
00:25:24,580 --> 00:25:27,080
that this was not going
to be a brief war.
493
00:25:27,100 --> 00:25:28,190
It was gonna be a long war.
494
00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:33,690
- The uncertainty in
Washington is palpable.
495
00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:35,780
It's not clear that
the remaining defenses
496
00:25:35,870 --> 00:25:37,430
around Washington
497
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,990
can handle a Confederate army
breaching the Capitol city.
498
00:25:42,690 --> 00:25:46,030
What if they do manage to
capture the White House?
499
00:25:46,050 --> 00:25:48,220
(dramatic music)
500
00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:50,100
- McDowell's to blame.
501
00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:52,210
- I'm responsible,
I gave the orders.
502
00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:54,940
- What kind of soldier
runs from the field?
503
00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:56,050
- One who's barely trained.
504
00:26:00,380 --> 00:26:04,790
- Mr. President, I must
offer my resignation.
505
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,140
I should have insisted-
- No.
506
00:26:07,230 --> 00:26:07,900
This is my fault.
507
00:26:09,550 --> 00:26:11,640
You warned me and
I didn't listen.
508
00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:13,410
Now, how soon can we
reinforce the city?
509
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,390
The rebels are bound to
move quickly now that-
510
00:26:15,410 --> 00:26:16,740
(door clicks)
511
00:26:16,890 --> 00:26:17,860
- I thought you
might need coffee.
512
00:26:23,990 --> 00:26:25,310
There are rumors circulating
513
00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,080
of an attack here in Washington.
514
00:26:28,250 --> 00:26:29,250
Is that possible?
515
00:26:31,420 --> 00:26:35,500
- My dear, you must take
the children north at once.
516
00:26:35,650 --> 00:26:37,380
Washington is not safe for you.
517
00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:40,720
- Will you come with me?
518
00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:44,930
- You know I can't leave.
519
00:26:48,110 --> 00:26:50,190
- Then I won't either.
520
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:52,950
(dramatic music)
521
00:26:58,780 --> 00:27:01,280
- In the summer of 1861,
522
00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:03,790
after the Union loses
the Battle of Bull Run,
523
00:27:03,940 --> 00:27:06,290
the volunteers are
really depressed,
524
00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,130
their morale is low
525
00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:10,950
because they've lost the
first encounter of the war,
526
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,020
which they were not
only expected to win,
527
00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,630
but to end the rebellion
in a single day.
528
00:27:15,860 --> 00:27:17,640
- The Confederates
could have followed up
529
00:27:17,860 --> 00:27:20,470
and might have made their
way into Washington DC.
530
00:27:20,700 --> 00:27:21,880
They don't.
531
00:27:22,030 --> 00:27:25,140
- The problem is the
victorious Confederate army
532
00:27:25,370 --> 00:27:28,480
is just as shot up as
the defeated Union army.
533
00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:31,320
- The only way you grow
534
00:27:31,540 --> 00:27:35,380
is by being able to acknowledge
the mistakes you've made.
535
00:27:35,470 --> 00:27:36,820
So Lincoln gets out
of the White House
536
00:27:36,970 --> 00:27:39,140
and he goes and
sees the soldiers.
537
00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:40,720
- He's trying to teach himself
538
00:27:40,730 --> 00:27:41,970
what he's gonna need to know
539
00:27:41,990 --> 00:27:45,070
as Commander in Chief of
the United States Army,
540
00:27:45,220 --> 00:27:46,830
quickly, on the fly.
541
00:27:48,170 --> 00:27:49,230
And after the
Battle of Bull Run,
542
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:51,340
he talks to William
Tecumseh Sherman.
543
00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,910
- My men fought well enough.
544
00:27:59,070 --> 00:28:02,160
But we did not expect the
strength of the counter attack.
545
00:28:02,260 --> 00:28:04,580
There was a lot of bragging
before the fighting started,
546
00:28:04,670 --> 00:28:07,410
but what we need
now are cool-headed
547
00:28:07,500 --> 00:28:09,410
serious minded, hard
fighting soldiers.
548
00:28:09,500 --> 00:28:12,480
And we need them for
more than 90 days.
549
00:28:14,190 --> 00:28:16,520
Most of these boys, their
enlistment are up already.
550
00:28:18,010 --> 00:28:19,190
So if you don't mind, sir,
551
00:28:20,530 --> 00:28:22,860
I prefer you don't do
too much hoorahing.
552
00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:25,160
- Yes.
553
00:28:26,350 --> 00:28:28,660
- Boys, we've got
a special visitor.
554
00:28:29,540 --> 00:28:30,210
At ease.
555
00:28:32,210 --> 00:28:34,290
- Hi, hello, how are you, sir?
556
00:28:34,380 --> 00:28:35,790
Good to see you.
557
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:37,380
Thank you, thank you.
558
00:28:38,940 --> 00:28:41,720
(soldiers clapping)
559
00:28:43,540 --> 00:28:46,480
No, no, no, no, no,
don't cheer, boys.
560
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:49,970
I like it myself, but
a Colonel Sherman here,
561
00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:51,560
he tells me that
it's not military.
562
00:28:51,790 --> 00:28:52,970
(men laugh)
563
00:28:53,070 --> 00:28:56,070
So I'll just say this.
564
00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,870
We fought a tough battle
and we came in second,
565
00:29:00,910 --> 00:29:01,990
but brighter days are coming.
566
00:29:04,470 --> 00:29:09,080
If you need anything, please
just feel free to speak up.
567
00:29:09,750 --> 00:29:10,370
- Mr. President.
568
00:29:12,590 --> 00:29:14,760
Mr. President, can I
really ask you anything?
569
00:29:14,900 --> 00:29:15,580
- Yes, go ahead.
570
00:29:17,150 --> 00:29:19,820
- Well, my 90 days are
up and I gotta get home.
571
00:29:19,910 --> 00:29:22,240
I spoke to the Colonel
sir, but he said-
572
00:29:22,340 --> 00:29:23,260
- What did the colonel say?
573
00:29:24,510 --> 00:29:25,770
- Well, he said, he'd shoot me.
574
00:29:27,830 --> 00:29:28,520
- Shoot you?
575
00:29:29,770 --> 00:29:31,750
Well, if Colonel Sherman
threatened to shoot,
576
00:29:31,850 --> 00:29:33,680
I'd trust his word, cause I
believe he might just do it.
577
00:29:33,830 --> 00:29:37,260
(soldiers laughing)
578
00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,110
No, if your 90 days are up
of course you're free to go.
579
00:29:40,260 --> 00:29:42,610
But just know this,
this isn't over.
580
00:29:43,950 --> 00:29:46,120
Your country still needs
you, and I need you.
581
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:51,870
I hope you boys all re-enlist.
582
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:52,880
- [Soldiers] Yeah!
583
00:29:54,180 --> 00:29:56,700
- 'Cause I need every
single one of you,
584
00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:58,540
every single one of you.
585
00:29:58,690 --> 00:30:01,470
(soldiers clapping)
586
00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:14,380
- The soldiers felt a bond
with this man, Lincoln.
587
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,300
When he came on reviews,
he's not distant from them,
588
00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:20,400
he's not some
monarch on a throne.
589
00:30:20,540 --> 00:30:22,370
Now, he is common,
Abraham Lincoln,
590
00:30:22,470 --> 00:30:25,280
and he comes from places
that they have come from.
591
00:30:26,330 --> 00:30:28,000
This surprised soldiers.
592
00:30:29,140 --> 00:30:30,820
And they loved him for it.
593
00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:36,410
- At the beginning of the war,
594
00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:39,900
you have the professional
United States Army.
595
00:30:39,910 --> 00:30:43,230
Many of the men had
all gone to West Point.
596
00:30:43,250 --> 00:30:46,750
But the army that Lincoln
creates is a volunteer army.
597
00:30:46,850 --> 00:30:51,590
Individual companies tended to
come from towns or counties.
598
00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:55,850
- There was such an
incredible war spirit
599
00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,760
that really people
of all grades of life
600
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,350
were volunteering
for the military.
601
00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:05,260
Lawyers, teachers, politicians.
602
00:31:05,270 --> 00:31:08,680
- Even Lincoln's
friend, Edward Baker,
603
00:31:08,780 --> 00:31:11,860
who's a sitting
Senator, volunteers.
604
00:31:11,950 --> 00:31:14,280
And Baker like a lot of people,
605
00:31:14,370 --> 00:31:16,870
wanted to uphold the principles
of what America meant.
606
00:31:18,540 --> 00:31:21,600
- And after the debacle
at First Bull Run,
607
00:31:21,620 --> 00:31:25,440
Lincoln will call
for 500,000 troops.
608
00:31:25,460 --> 00:31:29,390
So we've gone from a pre-war
time army of 15,000 men
609
00:31:29,540 --> 00:31:32,710
to a call for 500,000 men.
610
00:31:32,730 --> 00:31:35,060
- When Lincoln first
goes to visit the troops
611
00:31:35,290 --> 00:31:36,730
through talking to
them he realizes
612
00:31:36,950 --> 00:31:39,120
they're going to need
better leadership.
613
00:31:39,140 --> 00:31:45,140
- So in 1861, George B.
McClellan is a 34 year old,
614
00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:48,640
very successful
railroad manager.
615
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:50,650
He had gone to West Point.
616
00:31:50,740 --> 00:31:54,470
He had a distinguished career
in the Mexican American War.
617
00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:57,410
- Lincoln wanted an
aggressive general
618
00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:00,710
and George B. McClellan
is phenomenal on paper.
619
00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:08,170
- The last time we met,
620
00:32:08,260 --> 00:32:10,990
you were stomping for our
late friend, Stephen Douglas.
621
00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:12,930
- I am a Democrat, after all.
622
00:32:14,660 --> 00:32:16,230
- What had reached
my ears was a,
623
00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:20,440
a certain railroad
executive chose to
624
00:32:22,420 --> 00:32:25,000
reroute a train full of citizens
625
00:32:25,020 --> 00:32:26,900
bent on casting
their votes for me.
626
00:32:31,780 --> 00:32:33,740
That's all in the past,
General McClellan.
627
00:32:36,770 --> 00:32:38,960
What I need now is someone
628
00:32:39,110 --> 00:32:41,630
to grab the army of the
Potomac by the shoulders
629
00:32:41,850 --> 00:32:42,960
and give it a shake.
630
00:32:45,950 --> 00:32:48,090
- Mr. President,
if you'll let me,
631
00:32:50,690 --> 00:32:54,590
I'm going to take those boys
and make them into soldiers.
632
00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:58,810
They will have the best
uniforms, the best rifles,
633
00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:01,480
the best artillery, and
when they have the best
634
00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:05,730
they will become
the most magnificent
635
00:33:05,820 --> 00:33:08,900
and the largest army
the world has ever seen.
636
00:33:09,050 --> 00:33:10,230
And then I'm going to march
637
00:33:10,380 --> 00:33:12,660
this magnificent
army into Virginia
638
00:33:12,810 --> 00:33:14,640
and those so-called
rebels will know
639
00:33:14,740 --> 00:33:16,160
what power has struck them.
640
00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,740
(Lincoln sighs)
641
00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:25,730
- Lincoln is no soldier.
642
00:33:25,750 --> 00:33:29,160
He was elected captain
in the Blackhawk War,
643
00:33:29,250 --> 00:33:31,660
but he hasn't seen real action.
644
00:33:31,750 --> 00:33:33,490
And he's very cognizant of that
645
00:33:33,510 --> 00:33:36,180
as he's suddenly the
president during a Civil War.
646
00:33:37,850 --> 00:33:40,580
- By late October, Winfield
Scott decides to retire.
647
00:33:40,590 --> 00:33:43,090
And so Lincoln will
tap McClellan as the
648
00:33:43,190 --> 00:33:45,430
general and chief.
649
00:33:45,580 --> 00:33:46,760
Lincoln says to him,
650
00:33:46,860 --> 00:33:49,680
you are in charge of all
the United States forces,
651
00:33:49,770 --> 00:33:51,090
including those out west.
652
00:33:51,180 --> 00:33:53,760
You need to come up with
the strategic plan for that,
653
00:33:53,850 --> 00:33:55,260
but you are also in charge
654
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:57,870
of the principal
field army in the east
655
00:33:58,100 --> 00:34:01,120
and McClellan and his
ever confident way says,
656
00:34:01,210 --> 00:34:02,540
I can do it all.
657
00:34:02,690 --> 00:34:05,380
(dramatic music)
658
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:11,050
- By the fall, the war
is all around Washington.
659
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:14,460
There was a huge
infusion of soldiers
660
00:34:14,550 --> 00:34:16,880
camping in its public spaces,
661
00:34:17,110 --> 00:34:19,890
ringing the city to protect
it from Confederate attack.
662
00:34:21,290 --> 00:34:23,470
And the war comes home
to the White House
663
00:34:23,620 --> 00:34:25,880
in a deeply personal way.
664
00:34:25,970 --> 00:34:28,290
- Six months into the war
665
00:34:28,380 --> 00:34:30,790
at the Battle of Ball's Bluff,
666
00:34:30,810 --> 00:34:33,790
Lincoln's good friend,
Edward Baker dies,
667
00:34:33,810 --> 00:34:36,480
which is crushing
to Abraham Lincoln.
668
00:34:36,580 --> 00:34:42,160
- Lincoln's second son was
named Edward Baker Lincoln.
669
00:34:42,250 --> 00:34:43,580
They were that close.
670
00:34:45,140 --> 00:34:46,640
- Lincoln and Baker
had known each other
671
00:34:46,660 --> 00:34:49,070
since those days in the
back room in Speed's store,
672
00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:50,420
a quarter of a century earlier.
673
00:34:52,500 --> 00:34:55,320
It was said by a reporter that
his chest heaved with emotion
674
00:34:55,410 --> 00:34:57,170
when he got the
telegram in the office
675
00:34:57,320 --> 00:34:59,760
and that he just stumbled
out onto the street
676
00:34:59,910 --> 00:35:02,820
with tears streaming
down his face.
677
00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:05,270
- The death of someone
so close to you,
678
00:35:05,420 --> 00:35:07,830
that responds to your call
679
00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:10,500
by offering their
life and their service
680
00:35:10,590 --> 00:35:13,020
has to leave an
indelible mark on you.
681
00:35:13,110 --> 00:35:15,110
And you wonder, does
Lincoln blame himself?
682
00:35:20,620 --> 00:35:23,700
- [Doris] The day before Edward
Baker would lose his life,
683
00:35:23,790 --> 00:35:25,920
He came to the White
House to see Lincoln,
684
00:35:27,350 --> 00:35:29,270
and it was a
beautiful autumn day
685
00:35:29,370 --> 00:35:31,090
and Willie was
playing in the leaves.
686
00:35:32,690 --> 00:35:34,020
-Thank you.
687
00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:36,710
And as Edward Baker
got up to leave,
688
00:35:36,860 --> 00:35:40,140
he put his arms around
him and kissed Willie.
689
00:35:41,210 --> 00:35:42,260
Willie loved him.
690
00:35:54,210 --> 00:35:57,060
- Willie spent a whole
day working on a poem.
691
00:35:57,160 --> 00:35:58,120
About Edward.
692
00:36:01,310 --> 00:36:01,830
- Is that so?
693
00:36:05,910 --> 00:36:07,500
I would dearly love to hear it.
694
00:36:09,230 --> 00:36:11,010
It might do us all
a world of good.
695
00:36:12,910 --> 00:36:14,000
Would you read it for us?
696
00:36:17,730 --> 00:36:20,010
(soft music)
697
00:36:25,330 --> 00:36:27,850
- There was no
patriot like Baker.
698
00:36:29,190 --> 00:36:31,860
So noble and so true.
699
00:36:33,340 --> 00:36:36,530
He fell as a soldier
on the field,
700
00:36:38,350 --> 00:36:41,490
his face to the sky, blue.
701
00:36:49,930 --> 00:36:50,700
- Come here.
702
00:36:53,050 --> 00:36:55,720
(Willie sobbing)
703
00:37:19,070 --> 00:37:22,530
- Well, it's been 20 minutes.
704
00:37:34,660 --> 00:37:36,090
- He works for you, doesn't he?
705
00:37:37,570 --> 00:37:39,380
- Sitting here all day
is of no concern to me.
706
00:37:40,820 --> 00:37:42,430
I'd hold McClellan's
horse to get a victory.
707
00:37:48,930 --> 00:37:51,990
- Apologies, I am quite busy.
708
00:37:52,010 --> 00:37:53,940
Rebuilding several new roads
709
00:37:54,090 --> 00:37:57,070
and we have over 50,000
men to equip and to train.
710
00:37:58,430 --> 00:37:59,110
It's endless.
711
00:38:00,930 --> 00:38:02,690
- How are the new
boys shaping up?
712
00:38:02,780 --> 00:38:03,780
- Splendidly.
713
00:38:04,770 --> 00:38:06,950
- Hmm, I'm glad to hear that.
714
00:38:07,180 --> 00:38:09,860
You know, General, I
only served a few months.
715
00:38:10,010 --> 00:38:11,180
Never saw any fighting,
716
00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:12,290
but I did have a good
many bloody struggles
717
00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:15,880
with those mosquitoes
though, ha! (laughs)
718
00:38:20,970 --> 00:38:24,050
- I'm sure you're not here
to talk about mosquitoes.
719
00:38:24,140 --> 00:38:25,860
What can I do for you?
720
00:38:25,950 --> 00:38:30,620
- Well, it's about
that army of yours.
721
00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:33,440
Came by to find out when you
were intending to use it again.
722
00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:39,650
- When it's ready.
723
00:38:41,150 --> 00:38:44,990
As you know, I'm planning
a major offensive,
724
00:38:45,140 --> 00:38:47,220
and these things
take time to prepare
725
00:38:47,310 --> 00:38:48,830
if you know how to
do them properly.
726
00:38:50,050 --> 00:38:50,660
And I do.
727
00:38:54,910 --> 00:38:56,630
Respectfully, Mr. President,
728
00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:00,630
why don't you leave military
matters to military men?
729
00:39:07,180 --> 00:39:08,140
- Very well, General.
730
00:39:16,670 --> 00:39:18,350
I have complete
confidence in you.
731
00:39:19,930 --> 00:39:21,690
Look forward to a
successful campaign.
732
00:39:29,700 --> 00:39:32,680
- At first, McClellan
does a stellar job.
733
00:39:32,700 --> 00:39:36,930
He was great when it
came to organization.
734
00:39:37,020 --> 00:39:40,020
He had the army of
the Potomac drilled,
735
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:41,710
their camps were clean,
736
00:39:41,860 --> 00:39:45,210
and McClellan's men are
very dedicated to him.
737
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:47,940
There's lots of support
from the northern press
738
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:51,200
and all of this adulation
goes to his head.
739
00:39:51,220 --> 00:39:53,800
- Lincoln turned to McClellan
740
00:39:53,890 --> 00:39:56,970
because Lincoln is a man who
can look at somebody and say,
741
00:39:57,060 --> 00:39:58,540
you know things I don't,
742
00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:00,710
and I'm willing to
lean on your expertise.
743
00:40:00,730 --> 00:40:04,380
But McClellan sees
Lincoln as this frontier,
744
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,900
backwater, uneducated ruffian.
745
00:40:08,060 --> 00:40:09,580
- He would write
letters to his wife
746
00:40:09,720 --> 00:40:12,800
and describe how he was
selected to be the savior.
747
00:40:12,890 --> 00:40:14,650
And he would describe
President Lincoln
748
00:40:14,750 --> 00:40:17,480
as the baboon or the gorilla.
749
00:40:17,570 --> 00:40:19,480
And he would pretty
openly tell people
750
00:40:19,570 --> 00:40:21,740
that this guy
doesn't understand.
751
00:40:21,830 --> 00:40:24,210
He needs to get out of my
way and let me handle this.
752
00:40:26,910 --> 00:40:29,320
- The Confederates are
still about 30 miles away
753
00:40:29,340 --> 00:40:31,720
from Washington DC
in the Fall of 61.
754
00:40:33,490 --> 00:40:35,670
McClellan has decided that he's
gonna wait until the Spring
755
00:40:35,770 --> 00:40:36,600
to launch a campaign,
756
00:40:38,330 --> 00:40:39,770
but he doesn't bother
telling Lincoln this.
757
00:40:42,090 --> 00:40:43,940
At this point,
there is a committee
758
00:40:44,170 --> 00:40:46,600
called the Joint Committee
on the Conduct of War,
759
00:40:46,610 --> 00:40:49,450
and it is filled with
radical Republicans.
760
00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:51,840
Men who want to move fast,
761
00:40:51,860 --> 00:40:54,790
who are certainly
pushing for emancipation,
762
00:40:55,010 --> 00:40:57,190
and they're becoming
increasingly frustrated
763
00:40:57,350 --> 00:40:58,620
with McClellan as well.
764
00:40:58,770 --> 00:41:01,290
- Lincoln is again, navigating
those difficult waters.
765
00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:03,870
He knows he sent a very
green army to Manassas
766
00:41:04,020 --> 00:41:05,280
and they were defeated.
767
00:41:05,370 --> 00:41:07,780
McClellan's asking for more
time to train his army.
768
00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:10,950
And Lincoln says, okay,
I will protect you
769
00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:12,470
from the political pressures
770
00:41:12,700 --> 00:41:15,030
of people saying that you
should get into action.
771
00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:17,140
However, at the same
time he recognizes
772
00:41:17,370 --> 00:41:20,550
the political pressure
to act can't be ignored.
773
00:41:20,650 --> 00:41:23,540
- I mean, the strain is clear.
774
00:41:23,630 --> 00:41:26,480
He was feeling pressure
from many sides.
775
00:41:27,890 --> 00:41:29,370
- [Barton] At the same time,
776
00:41:29,470 --> 00:41:31,990
the Confederates were
actively pursuing
777
00:41:32,220 --> 00:41:34,500
formal recognition on
the international stage.
778
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,050
And in 1861, they're
in the process
779
00:41:37,070 --> 00:41:42,060
of sending their emissaries
to England and to France.
780
00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:45,570
And they are on the
British ship, Trent,
781
00:41:45,650 --> 00:41:48,740
which is stopped by
a US naval vessel.
782
00:41:48,900 --> 00:41:51,660
They're taken off of
that ship and detained.
783
00:41:51,750 --> 00:41:52,990
- You have to keep in mind
784
00:41:53,010 --> 00:41:56,350
that the British
Navy was supreme.
785
00:41:56,500 --> 00:41:59,090
And part of the tradition
and maritime law says,
786
00:41:59,180 --> 00:42:01,260
if you board a ship illegally,
787
00:42:01,410 --> 00:42:05,000
you are invading the
country who owns the ship
788
00:42:05,100 --> 00:42:07,860
and the British demanded
they be released
789
00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:10,270
or else this is an
act of war, they said.
790
00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:15,280
- Lincoln is in a classic
dilemma situation.
791
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:19,180
Republican northerners
who had voted for him
792
00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:23,430
want trial for
treason for these men.
793
00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:27,370
But he also had to keep
England on the sideline.
794
00:42:28,860 --> 00:42:30,770
So he's ultimately gotta
release these diplomats
795
00:42:30,870 --> 00:42:32,550
and let them go
about their business.
796
00:42:34,630 --> 00:42:36,040
- However, President Lincoln
797
00:42:36,050 --> 00:42:39,530
had to build up public
support to do that.
798
00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:42,730
Because the public
perception is everything.
799
00:42:42,950 --> 00:42:46,380
For a president, your
ability to maintain morale
800
00:42:46,470 --> 00:42:48,470
becomes the essential thing.
801
00:42:48,570 --> 00:42:50,390
If you can't do that,
802
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,050
whatever you're doing with
the army becomes irrelevant.
803
00:42:53,070 --> 00:42:55,300
- And so the courting
of newspapers really
804
00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:57,060
helped his cause.
805
00:42:57,150 --> 00:42:58,480
And I should make the point,
806
00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:02,480
newspapers were not just
independent journals of the day.
807
00:43:02,490 --> 00:43:05,250
They were part of the
political machine.
808
00:43:06,750 --> 00:43:09,490
John Wayne Forney was
a Washington editor,
809
00:43:09,590 --> 00:43:11,500
very influential politically,
810
00:43:11,650 --> 00:43:16,000
and Forney became a frequent
visitor to the White House.
811
00:43:16,090 --> 00:43:18,050
- John, we're in a tight spot.
812
00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:21,100
So was the Queen of England.
813
00:43:23,340 --> 00:43:24,750
Both of us are
clamoring for a fight
814
00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:26,270
that neither of us wants.
815
00:43:26,500 --> 00:43:27,850
- British wouldn't dare
go to war over this.
816
00:43:27,940 --> 00:43:28,770
- You might think so.
817
00:43:31,430 --> 00:43:33,430
You know it
reminds me, there was a,
818
00:43:33,450 --> 00:43:35,030
there was a bulldog back home.
819
00:43:36,110 --> 00:43:37,900
He used to growl all the time.
820
00:43:39,530 --> 00:43:41,530
My neighbors were convinced
that there was nothing to fear.
821
00:43:41,620 --> 00:43:42,540
And so was I.
822
00:43:44,010 --> 00:43:46,190
And this fellow got me to
think twice, he tells me,
823
00:43:46,290 --> 00:43:47,120
I know that bulldog won't bite
824
00:43:47,270 --> 00:43:49,350
and you know that bulldog bite,
825
00:43:49,370 --> 00:43:51,460
but does the bulldog
know it won't bite?
826
00:43:51,610 --> 00:43:52,380
- I'm listening.
827
00:43:56,450 --> 00:44:01,380
- Tomorrow I want you to
write an article about how,
828
00:44:01,880 --> 00:44:03,470
how it would be good
for the country to,
829
00:44:04,870 --> 00:44:06,810
to give those two
rebels over to England.
830
00:44:08,460 --> 00:44:10,440
- My readers would rather
see those two hanged.
831
00:44:12,130 --> 00:44:13,770
- I trust you to
change their minds.
832
00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:16,440
I can't have a
war on two fronts.
833
00:44:18,060 --> 00:44:20,150
I know, I know, it's,
it's a lot to ask.
834
00:44:21,490 --> 00:44:24,280
But as a friend, I'm asking you.
835
00:44:33,150 --> 00:44:34,390
- [Narrator] By the
end of December,
836
00:44:34,410 --> 00:44:36,580
editorials written by
people like John Forney
837
00:44:36,680 --> 00:44:38,920
reflected the opinion that
the Confederate diplomats
838
00:44:39,010 --> 00:44:40,490
should be released
839
00:44:40,510 --> 00:44:42,580
and started to mollify
the public reaction,
840
00:44:42,740 --> 00:44:43,350
should that happen.
841
00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:46,590
- One of Lincoln's great talents
842
00:44:46,690 --> 00:44:49,080
is to keep focus in
the midst of crisis.
843
00:44:49,100 --> 00:44:51,770
This focus is what members
of his cabinet like Seward
844
00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:53,110
came to really respect.
845
00:44:55,190 --> 00:44:58,860
- In early 1861, 1862 Winter,
846
00:44:59,090 --> 00:45:01,610
very little is happening
in terms of fighting,
847
00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:03,020
particularly in Virginia,
848
00:45:03,030 --> 00:45:06,370
where McClellan is continually
training the troops.
849
00:45:06,600 --> 00:45:08,270
- All these soldiers
are gathering together.
850
00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:10,530
This costs money,
this takes time,
851
00:45:10,620 --> 00:45:13,100
there's no action taking place.
852
00:45:13,190 --> 00:45:15,210
- At this point,
Lincoln is feeling like
853
00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:18,050
the war isn't being
pressed hard enough.
854
00:45:18,270 --> 00:45:20,790
And so he's going to
take more direct control.
855
00:45:20,940 --> 00:45:24,460
- Lincoln has to manage the
war sittin' there day-to-day
856
00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:28,800
trying to plot where supply
is going and who's doing what,
857
00:45:28,890 --> 00:45:30,220
what maneuvers are being run.
858
00:45:30,380 --> 00:45:32,810
These days a modern president
would be frowned upon
859
00:45:32,900 --> 00:45:35,140
to be micromanaging like that.
860
00:45:35,230 --> 00:45:37,230
It's bad management practice,
861
00:45:38,240 --> 00:45:40,240
but he didn't have an option.
862
00:45:40,390 --> 00:45:41,070
- [Doug] Eventually
Lincoln gives
863
00:45:41,300 --> 00:45:43,630
one of his first general orders.
864
00:45:43,720 --> 00:45:45,460
- The famous General
Orders Number 1,
865
00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:48,250
which requires all
of his commanders to
866
00:45:48,470 --> 00:45:49,580
go on the offensive
867
00:45:49,730 --> 00:45:52,320
and to attack actually
by Washington's birthday,
868
00:45:52,420 --> 00:45:53,670
on February the 22nd.
869
00:45:55,250 --> 00:45:58,140
McClellan just ignores this,
makes no movement whatsoever.
870
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:00,240
And the only one
actually to move
871
00:46:00,260 --> 00:46:02,050
is Ulysses S. Grant out west.
872
00:46:03,760 --> 00:46:06,500
- Ulysses S. Grant had
gone to West Point,
873
00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:09,490
not performed especially well.
874
00:46:09,580 --> 00:46:11,750
When the war begins
he is clerking
875
00:46:11,840 --> 00:46:14,830
in the small town
of Galena, Illinois.
876
00:46:14,850 --> 00:46:16,610
- When the Civil War
starts he volunteers
877
00:46:16,830 --> 00:46:18,160
to help train troops
878
00:46:18,180 --> 00:46:20,830
and pretty quickly he shows
that he's got competence,
879
00:46:20,930 --> 00:46:24,020
not just in training,
but in leading in battle.
880
00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:26,440
- Ulysses S. Grant will take
Fort Henry and Donaldson
881
00:46:26,450 --> 00:46:28,600
in the beginning of February.
882
00:46:28,690 --> 00:46:29,930
So there's the Western theater,
883
00:46:30,030 --> 00:46:31,510
which is largely the theater
884
00:46:31,610 --> 00:46:32,940
between the Appalachian
Mountains in the
885
00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:34,370
Mississippi River,
886
00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:36,690
where the Union is actually
starting to make progress.
887
00:46:36,780 --> 00:46:39,800
With this Grant becomes
a national hero.
888
00:46:40,020 --> 00:46:43,190
It's the first great
Union victory of the war.
889
00:46:43,280 --> 00:46:44,350
- It's a little
bit ironic though,
890
00:46:44,450 --> 00:46:46,620
with the jubilation
of the capture
891
00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:48,710
of Forts Henry and Donaldson,
892
00:46:48,810 --> 00:46:51,540
because the Lincoln is
in major crisis mode
893
00:46:51,630 --> 00:46:53,560
because it's this
same time period
894
00:46:53,700 --> 00:46:55,890
that his little boy,
Willie catches typhoid.
895
00:47:04,730 --> 00:47:06,110
- I hear cannons.
896
00:47:16,330 --> 00:47:19,620
- It's a salute, Grant
took Fort Donaldson.
897
00:47:22,340 --> 00:47:24,170
He's a western man like your Pa.
898
00:47:26,180 --> 00:47:27,510
Seems like he can fight.
899
00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:31,020
Just like you.
900
00:47:36,840 --> 00:47:37,610
All right.
901
00:47:41,190 --> 00:47:43,150
Back to sleep now, okay?
902
00:47:44,250 --> 00:47:46,480
(soft music)
903
00:47:53,600 --> 00:47:54,370
- How is he?
904
00:47:58,380 --> 00:48:00,050
- He's gonna be fine.
905
00:48:02,440 --> 00:48:04,720
(soft music)
906
00:48:28,480 --> 00:48:32,130
- In February of 1862,
Willie had fallen ill.
907
00:48:32,150 --> 00:48:34,480
He probably contracted
typhoid fever
908
00:48:34,640 --> 00:48:37,310
from bad water pumped
into the White House.
909
00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:39,800
At first, they think
that he'll be fine,
910
00:48:39,830 --> 00:48:43,500
but on February
20th, 1862, he dies.
911
00:48:43,650 --> 00:48:46,740
When Willie died, Lincoln
put his head in his hands
912
00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:49,500
and simply began to
sob and then said,
913
00:48:49,650 --> 00:48:51,720
my boy is gone, my boy is gone.
914
00:48:53,410 --> 00:48:55,150
- [Allen] After the
death of Willie,
915
00:48:55,170 --> 00:48:57,580
Abraham Lincoln put a
silk ribbon on his hat
916
00:48:57,600 --> 00:49:00,890
so that he would always
remember the loss of his son.
917
00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:06,270
- When I lost a son,
918
00:49:07,950 --> 00:49:09,690
it was Mrs. Lincoln
who wrote me a letter
919
00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:11,410
full of comforting words.
920
00:49:12,780 --> 00:49:13,610
Look around, sir.
921
00:49:15,440 --> 00:49:18,460
In her time of grief,
ain't no friend
922
00:49:21,180 --> 00:49:23,750
no lady or Washington
society by her side.
923
00:49:28,210 --> 00:49:29,430
She a outsider.
924
00:49:33,470 --> 00:49:36,760
- I am very grateful
for you, Mrs. Keckly.
925
00:49:40,050 --> 00:49:40,810
- Thank you, sir.
926
00:49:46,130 --> 00:49:48,650
(Mary sobbing)
927
00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:51,280
(somber music)
928
00:50:04,390 --> 00:50:06,720
- Mary was of course distraught.
929
00:50:06,750 --> 00:50:09,180
Took to her bed and
never really recovered,
930
00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:11,180
I think, from the loss
of her beloved son.
931
00:50:13,090 --> 00:50:14,570
- They had a private funeral
932
00:50:14,660 --> 00:50:18,010
because Mrs. Lincoln couldn't
tolerate a public reception.
933
00:50:19,590 --> 00:50:21,590
Her grief was volcanic.
934
00:50:21,740 --> 00:50:23,310
She could not stop wailing.
935
00:50:24,600 --> 00:50:26,770
She locked herself in her room.
936
00:50:26,920 --> 00:50:31,360
We also know that Mr. Lincoln
was completely devastated.
937
00:50:33,590 --> 00:50:35,820
He had been, many thought,
his father's favorite.
938
00:50:37,370 --> 00:50:40,190
He'd been a boy with
great talent and promise,
939
00:50:40,280 --> 00:50:44,670
and therefore his passing
was a matter of deep sadness.
940
00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:50,200
- He wrote poetry,
he loved reading.
941
00:50:50,210 --> 00:50:52,360
He had those
qualities of empathy,
942
00:50:52,380 --> 00:50:55,340
sensitivity, intelligence,
that Lincoln had.
943
00:50:56,780 --> 00:50:58,890
So he was like a
miniature Lincoln,
944
00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:00,560
I think there's
something to that.
945
00:51:01,890 --> 00:51:04,220
- When you look at all
the people who died
946
00:51:04,380 --> 00:51:09,070
that were close to him, his
mother, then he lost his sister.
947
00:51:09,960 --> 00:51:12,070
His beloved son Eddie,
948
00:51:12,300 --> 00:51:15,480
his very, very close
friend, Edward Baker,
949
00:51:15,630 --> 00:51:20,370
the death of Willie then
compounds the misery.
950
00:51:21,990 --> 00:51:26,090
But the fact is, is that
Lincoln had a country to run.
951
00:51:29,070 --> 00:51:31,330
- Now, as of March,
952
00:51:31,480 --> 00:51:34,420
McClellan still hasn't
moved this massive army.
953
00:51:34,580 --> 00:51:36,930
So Lincoln is going to
issue another war order
954
00:51:37,080 --> 00:51:39,340
telling him to move.
955
00:51:39,490 --> 00:51:43,990
And by March 17th, McClellan
has finally ordered his army
956
00:51:44,010 --> 00:51:46,490
to the tip of the
Virginia peninsula.
957
00:51:46,510 --> 00:51:48,440
- McClellan's plan is one
958
00:51:48,590 --> 00:51:50,440
that Lincoln
initially objected to.
959
00:51:50,590 --> 00:51:52,420
An amphibious operation,
960
00:51:52,440 --> 00:51:54,760
moving down the
coast of Virginia,
961
00:51:54,850 --> 00:51:56,920
landing on the peninsula,
962
00:51:56,950 --> 00:51:59,080
and threatening
Richmond from the south.
963
00:52:00,360 --> 00:52:05,120
- This is about 120,000
men on 400 boats.
964
00:52:05,270 --> 00:52:08,200
- It was well-executed to move
this huge force down there,
965
00:52:08,350 --> 00:52:09,680
but they get to Fort Monroe
966
00:52:09,700 --> 00:52:13,780
and then they start moving
too slowly, like molasses.
967
00:52:13,800 --> 00:52:15,970
And they're
essentially bottled up.
968
00:52:18,120 --> 00:52:21,380
- Even though things hadn't
been going well in the east,
969
00:52:21,530 --> 00:52:23,530
Lincoln has heard about Grant
970
00:52:23,550 --> 00:52:27,980
with the two surrenders at
Forts Henry and Donaldson.
971
00:52:28,130 --> 00:52:30,540
And after that,
the western armies
972
00:52:30,630 --> 00:52:32,310
were continuing
to make progress.
973
00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:38,570
The Battle of Shiloh
ends up being an amazing,
974
00:52:38,710 --> 00:52:40,940
if incredibly bloody victory.
975
00:52:42,550 --> 00:52:45,480
- Actually the reaction
to Grant at Shiloh
976
00:52:45,500 --> 00:52:47,500
was largely negative.
977
00:52:47,650 --> 00:52:51,060
All of a sudden he
loses 13,000 troops.
978
00:52:51,080 --> 00:52:54,660
There are unfounded rumors
of Grant being drunk
979
00:52:54,670 --> 00:52:57,000
and people are calling
for his ouster.
980
00:52:57,160 --> 00:53:01,850
- But Lincoln says, I cannot
spare this man, he fights.
981
00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:04,850
- And that was the beginning
of Grant's ascendancy.
982
00:53:05,070 --> 00:53:07,750
And Lincoln's
recognition in Grant,
983
00:53:07,850 --> 00:53:10,930
someone who would not go
back, who would not wait,
984
00:53:11,080 --> 00:53:12,020
who would not delay.
985
00:53:13,510 --> 00:53:15,360
- Now, in previous months,
986
00:53:15,510 --> 00:53:18,100
Lincoln discovered that
his secretary of war,
987
00:53:18,200 --> 00:53:21,490
Simon Cameron is hopelessly
inadequate to the task.
988
00:53:23,110 --> 00:53:25,870
And so then he's place Lincoln
nominates Edwin Stanton.
989
00:53:26,930 --> 00:53:28,600
Stanton was a Democrat.
990
00:53:28,690 --> 00:53:30,210
Stanton would get along nicely
991
00:53:30,360 --> 00:53:33,100
with other Democrats
in the army,
992
00:53:33,120 --> 00:53:34,550
especially George McClellan.
993
00:53:39,610 --> 00:53:41,130
- McClellan's got
plenty of troops,
994
00:53:41,280 --> 00:53:44,210
but still he sits
outside Yorktown.
995
00:53:44,300 --> 00:53:45,390
He's got to attack.
996
00:53:46,870 --> 00:53:49,800
- I'm sure he's as skittish
as a long tailed cat
997
00:53:49,950 --> 00:53:51,060
in a room full of
rocking chairs,
998
00:53:51,210 --> 00:53:53,060
but he's the best we have.
999
00:53:53,210 --> 00:53:54,230
You said so yourself.
1000
00:53:55,730 --> 00:53:56,730
- I've sung his praises,
1001
00:53:58,790 --> 00:54:01,730
but he makes new enemies
each day he doesn't fight.
1002
00:54:04,390 --> 00:54:05,370
- What's your advice?
1003
00:54:06,800 --> 00:54:09,080
- Fire him, at once.
1004
00:54:11,470 --> 00:54:13,140
- If McClellan can just capture-
1005
00:54:13,160 --> 00:54:15,590
- He won't capture
anything at this rate.
1006
00:54:17,830 --> 00:54:20,210
- Well, he's got his
orders, he'll move.
1007
00:54:21,500 --> 00:54:22,260
He has to.
1008
00:54:28,490 --> 00:54:29,580
- Right after George McClellan,
1009
00:54:29,600 --> 00:54:31,660
the army of Potomac
land on the peninsula,
1010
00:54:31,680 --> 00:54:33,680
they will start to
work their way up.
1011
00:54:33,830 --> 00:54:35,590
About the same time
that they're advancing,
1012
00:54:35,610 --> 00:54:37,590
Abraham Lincoln arrives.
1013
00:54:37,610 --> 00:54:39,280
- Lincoln will
meet with McClellan
1014
00:54:39,430 --> 00:54:41,520
more than any
other Union general
1015
00:54:41,670 --> 00:54:43,280
over the course of the war.
1016
00:54:43,510 --> 00:54:47,450
Between July of '61
and April 1st, 1862,
1017
00:54:47,680 --> 00:54:49,940
he met with him
at least 57 times.
1018
00:54:50,030 --> 00:54:53,620
So very much a hands-on.
There's a lot of communication.
1019
00:54:53,770 --> 00:54:55,940
But we see him
increasingly frustrated
1020
00:54:55,960 --> 00:54:58,040
that McClellan isn't
doing the things
1021
00:54:58,190 --> 00:55:00,370
that he's asking him to do.
1022
00:55:00,460 --> 00:55:02,960
- This time when Lincoln
arrives down at Fort Monroe
1023
00:55:03,120 --> 00:55:06,290
McClellan's not there and it's
one more insult to Lincoln
1024
00:55:06,380 --> 00:55:08,120
and his responsibilities.
1025
00:55:08,140 --> 00:55:10,210
And so Lincoln's now
looking around going,
1026
00:55:10,370 --> 00:55:11,480
okay, well, I can't
meet with McClellan,
1027
00:55:11,630 --> 00:55:12,460
what else is going
on down there?
1028
00:55:12,480 --> 00:55:13,650
Hey, isn't that Norfolk?
1029
00:55:16,300 --> 00:55:17,560
What he's gonna realize is
1030
00:55:17,650 --> 00:55:20,320
that Norfolk is still
occupied by the Confederates.
1031
00:55:22,040 --> 00:55:24,890
Norfolk, which is
a major naval base,
1032
00:55:25,050 --> 00:55:26,220
and currently it's also the home
1033
00:55:26,310 --> 00:55:29,000
of the Confederate
Ironclad, the CSS Virginia.
1034
00:55:30,390 --> 00:55:31,720
This is a threat
to the Union army,
1035
00:55:31,740 --> 00:55:33,570
as well as to the blockade.
1036
00:55:33,720 --> 00:55:35,240
It's also a threat
to McClellan's effort
1037
00:55:35,390 --> 00:55:36,290
to get up the river.
1038
00:55:41,170 --> 00:55:43,320
- General Wool, would
I be wrong in saying
1039
00:55:43,340 --> 00:55:45,580
that since the rebels
have left Yorktown,
1040
00:55:45,730 --> 00:55:46,840
that Norfolk is vulnerable?
1041
00:55:48,180 --> 00:55:50,590
- No, sir, you
would not be wrong.
1042
00:55:50,740 --> 00:55:53,000
- Then why haven't we taken it?
1043
00:55:53,020 --> 00:55:54,500
- Well, there's the small matter
1044
00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:57,670
of the Virginia being
stationed there.
1045
00:55:57,690 --> 00:55:59,860
It's just destroyed
two of our best ships.
1046
00:56:05,350 --> 00:56:07,030
- What if we don't
attack it directly?
1047
00:56:08,700 --> 00:56:14,040
We'll take the Fort below
Norfolk, by water landing.
1048
00:56:15,710 --> 00:56:18,950
And bombard the rebel batteries
here at Sybil's Point.
1049
00:56:19,100 --> 00:56:22,120
And bring our boys ashore
somewhere near this area.
1050
00:56:22,270 --> 00:56:23,880
- You don't know
these waters, sir.
1051
00:56:28,870 --> 00:56:32,130
- It's feasible except for
the Virginia coming out
1052
00:56:32,280 --> 00:56:33,720
and destroying
our landing craft.
1053
00:56:34,950 --> 00:56:36,230
- We have a Navy too, don't we?
1054
00:56:38,230 --> 00:56:41,900
- Yeah, but we need solid
ground to land our troops.
1055
00:56:43,550 --> 00:56:44,360
- Let's find some.
1056
00:56:46,980 --> 00:56:49,240
- Right here, along the
south bank of the James.
1057
00:56:51,320 --> 00:56:52,200
- I'll go scout it myself.
1058
00:56:56,080 --> 00:56:59,750
- Mr. President, that
is enemy territory.
1059
00:57:04,920 --> 00:57:07,070
- This is the thing
about Lincoln.
1060
00:57:07,090 --> 00:57:09,570
All the experiences
that he had in his life,
1061
00:57:09,590 --> 00:57:12,260
they become part of who he is.
1062
00:57:12,490 --> 00:57:14,750
And he's got a
real physical sense
1063
00:57:14,770 --> 00:57:16,920
of how to operate on a river.
1064
00:57:16,930 --> 00:57:19,100
I mean, he has a
physical sense of knowing
1065
00:57:19,250 --> 00:57:21,770
the way rivers wind,
knowing geography.
1066
00:57:29,690 --> 00:57:30,780
- [Commodore] Be careful.
1067
00:57:32,360 --> 00:57:35,770
- Commodore, I saw some canal
boats back at the Wharf.
1068
00:57:35,790 --> 00:57:37,770
What if we furnished
some of our boys on them
1069
00:57:37,790 --> 00:57:39,620
and land in the shallows here,
1070
00:57:39,770 --> 00:57:41,450
they can float in
only a foot of water.
1071
00:57:43,940 --> 00:57:45,010
- That could work.
1072
00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:47,590
The bigger boats need
some place deeper.
1073
00:57:51,280 --> 00:57:52,130
- What about there?
1074
00:57:53,140 --> 00:57:54,310
That looks like it
1075
00:57:54,450 --> 00:57:58,380
could be at least eight
feet come high tide.
1076
00:57:58,530 --> 00:58:01,700
- What you're saying,
if we get back now-
1077
00:58:01,720 --> 00:58:02,980
- We can attack immediately.
1078
00:58:04,630 --> 00:58:06,980
(tense music)
1079
00:58:14,380 --> 00:58:15,280
- There's the Virginia.
1080
00:58:21,650 --> 00:58:23,410
- Lincoln when he
arrives down at Norfolk,
1081
00:58:23,560 --> 00:58:24,820
it's a massive overreach.
1082
00:58:24,840 --> 00:58:26,340
President of United States,
the Commander in Chief
1083
00:58:26,490 --> 00:58:28,340
should not be in
tactical operations.
1084
00:58:30,750 --> 00:58:31,670
- Was I too rash?
1085
00:58:33,510 --> 00:58:35,300
Perhaps we should've
waited to attack.
1086
00:58:37,570 --> 00:58:40,500
- He has basically undercut
his entire chain of command,
1087
00:58:40,520 --> 00:58:43,190
almost as if to say
even a non-professional,
1088
00:58:43,410 --> 00:58:44,910
all it takes is a little
bit of initiative.
1089
00:58:44,930 --> 00:58:46,600
All it takes is a
little bit of activity.
1090
00:58:46,750 --> 00:58:48,360
All it takes is a little
bit of a watchful eye
1091
00:58:48,510 --> 00:58:50,180
to see where those
opportunities exist
1092
00:58:50,190 --> 00:58:51,690
and we can start making progress
1093
00:58:51,850 --> 00:58:53,530
at a faster pace than
we currently are.
1094
00:58:56,700 --> 00:58:58,530
- Troops have been
on shore for hours.
1095
00:59:01,430 --> 00:59:02,700
- We should have news by now.
1096
00:59:05,620 --> 00:59:07,380
- A dispatch from Norfolk.
1097
00:59:09,290 --> 00:59:13,050
The rebels are evacuating and
they've scuttled the Virginia.
1098
00:59:15,630 --> 00:59:17,130
- Are you sure?
1099
00:59:17,280 --> 00:59:19,180
- The city is ours.
1100
00:59:21,800 --> 00:59:24,060
- Oh, easy, Stanton,
you'll crush him.
1101
00:59:25,950 --> 00:59:27,800
Well,
1102
00:59:27,900 --> 00:59:28,690
we've done it.
1103
00:59:29,980 --> 00:59:31,860
- No, sir, no no.
1104
00:59:33,400 --> 00:59:36,070
You have done it.
1105
00:59:36,220 --> 00:59:38,740
(dramatic music)
1106
00:59:43,820 --> 00:59:46,080
- After some preliminary
bombardment by the Navy,
1107
00:59:46,230 --> 00:59:49,820
they will land Union troops
over on the Confederate side.
1108
00:59:49,980 --> 00:59:51,500
When the Confederates
see the Union troops,
1109
00:59:51,650 --> 00:59:52,910
they're gonna leave Norfolk.
1110
00:59:53,000 --> 00:59:55,500
They'll destroy as much of
the equipment as they can,
1111
00:59:55,650 --> 00:59:59,430
including sinking the CSS
Virginia, their ironclad.
1112
00:59:59,580 --> 01:00:02,770
And effectively Abraham Lincoln
has taken the initiative.
1113
01:00:02,920 --> 01:00:05,680
He's literally leading
from the front.
1114
01:00:05,830 --> 01:00:08,250
- There was a certain
method to his madness.
1115
01:00:08,270 --> 01:00:09,270
He was impatient.
1116
01:00:11,260 --> 01:00:14,690
He was trying to send a
message to General McClellan,
1117
01:00:14,840 --> 01:00:15,610
get moving.
1118
01:00:17,450 --> 01:00:20,780
- So McClellan will
move very slowly.
1119
01:00:22,270 --> 01:00:24,290
He'll move forward
up the peninsula,
1120
01:00:24,440 --> 01:00:27,870
fighting small battles like
big Bethel and Williamsburg.
1121
01:00:28,020 --> 01:00:30,860
- But the entire movement
up the peninsula is
1122
01:00:30,940 --> 01:00:32,290
slower than it should have been,
1123
01:00:32,520 --> 01:00:34,850
less aggressive than
it should have been.
1124
01:00:34,950 --> 01:00:37,120
The uncertainty of
the battlefield,
1125
01:00:37,210 --> 01:00:39,790
the idea that you're rolling
the dice on the battlefield
1126
01:00:39,800 --> 01:00:43,790
every time was very
upsetting to him.
1127
01:00:43,810 --> 01:00:47,370
And so it would cause
him to hesitate.
1128
01:00:47,390 --> 01:00:50,560
- It isn't so much in my
view that he's indecisive,
1129
01:00:50,710 --> 01:00:55,490
he is choosing to do what one
might call light sparring.
1130
01:00:56,820 --> 01:00:58,650
He doesn't want to
have a high body count.
1131
01:00:58,810 --> 01:01:00,480
He just kind of
wants to sneak in,
1132
01:01:00,490 --> 01:01:02,140
slap somebody
around a little bit,
1133
01:01:02,160 --> 01:01:04,660
step on back and keep on moving.
1134
01:01:04,890 --> 01:01:08,070
You know, he's
sending advance scouts
1135
01:01:08,170 --> 01:01:11,150
to the plantations and
farms along the way to say,
1136
01:01:11,170 --> 01:01:12,240
Hey, I'm coming through,
1137
01:01:12,390 --> 01:01:14,570
but I'm not gonna
mess with your slaves
1138
01:01:14,730 --> 01:01:16,750
and I'm not gonna burn anything.
1139
01:01:16,900 --> 01:01:18,680
We're just gonna be
moving my army through.
1140
01:01:20,400 --> 01:01:22,660
- [Doug] Eventually the
Confederate forces retreat back
1141
01:01:22,750 --> 01:01:23,920
all the way till within earshot
1142
01:01:24,070 --> 01:01:25,010
of the churchbells of Richmond.
1143
01:01:27,020 --> 01:01:31,260
- And then at the end of May
at the Battle of Seven Pines,
1144
01:01:31,410 --> 01:01:32,580
Joseph E. Johnston,
1145
01:01:32,600 --> 01:01:34,340
who was in command of
the Confederate army,
1146
01:01:34,360 --> 01:01:35,860
is grievously wounded.
1147
01:01:37,530 --> 01:01:41,180
Jefferson Davis turns to
his formal military advisor,
1148
01:01:41,200 --> 01:01:43,760
Robert Edward Lee of Virginia,
1149
01:01:43,780 --> 01:01:46,670
and Lee is rushed out to
the field to take command.
1150
01:01:48,520 --> 01:01:49,780
- Robert E. Lee is
probably the most
1151
01:01:49,930 --> 01:01:52,710
iconic soldier in
American history.
1152
01:01:52,860 --> 01:01:56,440
He had had tremendous service
during the Mexican War.
1153
01:01:56,460 --> 01:01:59,110
And so on the eve of secession,
1154
01:01:59,120 --> 01:02:01,550
president Lincoln sought
to have Robert E. Lee
1155
01:02:01,780 --> 01:02:04,280
take command of the
United States forces.
1156
01:02:04,300 --> 01:02:08,060
Robert E. Lee makes
the decision instead
1157
01:02:09,210 --> 01:02:10,060
to go with Virginia.
1158
01:02:11,730 --> 01:02:14,060
- So Lee takes command
of what he christens
1159
01:02:14,290 --> 01:02:17,310
the Army of Northern
Virginia on June 1st.
1160
01:02:17,460 --> 01:02:18,880
And for the next three weeks,
1161
01:02:18,900 --> 01:02:21,230
it's going to be
incredibly rainy.
1162
01:02:21,390 --> 01:02:24,030
And McClellan's not
able to do much.
1163
01:02:25,650 --> 01:02:28,970
If you can imagine moving
an army of 120,000 men
1164
01:02:28,990 --> 01:02:31,750
with all of their mules
and horses and wagons.
1165
01:02:33,420 --> 01:02:36,090
But Lincoln believes that
this capital can be taken.
1166
01:02:37,090 --> 01:02:38,910
McClellan has more men
1167
01:02:38,920 --> 01:02:41,810
than has ever been
fielded in North America.
1168
01:02:41,910 --> 01:02:43,550
This could all be
ended right now.
1169
01:02:45,500 --> 01:02:48,580
- The weight of this
war fell on Lincoln
1170
01:02:48,670 --> 01:02:51,170
from almost the first day.
1171
01:02:51,270 --> 01:02:56,850
And that sense, that wearying,
nagging, never ending,
1172
01:02:56,940 --> 01:03:01,440
always draining sense of
responsibility, haunts him.
1173
01:03:05,450 --> 01:03:08,080
(door knocking)
1174
01:03:12,200 --> 01:03:15,080
- Put your light out
soon, you're too weary.
1175
01:03:16,020 --> 01:03:17,090
- He asked for you.
1176
01:03:19,130 --> 01:03:20,760
- I'm with him when I can be.
1177
01:03:22,040 --> 01:03:23,130
I'm busy at the hospitals,
1178
01:03:23,280 --> 01:03:25,280
those boys so appreciate
when I read to them
1179
01:03:25,300 --> 01:03:26,420
and write their letters.
1180
01:03:27,860 --> 01:03:28,930
I need to be useful.
1181
01:03:30,370 --> 01:03:32,480
- Well, you can
sit with him now.
1182
01:03:45,640 --> 01:03:46,490
- Is it McClellan?
1183
01:03:49,640 --> 01:03:52,330
- As if Robert E. Lee didn't
have to march through mud too.
1184
01:03:54,480 --> 01:03:56,620
(sighs) He could end this.
1185
01:03:58,150 --> 01:03:58,620
- Replace him.
1186
01:03:59,910 --> 01:04:01,000
Everyone says you should.
1187
01:04:02,560 --> 01:04:03,330
- With who?
1188
01:04:09,010 --> 01:04:10,010
Leave me with it.
1189
01:04:16,080 --> 01:04:18,360
(soft music)
1190
01:04:30,370 --> 01:04:32,950
- I think what kept Lincoln
up at night sometimes
1191
01:04:33,040 --> 01:04:36,380
was just knowing how many
soldiers had died that day.
1192
01:04:36,520 --> 01:04:38,350
And that he was the leader
1193
01:04:38,380 --> 01:04:42,460
that was in charge of this
decision to keep the war going.
1194
01:04:42,600 --> 01:04:43,860
And that these people had died,
1195
01:04:43,960 --> 01:04:47,720
their families were suffering
under the terrible loss.
1196
01:04:47,870 --> 01:04:49,630
- But Lincoln
understands the idea
1197
01:04:49,720 --> 01:04:52,460
that it was gonna cost a
lot of lives to win the war.
1198
01:04:52,610 --> 01:04:54,290
And I think President
Lincoln hit the point
1199
01:04:54,450 --> 01:04:58,290
where he had just lost patience
with General McClellan.
1200
01:04:58,300 --> 01:05:00,230
It just felt like he
wasn't aggressive enough,
1201
01:05:00,380 --> 01:05:01,060
he wouldn't fight.
1202
01:05:02,970 --> 01:05:06,560
- So despite all of the
men that McClellan has had,
1203
01:05:06,800 --> 01:05:08,740
he's able to make his
way outside of the
1204
01:05:08,960 --> 01:05:11,480
gates of Richmond,
but not into Richmond.
1205
01:05:11,630 --> 01:05:15,910
Meanwhile, Lee is
reorganizing his new army.
1206
01:05:16,060 --> 01:05:17,820
- And ultimately
at the end of June,
1207
01:05:17,970 --> 01:05:20,060
Robert E. Lee will launch
a series of battles
1208
01:05:20,080 --> 01:05:22,410
known as the Seven Days.
1209
01:05:22,570 --> 01:05:24,090
Throughout these
fights Robert E. Lee
1210
01:05:24,240 --> 01:05:26,170
will only win one
of those battles.
1211
01:05:26,310 --> 01:05:28,310
But what he does
is drive McClellan
1212
01:05:28,330 --> 01:05:29,920
back from the gates of Richmond
1213
01:05:30,080 --> 01:05:31,760
and pins him against
the James River.
1214
01:05:33,250 --> 01:05:36,180
McClellan will write
vicious telegraphs
1215
01:05:36,320 --> 01:05:40,010
to say that if I lose,
this is not my fault.
1216
01:05:40,100 --> 01:05:41,430
It's your fault.
1217
01:05:41,590 --> 01:05:42,940
You haven't given
me the men I need.
1218
01:05:43,170 --> 01:05:44,350
You haven't given me
the supplies I need.
1219
01:05:44,500 --> 01:05:46,440
And this is grating on Lincoln.
1220
01:05:47,690 --> 01:05:49,520
- So by July 1st,
1221
01:05:49,670 --> 01:05:52,950
this peninsula campaign has
essentially come to an end.
1222
01:05:54,430 --> 01:05:56,430
Lincoln will come
down to visit him
1223
01:05:56,450 --> 01:05:58,690
at a place called
Harrison's Landing.
1224
01:05:58,850 --> 01:06:02,020
It's there that McClellan
will hand him a letter.
1225
01:06:02,030 --> 01:06:05,030
- It talks about
civil military policy
1226
01:06:05,190 --> 01:06:07,130
for the fighting of this war.
1227
01:06:07,360 --> 01:06:09,450
What he says is that
it should be executed
1228
01:06:09,470 --> 01:06:12,530
with the highest
Christian principles.
1229
01:06:12,540 --> 01:06:15,470
That they should take
no Southern property,
1230
01:06:15,700 --> 01:06:18,790
that they should not
try and subdue the South
1231
01:06:18,810 --> 01:06:20,030
and that whatever we do,
1232
01:06:20,050 --> 01:06:22,480
let's not talk about
the issue of slavery.
1233
01:06:25,040 --> 01:06:26,870
And perhaps if he had
written it months earlier,
1234
01:06:26,890 --> 01:06:28,980
Lincoln may have
agreed with him,
1235
01:06:29,210 --> 01:06:31,130
but Lincoln doesn't
agree with him now.
1236
01:06:31,150 --> 01:06:33,990
The war has already
turned more resolute.
1237
01:06:34,220 --> 01:06:36,740
The war has already
turned more violent.
1238
01:06:36,890 --> 01:06:39,240
He's already now even
considering other ways
1239
01:06:39,390 --> 01:06:40,910
that they might be able
to put more pressure
1240
01:06:41,060 --> 01:06:43,500
on the Confederacy that
they might win the war.
1241
01:06:59,090 --> 01:07:00,680
- In the last weeks of June,
1242
01:07:00,910 --> 01:07:03,930
McClellan's army has
suffered a crushing defeat.
1243
01:07:04,020 --> 01:07:06,670
They were only like
four miles from Richmond
1244
01:07:06,690 --> 01:07:09,690
when Lee attacked them and
they were forced to retreat.
1245
01:07:09,920 --> 01:07:13,010
So the mood of the North was
really at its lowest point,
1246
01:07:13,100 --> 01:07:15,150
lower even than after Bull Run.
1247
01:07:17,110 --> 01:07:18,850
Enlistments were going down,
1248
01:07:18,870 --> 01:07:21,110
desertions were gonna happen.
1249
01:07:21,260 --> 01:07:24,040
And Lincoln felt that
something had to change.
1250
01:07:25,210 --> 01:07:28,440
- Now every summer from 1862 on,
1251
01:07:28,450 --> 01:07:30,710
Lincoln would find
some measure of escape
1252
01:07:30,940 --> 01:07:32,050
from the White House
1253
01:07:32,270 --> 01:07:35,460
in the high cooler grounds
of the Soldiers' Home.
1254
01:07:36,870 --> 01:07:39,720
This was a rambling
series of cottages
1255
01:07:39,950 --> 01:07:43,350
built by the Old Soldiers'
retirement complex in the 1850s,
1256
01:07:44,640 --> 01:07:48,860
but always, always
there was the war.
1257
01:07:50,550 --> 01:07:51,970
- There were so many times
1258
01:07:52,070 --> 01:07:54,550
when it looked like
the war would be lost.
1259
01:07:54,570 --> 01:07:57,310
After Bull Run it
certainly looked that way.
1260
01:07:57,410 --> 01:07:59,150
After the peninsula campaign,
1261
01:07:59,300 --> 01:08:01,890
it looked like the war
could easily be lost.
1262
01:08:01,990 --> 01:08:04,070
But he was the one who kept
the spirit of the army,
1263
01:08:04,160 --> 01:08:06,490
keeps the spirit of
the people going.
1264
01:08:06,580 --> 01:08:10,060
He absorbed those losses
and it just makes him think,
1265
01:08:10,160 --> 01:08:13,550
what can I do differently, how
can I change what's going on?
1266
01:08:16,840 --> 01:08:19,580
- The rebels still control the
Mississippi up near Vicksburg
1267
01:08:19,670 --> 01:08:23,720
and, well, we're back where
we started in Virginia.
1268
01:08:28,180 --> 01:08:29,730
- My Pa could've
made this chair.
1269
01:08:32,280 --> 01:08:34,240
He could make most
furniture with his hands.
1270
01:08:36,780 --> 01:08:37,450
- Abe.
1271
01:08:40,690 --> 01:08:42,120
We've got to make decisions.
1272
01:08:45,530 --> 01:08:47,200
We know McClellan's
not the answer,
1273
01:08:47,290 --> 01:08:48,610
but do you think General Hallock
1274
01:08:48,630 --> 01:08:50,300
can turn things around for us?
1275
01:08:50,520 --> 01:08:52,590
- This war has nothing
to do with generals.
1276
01:08:54,040 --> 01:08:55,590
They alone can't win it for us.
1277
01:08:59,190 --> 01:09:02,590
We have more men, more
supplies, more money.
1278
01:09:04,870 --> 01:09:07,310
Yet it seems we're always
tugging at the end of the rope.
1279
01:09:08,890 --> 01:09:10,480
- The rebels fight
on their own land.
1280
01:09:11,820 --> 01:09:13,780
- Well, that can make
a man fight harder.
1281
01:09:15,800 --> 01:09:17,280
They also have
something else too.
1282
01:09:18,490 --> 01:09:19,320
- Yes.
1283
01:09:22,160 --> 01:09:22,990
Slavery.
1284
01:09:25,570 --> 01:09:27,620
- If slavery's not
wrong, nothing is.
1285
01:09:30,170 --> 01:09:31,790
I must have everyone on board.
1286
01:09:34,000 --> 01:09:35,790
The military, public,
1287
01:09:38,570 --> 01:09:39,180
the cabinet.
1288
01:09:44,680 --> 01:09:46,240
- Over the summer,
1289
01:09:46,330 --> 01:09:49,020
Lincoln is talking
to people about
1290
01:09:49,170 --> 01:09:53,340
what will become the
Emancipation Proclamation.
1291
01:09:53,430 --> 01:09:55,100
He's talking to
his War Department,
1292
01:09:55,250 --> 01:09:57,770
he's talking to
State Department.
1293
01:09:57,860 --> 01:10:01,600
- Abolitionist, were clamoring
for Lincoln to do something.
1294
01:10:01,700 --> 01:10:04,780
They were saying, the
Confederacy has these black men
1295
01:10:04,930 --> 01:10:07,520
impressed into
military laborers.
1296
01:10:07,610 --> 01:10:09,090
Free these people, you know,
1297
01:10:09,190 --> 01:10:11,600
we can use them to
help us win the war.
1298
01:10:11,690 --> 01:10:13,930
Black men had been
saying it all along,
1299
01:10:14,030 --> 01:10:16,960
white men and women
started saying it as well.
1300
01:10:17,110 --> 01:10:19,540
Lincoln still believed
that the Constitution
1301
01:10:19,620 --> 01:10:22,790
made it impossible
for the government
1302
01:10:22,890 --> 01:10:25,120
to emancipate the slaves
1303
01:10:25,200 --> 01:10:27,130
because Constitution
protected property
1304
01:10:27,220 --> 01:10:28,890
and property was slaves.
1305
01:10:29,120 --> 01:10:33,120
- For political figures
who have a moral compass,
1306
01:10:33,210 --> 01:10:36,120
there is a constant
warring inside you
1307
01:10:36,220 --> 01:10:39,050
of when do I just
blurt out what I think
1308
01:10:39,140 --> 01:10:41,790
versus when do I bite my tongue
1309
01:10:41,890 --> 01:10:44,060
and see if I can
work something out.
1310
01:10:44,070 --> 01:10:46,700
Am I betraying the
ideals that I care about?
1311
01:10:48,640 --> 01:10:52,080
Or am I playing a long
game to advance them?
1312
01:10:53,080 --> 01:10:55,320
- There's a clear learning curve
1313
01:10:55,480 --> 01:10:58,160
as he learns the strategy
of what will be necessary
1314
01:10:58,260 --> 01:11:01,500
to win a war of this
magnitude and this complexity.
1315
01:11:01,650 --> 01:11:05,000
He exercised war powers
like few presidents
1316
01:11:05,150 --> 01:11:06,650
have ever in our history.
1317
01:11:06,670 --> 01:11:07,930
And they were pretty
upsetting to people,
1318
01:11:08,080 --> 01:11:10,750
but he understood that he
wasn't just the president,
1319
01:11:10,840 --> 01:11:12,720
he was the Commander
in Chief as well.
1320
01:11:14,440 --> 01:11:16,440
- So that's when he begins
to think about the fact that
1321
01:11:16,590 --> 01:11:18,770
I don't have the
constitutional power
1322
01:11:19,000 --> 01:11:21,850
to emancipate the slaves
in the Union as president,
1323
01:11:21,950 --> 01:11:24,120
but maybe as Commander in Chief,
1324
01:11:24,340 --> 01:11:26,020
I can emancipate the
slaves in the south
1325
01:11:26,120 --> 01:11:28,290
as a military necessity.
1326
01:11:28,510 --> 01:11:31,790
But Lincoln would have to
persuade the cabinet, the army,
1327
01:11:32,010 --> 01:11:34,180
and the people that the
Emancipation Proclamation
1328
01:11:34,270 --> 01:11:36,120
was the right thing to do.
1329
01:11:36,280 --> 01:11:38,610
- That on the first
day of January
1330
01:11:38,630 --> 01:11:43,040
in the year of our Lord, 1863,
1331
01:11:43,190 --> 01:11:46,280
all persons held as
slaves within any state
1332
01:11:46,300 --> 01:11:48,260
or designated part of the state,
1333
01:11:50,870 --> 01:11:54,480
shall be then thence
forward and forever free.
1334
01:11:58,710 --> 01:12:00,820
Now, I have made up
my mind about this,
1335
01:12:02,210 --> 01:12:03,610
but I want to hear
your opinions.
1336
01:12:06,380 --> 01:12:09,230
- Now is not the time
for something so rash.
1337
01:12:09,330 --> 01:12:11,720
- Where does your authority
come from to do this?
1338
01:12:11,810 --> 01:12:14,160
- I think it's exactly
the right time.
1339
01:12:14,390 --> 01:12:16,830
Doesn't the rebellion
give me authority?
1340
01:12:17,060 --> 01:12:19,840
I am no general, but I
am Commander in Chief.
1341
01:12:19,990 --> 01:12:21,990
Aren't I allowed to lick
the enemy anywhere I can?
1342
01:12:22,080 --> 01:12:23,840
- Make this a war for abolition
1343
01:12:24,070 --> 01:12:25,990
and we'll drive
Kentucky to the rebels.
1344
01:12:26,010 --> 01:12:28,330
- I've left it alone
in the border states.
1345
01:12:28,420 --> 01:12:30,070
This is a military order.
1346
01:12:30,160 --> 01:12:32,900
- Shift the manpower
of slaves from them to us.
1347
01:12:32,920 --> 01:12:35,240
If that's true, I'm all for it.
1348
01:12:35,260 --> 01:12:39,170
- Well, good for you, Stanton,
but the people won't be.
1349
01:12:39,260 --> 01:12:41,670
- Black and white
can't live together.
1350
01:12:41,690 --> 01:12:46,360
But if we push colonization,
people might swallow that.
1351
01:12:47,770 --> 01:12:50,770
- Well, it's overdue
but wrong headed.
1352
01:12:50,870 --> 01:12:52,440
You say there's a way
out for the rebels,
1353
01:12:52,590 --> 01:12:55,030
but this is an ultimatum
they'll never submit to,
1354
01:12:56,210 --> 01:12:58,540
unless that's what you intended.
1355
01:13:00,380 --> 01:13:03,960
- Everyone will see you gave
them a chance to act sensibly.
1356
01:13:04,110 --> 01:13:05,630
- They have their chance.
1357
01:13:05,720 --> 01:13:08,680
- This, this is madness.
1358
01:13:10,280 --> 01:13:12,680
I demand to be put on
record in opposition.
1359
01:13:14,280 --> 01:13:17,350
If this gets out, we'll
lose every election.
1360
01:13:18,560 --> 01:13:20,620
Congress will be lost.
1361
01:13:20,640 --> 01:13:23,140
It'll lead to
insurrection in the north,
1362
01:13:23,230 --> 01:13:25,120
massacre in the streets,
1363
01:13:25,220 --> 01:13:28,050
and the rebels will
only fight harder.
1364
01:13:28,150 --> 01:13:29,720
Blood will be on your hands!
1365
01:13:29,740 --> 01:13:32,070
- Blood is already on our hands!
1366
01:13:33,740 --> 01:13:36,030
We have played every other card.
1367
01:13:37,730 --> 01:13:40,330
It is time to change our
tactics or lose the game.
1368
01:13:41,810 --> 01:13:42,840
Now, I need your support.
1369
01:13:45,760 --> 01:13:51,760
- I think this proclamation
is what the country needs.
1370
01:13:55,990 --> 01:13:59,600
But don't release it now,
when we're beaten down,
1371
01:13:59,750 --> 01:14:01,930
the public will see it
as an act of desperation.
1372
01:14:03,260 --> 01:14:05,070
Wait for a victory,
however small.
1373
01:14:06,940 --> 01:14:09,610
Then the public will see your
proclamation for what it is,
1374
01:14:10,670 --> 01:14:11,690
a noble act.
1375
01:14:15,790 --> 01:14:18,270
- Well, if it's noble,
1376
01:14:18,360 --> 01:14:20,290
I'd rather it be
noble now than later.
1377
01:14:23,850 --> 01:14:28,250
But the governor is right,
public sentiment's everything.
1378
01:14:32,970 --> 01:14:35,720
We'll wait, we'll wait
for a Union victory.
1379
01:14:42,200 --> 01:14:45,480
(printing press whirring)
1380
01:14:47,630 --> 01:14:49,040
- Have you included
my last changes?
1381
01:14:49,060 --> 01:14:49,820
- Yes, sir.
1382
01:14:58,740 --> 01:15:01,820
I hear Lincoln's meeting
with the Negro leaders.
1383
01:15:01,830 --> 01:15:02,660
- I hear the same.
1384
01:15:06,240 --> 01:15:08,220
It's a great opportunity.
1385
01:15:08,320 --> 01:15:10,320
After all his foot draggin',
1386
01:15:10,340 --> 01:15:12,510
to have a Negro
delegation come see him.
1387
01:15:14,490 --> 01:15:15,670
It's never happened before.
1388
01:15:16,920 --> 01:15:17,840
- Why' don't you go?
1389
01:15:18,920 --> 01:15:19,970
- I wasn't invited.
1390
01:15:21,520 --> 01:15:24,520
- I guess old Abe might not
wanna hear what you have to say.
1391
01:15:26,340 --> 01:15:27,190
- That's true enough.
1392
01:15:29,430 --> 01:15:31,690
But I sure would like to
know what he has to say.
1393
01:15:39,090 --> 01:15:42,200
- What I want is a
way out for everybody.
1394
01:15:43,860 --> 01:15:47,700
To that end, I've had
Congress secure some land
1395
01:15:47,790 --> 01:15:48,550
in Central America.
1396
01:15:50,270 --> 01:15:53,940
You and I, are of
opposite races,
1397
01:15:53,960 --> 01:15:56,390
physically speaking, we
couldn't be more different.
1398
01:15:58,950 --> 01:16:02,560
I fear it might take a
hundred years for you
1399
01:16:03,630 --> 01:16:05,560
to find equality
in this country.
1400
01:16:07,790 --> 01:16:08,900
Agree to my proposal
1401
01:16:10,460 --> 01:16:11,900
and my people will stop
killing each other.
1402
01:16:13,220 --> 01:16:14,570
And your people will be free.
1403
01:16:16,240 --> 01:16:17,240
That's my proposition.
1404
01:16:18,390 --> 01:16:19,740
Take your time to consider it.
1405
01:16:20,730 --> 01:16:21,580
As long as you'd like.
1406
01:16:23,060 --> 01:16:25,410
- Well, Mr. President-
1407
01:16:28,980 --> 01:16:31,760
- We'd be happy to
consider it, sir.
1408
01:16:42,490 --> 01:16:45,670
- Lincoln's favorite
politician, Henry Clay,
1409
01:16:45,830 --> 01:16:49,160
was a very prominent
member and president
1410
01:16:49,180 --> 01:16:54,170
of the American Colonization
Society that was formed in 1817
1411
01:16:54,190 --> 01:16:57,520
for the purpose of sending
free black men and women
1412
01:16:57,670 --> 01:16:59,110
outside of the country.
1413
01:17:00,770 --> 01:17:03,120
- Lincoln thought
slavery was wrong.
1414
01:17:03,270 --> 01:17:06,030
But he's also someone
who believed in
1415
01:17:06,180 --> 01:17:08,700
what he imagined as nuance.
1416
01:17:08,850 --> 01:17:10,520
And Lincoln frames
this like, he's like,
1417
01:17:10,530 --> 01:17:12,960
even if I wanted
black people to stay,
1418
01:17:13,190 --> 01:17:15,800
there is no way that
the average white person
1419
01:17:16,020 --> 01:17:18,350
would ever allow
black people to exist
1420
01:17:18,450 --> 01:17:20,190
without the threat of violence
1421
01:17:20,210 --> 01:17:22,540
hanging over them at all times.
1422
01:17:22,640 --> 01:17:24,210
They we don't want to
live next door to you.
1423
01:17:24,370 --> 01:17:25,220
They don't want you to vote.
1424
01:17:25,310 --> 01:17:26,810
They don't want you
on their juries.
1425
01:17:26,960 --> 01:17:28,870
They don't want you to go
to school with their kids.
1426
01:17:28,890 --> 01:17:31,800
They don't want you
anywhere near them.
1427
01:17:31,810 --> 01:17:34,960
And Lincoln said the
way to make people
1428
01:17:35,060 --> 01:17:38,730
feel less physically threatened
and socially threatened
1429
01:17:38,880 --> 01:17:42,060
is to say, after we
get rid of slavery,
1430
01:17:42,220 --> 01:17:44,390
this is gonna again be
a white man's country
1431
01:17:44,400 --> 01:17:45,720
and black people are
gonna go somewhere else
1432
01:17:45,810 --> 01:17:48,160
so we won't have
to worry about it.
1433
01:17:48,390 --> 01:17:52,740
- Keep in mind, the
free north is 99% white.
1434
01:17:52,890 --> 01:17:55,240
And so there is a palpable fear
1435
01:17:55,400 --> 01:17:59,400
among white northerners
of slavery being ended.
1436
01:17:59,490 --> 01:18:01,250
- Especially those who felt
1437
01:18:01,340 --> 01:18:04,750
that they were going to have
to compete with black men
1438
01:18:04,910 --> 01:18:08,170
for the same jobs,
for the same housing.
1439
01:18:08,180 --> 01:18:12,070
Now there were black
men and women as well,
1440
01:18:12,100 --> 01:18:16,440
who believed that the two
races could not co-exist.
1441
01:18:16,580 --> 01:18:20,080
They're just thinking, I am
tired of dealing with this,
1442
01:18:20,100 --> 01:18:22,250
I want out of this country.
1443
01:18:22,270 --> 01:18:25,250
But the majority of
African-Americans
1444
01:18:25,350 --> 01:18:26,700
were not at all interested.
1445
01:18:28,450 --> 01:18:31,270
We sometimes think that by
the time of the Civil War,
1446
01:18:31,280 --> 01:18:33,210
the people who are enslaved
1447
01:18:33,360 --> 01:18:36,200
are people who were
captured in Africa
1448
01:18:36,290 --> 01:18:38,050
and brought to America.
1449
01:18:38,270 --> 01:18:41,270
These are Americans,
they're not citizens,
1450
01:18:41,290 --> 01:18:44,110
but they are native
born Americans.
1451
01:18:44,130 --> 01:18:47,720
And their ancestors had
been here in some instances
1452
01:18:47,870 --> 01:18:49,390
before the Mayflower.
1453
01:18:52,120 --> 01:18:55,880
- Then in August, 1862, Horace
Greeley's New York Tribune
1454
01:18:55,970 --> 01:19:00,570
publishes an editorial called
the Prayer of 20 millions.
1455
01:19:00,720 --> 01:19:03,220
It basically says,
why, Mr. Lincoln,
1456
01:19:03,240 --> 01:19:07,240
are you delaying on issuing
a proclamation of freedom?
1457
01:19:07,390 --> 01:19:08,980
So Lincoln did write,
1458
01:19:09,080 --> 01:19:10,820
I think the most famous
letter to the editor,
1459
01:19:10,970 --> 01:19:12,410
in American history.
1460
01:19:13,730 --> 01:19:15,910
He said, I want to remind you,
1461
01:19:16,070 --> 01:19:20,240
my paramount object in this
struggle is to save the Union.
1462
01:19:20,260 --> 01:19:23,080
If I could save the Union
by freeing all the slaves,
1463
01:19:23,090 --> 01:19:24,570
I would do it.
1464
01:19:24,590 --> 01:19:27,170
If I could save the union by
freeing none of the slaves,
1465
01:19:27,260 --> 01:19:28,740
I would do that.
1466
01:19:28,770 --> 01:19:31,250
If I could save the
union by freeing some
1467
01:19:31,270 --> 01:19:34,270
and leaving others
alone, I would do that.
1468
01:19:36,010 --> 01:19:39,500
Lincoln is by this time
determined to be a liberator,
1469
01:19:39,520 --> 01:19:42,000
but congressional
elections were coming up.
1470
01:19:42,090 --> 01:19:44,440
So first he has set the stage
1471
01:19:44,600 --> 01:19:46,840
among an exclusively
white electorate
1472
01:19:46,930 --> 01:19:49,670
for emancipation to be accepted.
1473
01:19:49,690 --> 01:19:52,010
But his cabinet had
said, you've gotta wait
1474
01:19:52,030 --> 01:19:55,440
for a Union battlefield
victory or people will think
1475
01:19:55,460 --> 01:19:57,700
that this is what
William Seward called,
1476
01:19:57,850 --> 01:20:00,130
a last shriek on the retreat.
1477
01:20:02,970 --> 01:20:05,380
- Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee
will take the initiative.
1478
01:20:05,530 --> 01:20:07,380
From the time he takes command,
1479
01:20:07,530 --> 01:20:08,950
he will drive Union soldiers
1480
01:20:08,970 --> 01:20:11,030
back from the gates of Richmond.
1481
01:20:11,120 --> 01:20:12,360
By the end of August he'll win
1482
01:20:12,460 --> 01:20:14,390
the Second battle of Bull Run.
1483
01:20:14,480 --> 01:20:17,150
And now Lee is looking at
the spires of Washington DC.
1484
01:20:18,890 --> 01:20:20,720
And then what he will write
back to Jefferson Davis is,
1485
01:20:20,880 --> 01:20:22,710
now seems to be the
most propitious time
1486
01:20:22,730 --> 01:20:23,820
since the beginning of this war
1487
01:20:24,050 --> 01:20:25,490
for this army to
enter into Maryland,
1488
01:20:25,640 --> 01:20:27,490
a change of policy
for the Confederacy
1489
01:20:27,640 --> 01:20:29,640
to now invade the north.
1490
01:20:29,660 --> 01:20:32,400
- We're a little over
a year into the war,
1491
01:20:32,550 --> 01:20:34,880
and you're starting to get into
1492
01:20:34,910 --> 01:20:36,500
the effects of public sentiment
1493
01:20:36,720 --> 01:20:39,830
and what people are
thinking and morale.
1494
01:20:39,990 --> 01:20:43,570
- So the idea is Lee
would put pressure
1495
01:20:43,660 --> 01:20:45,920
on President
Lincoln politically,
1496
01:20:46,010 --> 01:20:48,590
and it might lure the Union
army out into a battle
1497
01:20:48,740 --> 01:20:50,010
in which it could be destroyed.
1498
01:20:51,500 --> 01:20:52,670
So he was able to
maneuver his force
1499
01:20:52,680 --> 01:20:54,680
to force a battle at a
place called Antietam.
1500
01:20:57,090 --> 01:21:02,000
- The Battle of Antietam will
unfold on September 17th, 1862
1501
01:21:02,020 --> 01:21:06,690
on beautiful rolling
farmland of Western Maryland.
1502
01:21:08,030 --> 01:21:10,010
The morning fighting will happen
1503
01:21:10,030 --> 01:21:13,260
on the right flank of the Union.
1504
01:21:13,280 --> 01:21:15,110
- [Doug] The union army
will go to the north,
1505
01:21:15,260 --> 01:21:18,040
they will attack across famous
places like the cornfield.
1506
01:21:19,930 --> 01:21:20,930
- [Caroline] The
fighting that occurred
1507
01:21:20,950 --> 01:21:23,530
in Miller's cornfield
was so severe
1508
01:21:23,550 --> 01:21:25,630
that the cornstalks were
cut all the way down
1509
01:21:25,720 --> 01:21:26,550
to their bottom.
1510
01:21:28,050 --> 01:21:30,380
- Then the battle shifts to
the middle of Lee's line,
1511
01:21:30,540 --> 01:21:31,800
a sunken road.
1512
01:21:31,890 --> 01:21:34,280
This is a farm lane that
connects the Hagerstown turnpike
1513
01:21:34,370 --> 01:21:36,390
and the Boonsboro turnpike.
1514
01:21:36,620 --> 01:21:38,060
And after wagons going
across it had eroded
1515
01:21:38,210 --> 01:21:39,890
to become a trench line.
1516
01:21:40,050 --> 01:21:41,480
Two under strength
Confederate brigades
1517
01:21:41,620 --> 01:21:43,470
will defend that sunken road
1518
01:21:43,620 --> 01:21:45,060
and two divisions
of the Union army
1519
01:21:45,220 --> 01:21:47,240
will attack that
sunken road repeatedly.
1520
01:21:48,630 --> 01:21:53,410
(guns fire)
(soldiers shouting)
1521
01:22:06,910 --> 01:22:08,930
- Sir, we should fall back.
1522
01:22:10,480 --> 01:22:12,260
- No, sergeant, we're
gonna end this now.
1523
01:22:15,410 --> 01:22:16,760
On your feet, men!
1524
01:22:17,930 --> 01:22:19,410
Charge!
1525
01:22:19,440 --> 01:22:24,280
(soldiers shouting)
(guns firing)
1526
01:22:42,440 --> 01:22:45,960
Come on, boys, go go go!
1527
01:22:48,540 --> 01:22:50,450
- After two and a half
hours of fighting,
1528
01:22:50,470 --> 01:22:53,360
that Confederate line
will finally break.
1529
01:22:53,380 --> 01:22:55,810
But McClellan will commit
no more forces to it.
1530
01:22:57,530 --> 01:22:59,810
- By the time all is
said and done here,
1531
01:23:00,030 --> 01:23:01,810
the road is simply
littered with bodies.
1532
01:23:02,890 --> 01:23:05,150
It is more or less a graveyard.
1533
01:23:06,720 --> 01:23:08,480
And that's why it's
called Bloody Lane.
1534
01:23:10,800 --> 01:23:11,820
- Antietam was horrible.
1535
01:23:13,470 --> 01:23:15,970
The thing about Antietam,
though, that becomes important
1536
01:23:15,990 --> 01:23:17,990
is that Lincoln needed a win.
1537
01:23:18,140 --> 01:23:18,990
He's not doing really well
1538
01:23:19,220 --> 01:23:21,160
in the Spring and
the Summer of '62.
1539
01:23:22,670 --> 01:23:26,320
Antietam gives him
permission to issue
1540
01:23:26,340 --> 01:23:29,400
the Emancipation
Proclamation to the south
1541
01:23:29,490 --> 01:23:31,840
and change the
course of the war.
1542
01:23:37,740 --> 01:23:40,020
(soft music)
1543
01:23:48,170 --> 01:23:50,690
- Antietam's the first battle
that will be photographed.
1544
01:23:53,860 --> 01:23:58,250
The scenes of the sunken road
are absolutely heartrending.
1545
01:23:58,280 --> 01:24:01,520
People can't believe the
carnage that has happened
1546
01:24:01,540 --> 01:24:02,540
from this one battle.
1547
01:24:03,950 --> 01:24:06,620
Once these images are produced,
1548
01:24:06,770 --> 01:24:09,000
the reality of
war sets in fully.
1549
01:24:11,880 --> 01:24:14,380
(door knocking)
1550
01:24:17,110 --> 01:24:21,040
- McClellan had 12,000
fresh troops in reserve.
1551
01:24:21,060 --> 01:24:22,810
He could have used
them to destroy Lee.
1552
01:24:24,300 --> 01:24:26,390
Instead he let him escape
over the river to Virginia.
1553
01:24:27,400 --> 01:24:28,570
Papers want his head.
1554
01:24:30,290 --> 01:24:32,960
- Well, McClellan has never
been one to embrace opportunity,
1555
01:24:32,980 --> 01:24:35,410
but we chased him out of
Maryland, still a victory.
1556
01:24:36,960 --> 01:24:37,690
- It is.
1557
01:24:39,410 --> 01:24:41,080
- Now I can release
the proclamation.
1558
01:24:43,650 --> 01:24:46,820
John, I want the cabinet
here as soon as possible,
1559
01:24:46,970 --> 01:24:48,560
for final remarks on the draft
1560
01:24:48,580 --> 01:24:50,490
in time for the
afternoon additions.
1561
01:24:50,640 --> 01:24:51,370
- Yes, sir.
1562
01:24:58,080 --> 01:25:00,250
- What kind of villain you think
the papers will make of me?
1563
01:25:00,260 --> 01:25:01,260
- It won't be pretty.
1564
01:25:05,270 --> 01:25:07,600
- I expect abuse from
the Democrat papers,
1565
01:25:07,750 --> 01:25:11,420
but the friendly ones,
they'll see the wisdom.
1566
01:25:11,440 --> 01:25:13,760
- I'd worry about enlistment.
1567
01:25:13,780 --> 01:25:17,510
They'll say it's a war against
slavery, not for the Union.
1568
01:25:17,520 --> 01:25:19,110
- My word is going
out to the people.
1569
01:25:20,270 --> 01:25:21,290
I won't take it back.
1570
01:25:27,180 --> 01:25:28,960
- Lincoln's the master of this.
1571
01:25:29,110 --> 01:25:31,610
At taking battles and
being able to spin them
1572
01:25:31,700 --> 01:25:32,770
for his needs politically.
1573
01:25:32,800 --> 01:25:35,710
So that was enough for Lincoln
1574
01:25:35,860 --> 01:25:38,210
to be able to issue the
Emancipation Proclamation
1575
01:25:38,300 --> 01:25:41,280
from a position of strength,
as opposed to weakness.
1576
01:25:41,300 --> 01:25:44,300
- So Antietam was
on September 17th,
1577
01:25:44,460 --> 01:25:47,940
by September 22nd, Lincoln
was issuing the proclamation.
1578
01:25:50,050 --> 01:25:52,960
That preliminary proclamation
said you have 100 days
1579
01:25:52,980 --> 01:25:54,890
to either come
back into the Union
1580
01:25:55,040 --> 01:25:57,150
or I'm going to free
your enslaved laborers.
1581
01:26:00,210 --> 01:26:01,880
- Many in the world,
particularly in Britain,
1582
01:26:01,900 --> 01:26:04,550
saw it as just
another political move
1583
01:26:04,570 --> 01:26:06,330
to undermine the Confederacy
1584
01:26:06,480 --> 01:26:09,170
and he wasn't genuinely
committed to it.
1585
01:26:09,390 --> 01:26:11,220
But on the other hand,
for many in Britain,
1586
01:26:11,240 --> 01:26:13,570
that becomes the moment
when Lincoln emerges
1587
01:26:13,730 --> 01:26:15,130
as the Great Emancipator.
1588
01:26:16,730 --> 01:26:18,410
- You have countries
like France and Britain
1589
01:26:18,570 --> 01:26:22,000
who had abolished slavery in
the years and decades prior,
1590
01:26:22,010 --> 01:26:24,660
who were thinking about the idea
1591
01:26:24,680 --> 01:26:26,570
of supporting the Confederacy.
1592
01:26:26,590 --> 01:26:28,330
But they also believe
themselves to be
1593
01:26:28,350 --> 01:26:32,670
very strictly
abolitionist nations.
1594
01:26:32,690 --> 01:26:36,030
And so when Lincoln issues
this Emancipation Proclamation,
1595
01:26:36,170 --> 01:26:38,260
Britain and France
largely back off.
1596
01:26:38,420 --> 01:26:40,700
And they said, well, we're
not gonna support this nation
1597
01:26:40,920 --> 01:26:43,590
that is founded
and predicated upon
1598
01:26:43,680 --> 01:26:45,590
the institution
of human bondage,
1599
01:26:45,610 --> 01:26:50,040
which runs counter to
our very political ethos.
1600
01:26:53,120 --> 01:26:57,770
- Meanwhile, on October 1st,
Lincoln travels out to Antietam
1601
01:26:57,790 --> 01:27:01,030
and he has a conference
with McClellan.
1602
01:27:01,050 --> 01:27:02,290
McClellan has
asked him to go out
1603
01:27:02,440 --> 01:27:03,710
and look at the battlefield.
1604
01:27:03,870 --> 01:27:06,560
And Lincoln is really
disgusted that he's showing him
1605
01:27:06,780 --> 01:27:08,460
all of these wonderful
things that happened
1606
01:27:08,620 --> 01:27:09,640
on the battlefield,
1607
01:27:09,730 --> 01:27:12,730
and yet this hadn't
been a decisive victory.
1608
01:27:12,950 --> 01:27:15,540
- McClellan had so
many troops in reserve
1609
01:27:15,560 --> 01:27:19,230
that are never put into action
and Lee had so few troops
1610
01:27:19,460 --> 01:27:22,240
that had all fought
throughout the day,
1611
01:27:22,460 --> 01:27:25,240
that had McClellan
pushed a little harder
1612
01:27:25,390 --> 01:27:27,320
there is reason to believe
1613
01:27:27,470 --> 01:27:31,060
that he could have destroyed
Lee's army that day
1614
01:27:31,150 --> 01:27:32,240
and perhaps ended the war.
1615
01:27:41,260 --> 01:27:44,500
- I did the absolute best
with what you gave me.
1616
01:27:44,650 --> 01:27:45,880
- And I gave you all I could.
1617
01:27:48,250 --> 01:27:51,180
- Do you want me to go
over strategy with you?
1618
01:27:51,330 --> 01:27:52,940
- Don't trouble
yourself general.
1619
01:27:54,270 --> 01:27:55,420
I will need to know the
strength and location
1620
01:27:55,440 --> 01:27:57,420
of all of our troops,
1621
01:27:57,510 --> 01:28:00,100
and the condition if you know
it, of the Confederate forces.
1622
01:28:01,780 --> 01:28:02,450
- That's all?
1623
01:28:03,610 --> 01:28:06,070
- Yes, that's all.
1624
01:28:11,450 --> 01:28:13,510
- There are elections coming up.
1625
01:28:13,530 --> 01:28:16,610
McClellan is very popular,
not only among his troops,
1626
01:28:16,630 --> 01:28:18,360
but among Democrats in the north
1627
01:28:18,370 --> 01:28:20,960
so Lincoln doesn't
want to fire him yet.
1628
01:28:21,190 --> 01:28:24,710
But the day after the
midterm elections,
1629
01:28:24,860 --> 01:28:26,470
Lincoln will fire McClellan.
1630
01:28:29,710 --> 01:28:32,140
- So Lincoln had waited
until the Battle of Antietam
1631
01:28:32,290 --> 01:28:34,290
to announce that he
was going to issue
1632
01:28:34,310 --> 01:28:37,130
on the Emancipation
Proclamation in January.
1633
01:28:37,150 --> 01:28:38,890
And between
September and January
1634
01:28:39,040 --> 01:28:40,890
the blowback was so great
1635
01:28:41,040 --> 01:28:43,630
that many people thought
he might not sign it.
1636
01:28:43,730 --> 01:28:47,810
The Republicans lost lots of
seats in the midterm elections,
1637
01:28:47,900 --> 01:28:49,220
the conservative Democrats
1638
01:28:49,230 --> 01:28:51,820
who were against emancipation
doubled in number,
1639
01:28:51,980 --> 01:28:54,120
leaving the Republicans
with a thin majority.
1640
01:28:55,910 --> 01:28:57,740
What people in the north feared
1641
01:28:57,890 --> 01:28:59,650
is that now the
south would never
1642
01:28:59,670 --> 01:29:01,750
come to the bargaining table.
1643
01:29:01,840 --> 01:29:04,670
This would mean the war
would be prolonged forever.
1644
01:29:04,900 --> 01:29:07,920
- Lincoln's aware of
all of these things.
1645
01:29:08,070 --> 01:29:10,070
He's being political about it,
1646
01:29:10,090 --> 01:29:11,850
but he's also being
thoughtful about it.
1647
01:29:15,090 --> 01:29:18,000
- On New Year's Eve
people are gathered
1648
01:29:18,020 --> 01:29:20,190
in black communities
throughout the north.
1649
01:29:21,580 --> 01:29:24,190
People are just
waiting on tenterhooks.
1650
01:29:24,340 --> 01:29:27,010
- There was what
we call Watch Night
1651
01:29:27,030 --> 01:29:30,260
where Douglass was with a
group of abolitionist friends
1652
01:29:30,270 --> 01:29:33,530
waiting to see if Lincoln
would keep his word.
1653
01:29:46,220 --> 01:29:49,040
- Well, no telegram yet.
1654
01:29:49,050 --> 01:29:51,280
- He said he'd sign it today,
1655
01:29:51,290 --> 01:29:53,010
And I believe he's
a man of his word.
1656
01:29:55,220 --> 01:29:56,720
I can wait a few minutes longer.
1657
01:29:58,230 --> 01:29:59,400
(tense music)
1658
01:30:24,400 --> 01:30:28,090
- I don't hope folks will
think I doubted this.
1659
01:30:44,180 --> 01:30:45,940
My whole soul is in it.
1660
01:31:07,610 --> 01:31:08,690
- The morning that
Lincoln signed
1661
01:31:08,780 --> 01:31:10,210
the Emancipation Proclamation,
1662
01:31:10,360 --> 01:31:13,450
there'd been a big New Year's
reception at the White House
1663
01:31:13,470 --> 01:31:15,790
and he had shaken
hundreds of hands.
1664
01:31:15,880 --> 01:31:16,970
So when he went finally
1665
01:31:17,200 --> 01:31:19,120
to sign the Emancipation
Proclamation
1666
01:31:19,140 --> 01:31:21,550
his own hand was
numb and shaking.
1667
01:31:21,700 --> 01:31:23,380
He put the pen down, he said,
1668
01:31:23,480 --> 01:31:25,980
if ever my soul were in
an act, it is in this act.
1669
01:31:26,210 --> 01:31:28,040
But if I sign with
a shaking hand,
1670
01:31:28,130 --> 01:31:30,560
posterity will say he hesitated.
1671
01:31:30,650 --> 01:31:32,800
So he waited and waited
until he could sign
1672
01:31:32,820 --> 01:31:34,990
with an unusually
bold and clear hand.
1673
01:31:36,070 --> 01:31:37,660
- It cannot be overstated
1674
01:31:37,880 --> 01:31:40,660
how consequential
this document was.
1675
01:31:40,810 --> 01:31:42,720
With the stroke of a pen
1676
01:31:42,740 --> 01:31:46,240
Lincoln through the authority
he has in that moment,
1677
01:31:46,390 --> 01:31:48,220
frees millions of
enslaved people
1678
01:31:48,320 --> 01:31:49,670
in these Confederate states.
1679
01:31:51,570 --> 01:31:54,350
(suspenseful music)
1680
01:32:01,000 --> 01:32:03,740
- It's coming over the wire now!
1681
01:32:03,760 --> 01:32:07,350
(crowd cheers and applauds)
1682
01:32:29,440 --> 01:32:32,870
- It was a great
celebration that broke out.
1683
01:32:32,960 --> 01:32:36,040
Douglass was said to have a
great baritone singing voice
1684
01:32:36,050 --> 01:32:37,790
and I'm sure he was out there
1685
01:32:37,940 --> 01:32:40,120
singing at the top of his lungs
1686
01:32:40,220 --> 01:32:43,870
in celebration that this
document was finally signed,
1687
01:32:43,890 --> 01:32:47,370
which would change the
balance of the war.
1688
01:32:47,470 --> 01:32:51,960
- Emancipation creates a new
ethos for why people fight.
1689
01:32:52,050 --> 01:32:53,400
Yeah, to keep the
Union together.
1690
01:32:54,480 --> 01:32:57,410
But now it's a freedom fight
1691
01:32:57,560 --> 01:32:59,230
that goes back to the
founding of our nation,
1692
01:32:59,240 --> 01:33:01,410
was about freedom and justice.
1693
01:33:02,970 --> 01:33:06,060
- Later on, Lincoln
says that emancipation
1694
01:33:06,080 --> 01:33:09,560
was the central act
of his administration.
1695
01:33:09,590 --> 01:33:11,760
He doesn't say saving the Union.
1696
01:33:11,900 --> 01:33:13,420
He says, emancipation.
1697
01:33:14,660 --> 01:33:16,090
- Not too many weeks later,
1698
01:33:16,320 --> 01:33:18,650
Joshua Speed comes
to the White House
1699
01:33:18,740 --> 01:33:20,330
and he reminds his old friend
1700
01:33:20,490 --> 01:33:21,750
of that conversation
they had had
1701
01:33:21,760 --> 01:33:24,170
a quarter of a century before
1702
01:33:24,270 --> 01:33:26,330
when he said that he
would just as soon die,
1703
01:33:26,420 --> 01:33:28,010
but he had not yet done anything
1704
01:33:28,100 --> 01:33:31,250
to make any human being
remember that he had lived.
1705
01:33:31,350 --> 01:33:34,680
And then he said to Speed,
perhaps in this proclamation
1706
01:33:34,840 --> 01:33:36,780
my fondest wish
will be realized.
1707
01:33:39,510 --> 01:33:41,790
- I had the Emancipation
Proclamation,
1708
01:33:42,010 --> 01:33:44,190
one of the handfuls
of original documents
1709
01:33:44,340 --> 01:33:45,950
in the Oval Office.
1710
01:33:46,100 --> 01:33:48,280
When you stand there
and you read it,
1711
01:33:48,520 --> 01:33:50,780
it is very much a
military document.
1712
01:33:50,790 --> 01:33:53,030
It is full of caveats.
1713
01:33:53,130 --> 01:33:55,110
You're thinkin', oh, you
know, this is gonna be
1714
01:33:55,130 --> 01:33:57,460
a clarion call for
freedom and justice.
1715
01:33:57,620 --> 01:33:59,140
That's not what it is.
1716
01:33:59,360 --> 01:34:01,970
And yet Lincoln was
willing to stake
1717
01:34:02,120 --> 01:34:03,470
everything that he's done,
1718
01:34:03,620 --> 01:34:07,810
everything he's fought for,
to decide once and for all,
1719
01:34:07,960 --> 01:34:11,310
this will be a free house
and not a slave house.
1720
01:34:11,460 --> 01:34:13,810
- African-Americans
were ecstatic.
1721
01:34:14,040 --> 01:34:17,150
Even those who took
issue with the idea
1722
01:34:17,300 --> 01:34:21,060
that not everybody got their
freedom, they understood
1723
01:34:21,160 --> 01:34:23,550
that this was the beginning
of the end for slavery.
1724
01:34:23,640 --> 01:34:27,490
Douglass says, if
Virginia is free
1725
01:34:27,720 --> 01:34:30,720
Maryland can't be
enslaved for much longer.
1726
01:34:30,740 --> 01:34:33,000
You're going to have to
end slavery in Kentucky,
1727
01:34:33,150 --> 01:34:35,830
gonna have to end it in
Delaware and Missouri.
1728
01:34:36,060 --> 01:34:38,840
Also, the proclamation
gave authority
1729
01:34:39,070 --> 01:34:43,910
to bring black men
into the Army and Navy.
1730
01:34:43,920 --> 01:34:45,570
- This is because
Frederick Douglass,
1731
01:34:45,590 --> 01:34:47,740
had been advocating
to allow free men
1732
01:34:47,760 --> 01:34:51,190
and these contraband enslaved
men to join the Army.
1733
01:34:52,580 --> 01:34:53,520
And Lincoln agrees,
1734
01:34:53,750 --> 01:34:56,180
so it is the
Emancipation Proclamation
1735
01:34:56,270 --> 01:35:00,700
that actually establishes the
United States colored troops.
1736
01:35:00,920 --> 01:35:03,440
- That was believed
that especially after
1737
01:35:03,530 --> 01:35:05,010
the proclamation,
1738
01:35:05,030 --> 01:35:08,870
if you deserved freedom, you
needed to fight for freedom.
1739
01:35:10,600 --> 01:35:12,600
- I don't see
before me property.
1740
01:35:12,620 --> 01:35:14,210
I see men.
1741
01:35:14,430 --> 01:35:17,040
I don't see slaves,
I see people.
1742
01:35:17,200 --> 01:35:20,940
So what better defense against
the hand of the slave holder
1743
01:35:21,030 --> 01:35:23,210
than the hand of the slave?
1744
01:35:23,370 --> 01:35:25,560
What better way to
prove our humanity?
1745
01:35:28,710 --> 01:35:30,390
What's your question, sir.
1746
01:35:30,540 --> 01:35:33,060
- Will we get uniforms,
like the whites?
1747
01:35:41,960 --> 01:35:44,070
- You want to prove
you're a man, don't you?
1748
01:35:44,300 --> 01:35:45,300
- Yes.
1749
01:35:45,320 --> 01:35:47,080
- You deserve to be
treated like one.
1750
01:35:48,560 --> 01:35:50,650
You're gonna get a
uniform, and a gun.
1751
01:35:50,750 --> 01:35:52,070
-Yes sir.
1752
01:35:52,160 --> 01:35:55,090
And when you got those
brass buttons on your chest
1753
01:35:55,230 --> 01:35:58,750
and a musket on your shoulder
and bullets in your pockets,
1754
01:35:58,900 --> 01:36:00,830
there's no one on
earth can tell you
1755
01:36:00,980 --> 01:36:03,260
you're not a citizen and a man.
1756
01:36:05,170 --> 01:36:06,500
Can you see it?
1757
01:36:06,600 --> 01:36:07,270
- Oh, yes, sir.
1758
01:36:09,260 --> 01:36:11,430
- Go see these gents behind
me and sign your name.
1759
01:36:14,330 --> 01:36:15,590
How about you, sir?
1760
01:36:15,680 --> 01:36:17,090
You want to do it?
1761
01:36:17,110 --> 01:36:20,350
- When you think about his
own sons, Louis and Charles,
1762
01:36:20,440 --> 01:36:23,270
who he recruited into the
Massachusetts 54th regiment,
1763
01:36:25,340 --> 01:36:28,620
that's really putting his
money where his mouth is.
1764
01:36:28,770 --> 01:36:31,530
They were free, but yet they
would risk their own freedom
1765
01:36:31,620 --> 01:36:35,180
and their own lives to go
and fight in the Civil War
1766
01:36:35,200 --> 01:36:37,780
because that's how important
that cause was to them.
1767
01:36:37,870 --> 01:36:40,800
That's how important the cause
was to Frederick Douglas.
1768
01:36:43,020 --> 01:36:44,850
- Many people in the
south were furious.
1769
01:36:44,870 --> 01:36:47,540
You know, this is what they
feared during the 1860 election
1770
01:36:47,640 --> 01:36:50,550
and they thought that it
would create slave rebellions
1771
01:36:50,640 --> 01:36:51,860
across the south.
1772
01:36:51,960 --> 01:36:53,290
They thought it would
create insurrections.
1773
01:36:53,310 --> 01:36:55,050
They thought that he not only
1774
01:36:55,200 --> 01:36:56,810
was taking away their property,
1775
01:36:56,960 --> 01:37:01,200
but putting their lives in
danger in a profound way.
1776
01:37:01,220 --> 01:37:05,040
- So once emancipation is one
of the twin goals of the war,
1777
01:37:05,140 --> 01:37:06,820
it must embolden
the south to know
1778
01:37:07,050 --> 01:37:08,990
that we have to win this
war unconditionally.
1779
01:37:11,570 --> 01:37:15,220
- So Robert E. Lee once
again steals the initiative.
1780
01:37:15,240 --> 01:37:18,830
He marches for a second time
on a raid into the north.
1781
01:37:20,650 --> 01:37:21,890
Through northern Virginia,
1782
01:37:21,990 --> 01:37:24,340
across Maryland,
into Pennsylvania,
1783
01:37:24,490 --> 01:37:26,840
and the Union army of the
Potomac is on its heels.
1784
01:37:28,660 --> 01:37:31,920
- As Lee's army moved through
south central Pennsylvania,
1785
01:37:32,070 --> 01:37:35,920
they had no compunction
about rounding up
1786
01:37:36,020 --> 01:37:39,190
any black people they
could find in Pennsylvania,
1787
01:37:39,340 --> 01:37:41,840
shackling them together,
and shipping them south
1788
01:37:41,860 --> 01:37:45,190
to be sold in the slave
marts of Richmond.
1789
01:37:53,370 --> 01:37:55,870
(tense music)
1790
01:38:11,540 --> 01:38:12,520
(men marching)
(horses neighing)
1791
01:38:24,310 --> 01:38:25,550
- Meade is positioned here.
1792
01:38:25,570 --> 01:38:27,290
You can either defend Washington
1793
01:38:27,390 --> 01:38:29,240
or go after Lee in Pennsylvania.
1794
01:38:30,550 --> 01:38:32,640
- Where's Lee?
- We're not sure.
1795
01:38:32,740 --> 01:38:33,980
Somewhere here.
1796
01:38:34,080 --> 01:38:36,230
We think he was trying to
keep this mountain pass
1797
01:38:36,240 --> 01:38:38,910
between him and any troops
Meade may send his way.
1798
01:38:39,900 --> 01:38:41,330
- What's the nearest town?
1799
01:38:41,420 --> 01:38:42,250
- Gettysburg.
1800
01:38:48,480 --> 01:38:50,260
- What if we catch
Lee in the field here,
1801
01:38:51,500 --> 01:38:52,420
or in Pennsylvania?
1802
01:38:53,910 --> 01:38:55,930
That may be the best
chance to destroy his army.
1803
01:38:56,840 --> 01:38:57,770
- One big battle.
1804
01:38:59,600 --> 01:39:01,600
- What if Lee's thinking
the exact same thing?
1805
01:39:03,350 --> 01:39:05,110
- Then we're both looking
at the end of this war,
1806
01:39:05,260 --> 01:39:06,110
one way or the other.
1807
01:39:10,280 --> 01:39:13,100
- When Robert E. Lee decides
to advance into Pennsylvania,
1808
01:39:13,110 --> 01:39:14,760
another invasion of the north,
1809
01:39:14,780 --> 01:39:16,930
we are roughly two
years into the war.
1810
01:39:16,950 --> 01:39:18,840
There's hundreds of
thousands of dead,
1811
01:39:18,940 --> 01:39:20,960
and there's really
no end in sight.
1812
01:39:21,180 --> 01:39:22,510
- Lee wants to put
pressure on the north,
1813
01:39:22,530 --> 01:39:24,960
so we want to go north again
1814
01:39:25,190 --> 01:39:28,040
and force the north
to defend themselves.
1815
01:39:28,190 --> 01:39:29,630
Second, Lee wants to get the war
1816
01:39:29,860 --> 01:39:31,130
out of Virginia
for a while again,
1817
01:39:31,280 --> 01:39:32,960
he wants to give
Virginia a chance
1818
01:39:33,120 --> 01:39:35,200
to grow crops and harvest.
1819
01:39:35,210 --> 01:39:40,200
And because his army had
defined a decisive battle.
1820
01:39:40,700 --> 01:39:42,050
- And so what he's trying to do
1821
01:39:42,140 --> 01:39:44,720
is provide the ultimate evidence
to that northern population
1822
01:39:44,870 --> 01:39:46,630
that the magnitude of
sacrifice for this war
1823
01:39:46,650 --> 01:39:48,370
is no longer worth it.
1824
01:39:48,390 --> 01:39:50,720
We see this growing war
weariness in the north.
1825
01:39:50,880 --> 01:39:53,380
That's how Lee refers to it,
this growing war weariness.
1826
01:39:53,400 --> 01:39:54,730
It shows up in the
mid-term elections
1827
01:39:54,880 --> 01:39:55,970
where the Republicans lose seats
1828
01:39:55,990 --> 01:39:57,400
in the House of Representatives.
1829
01:39:57,490 --> 01:39:58,820
How much longer?
1830
01:39:59,050 --> 01:40:01,160
How much more is this gonna
cost in lives and dollars?
1831
01:40:03,720 --> 01:40:06,160
- Lincoln is starting
to come into his own
1832
01:40:06,320 --> 01:40:07,580
as Commander in Chief.
1833
01:40:07,670 --> 01:40:11,150
He's trying to find someone
who will chase after Lee
1834
01:40:11,170 --> 01:40:13,900
and destroy the army
in northern Virginia.
1835
01:40:13,990 --> 01:40:15,670
He turns to George Gordon Meade.
1836
01:40:17,180 --> 01:40:19,350
George Gordon Meade
lived in Pennsylvania.
1837
01:40:19,500 --> 01:40:23,410
He was a battle-hardened veteran
of the army of the Potomac.
1838
01:40:23,430 --> 01:40:28,340
- And the reason Meade is
chosen is in large part
1839
01:40:28,360 --> 01:40:30,600
because Lincoln's running
out of generals elsewhere.
1840
01:40:30,690 --> 01:40:33,250
He started with Irwin
McDowell, got rid of him,
1841
01:40:33,270 --> 01:40:35,440
and then McClellan,
got rid of him.
1842
01:40:35,590 --> 01:40:38,700
Then John Pope and
then Burnside, Booker,
1843
01:40:38,850 --> 01:40:41,200
and Meade is just
simply the next in line,
1844
01:40:41,430 --> 01:40:43,870
and he only has command
just a short while
1845
01:40:44,020 --> 01:40:45,370
before he has to fight
1846
01:40:45,600 --> 01:40:48,880
really what is the climactic
battle of the eastern theater.
1847
01:40:51,790 --> 01:40:54,220
- Union calvary will ride
in to Gettysburg on the 30th
1848
01:40:54,440 --> 01:40:56,200
and they'll accomplish
the first orders
1849
01:40:56,290 --> 01:40:57,380
that Lincoln gives Meade,
1850
01:40:57,540 --> 01:41:00,300
which is find. Robert
E. Lee, and they do.
1851
01:41:00,390 --> 01:41:02,130
They find two thirds
of the Confederate army
1852
01:41:02,220 --> 01:41:04,780
are down to the west, one
third are off to the north.
1853
01:41:04,880 --> 01:41:06,550
The next morning on July 1st
1854
01:41:06,560 --> 01:41:08,730
Confederates'll march down
the road from the west.
1855
01:41:08,880 --> 01:41:10,210
Lieutenant Marcellus Jones
1856
01:41:10,230 --> 01:41:12,140
borrows Sergeant Levi
Shaffer's carbine
1857
01:41:12,230 --> 01:41:14,880
rested on a fence rail and
it's 7:30 in the morning.
1858
01:41:14,980 --> 01:41:17,240
Squeeze off the first shot
of the battle of Gettysburg.
1859
01:41:18,410 --> 01:41:19,800
This is a meeting engagement.
1860
01:41:19,820 --> 01:41:21,750
Both sides will send
in reinforcements
1861
01:41:21,890 --> 01:41:25,730
and what starts off as a spark
will throw like a wildfire.
1862
01:41:25,820 --> 01:41:29,060
- The Union army of the
Potomac is holding a position
1863
01:41:29,160 --> 01:41:33,480
just north of the city with a
couple of brigades of cavalry.
1864
01:41:33,500 --> 01:41:35,830
The Union puts up
one heck of a fight
1865
01:41:35,980 --> 01:41:37,500
and is able to delay
the Confederate army
1866
01:41:37,590 --> 01:41:38,920
for several hours
1867
01:41:39,080 --> 01:41:43,270
to allow for the Union to
bring up infantry support.
1868
01:41:44,670 --> 01:41:47,100
Robert E. Lee is going
to bring every soldier
1869
01:41:47,250 --> 01:41:50,080
he possibly can, overwhelm
the Union army of the Potomac,
1870
01:41:50,110 --> 01:41:52,780
and push them back through
the city of Gettysburg.
1871
01:41:53,000 --> 01:41:55,330
- The rest of the
day for the Yankees
1872
01:41:55,430 --> 01:41:58,010
seems like a dramatic defeat.
1873
01:41:58,020 --> 01:42:01,170
Yankees are running through
the center of Gettysburg.
1874
01:42:01,190 --> 01:42:02,190
Some of 'em are breaking off
1875
01:42:02,280 --> 01:42:05,020
and hidin' in addicts
and in cellars.
1876
01:42:05,120 --> 01:42:07,450
(tense music)
1877
01:42:15,610 --> 01:42:18,460
(soldiers shouting)
1878
01:42:42,820 --> 01:42:45,150
(dog barking)
1879
01:42:54,170 --> 01:42:56,670
(guns firing)
1880
01:43:02,830 --> 01:43:03,850
- By the end of the day,
1881
01:43:04,070 --> 01:43:06,830
it seemed as though
Lee had in fact won,
1882
01:43:06,920 --> 01:43:07,990
exactly the kind of fight
1883
01:43:08,090 --> 01:43:10,520
he thought he was
going to have to fight.
1884
01:43:10,670 --> 01:43:13,260
A Union force blunders
into his hands,
1885
01:43:13,410 --> 01:43:15,910
is defeated, is thrown back.
1886
01:43:15,930 --> 01:43:17,170
The only hitch of course was
1887
01:43:17,190 --> 01:43:19,360
that they hadn't been
thrown completely back.
1888
01:43:19,510 --> 01:43:21,030
They were still
holding Cemetery Hill
1889
01:43:28,590 --> 01:43:31,160
(soldier groaning)
- Come on.
1890
01:43:35,040 --> 01:43:37,540
(tense music)
1891
01:43:57,070 --> 01:44:00,390
Lincoln is in Washington
and he is anxious
1892
01:44:00,400 --> 01:44:01,570
for what is happening.
1893
01:44:02,740 --> 01:44:05,320
He knows that
fighting is going on,
1894
01:44:06,630 --> 01:44:09,890
but both of these armies are
out beyond the immediate reach
1895
01:44:09,990 --> 01:44:11,990
of telegraph and railroad.
1896
01:44:12,140 --> 01:44:15,660
So the only news is fragmentary,
1897
01:44:15,750 --> 01:44:19,480
bits and pieces that are
floating through the newspapers,
1898
01:44:19,500 --> 01:44:21,430
through couriers.
1899
01:44:21,570 --> 01:44:23,590
There are wild rumors,
1900
01:44:23,820 --> 01:44:25,990
complete defeat of the
Confederate forces,
1901
01:44:26,000 --> 01:44:28,820
followed by complete
defeat of the Union forces.
1902
01:44:28,840 --> 01:44:31,930
But nothing entirely clear,
nothing entirely certain.
1903
01:44:32,080 --> 01:44:35,420
He's going to have to
wait, he has no choice.
1904
01:44:35,510 --> 01:44:38,440
(suspenseful music)
1905
01:44:42,940 --> 01:44:47,260
- Our fathers brought forth on
this continent a new nation.
1906
01:44:47,280 --> 01:44:49,280
- We might not stand a chance.
1907
01:44:49,430 --> 01:44:51,430
- Go after Lee's army now.
1908
01:44:51,530 --> 01:44:53,010
- We'll hold off for now.
1909
01:44:53,100 --> 01:44:55,030
- General-
- I said we'll hold off!
1910
01:44:55,180 --> 01:44:57,100
- He can't let Lee get away.
1911
01:44:57,130 --> 01:44:59,280
- Tell me again why
Robert isn't fighting?
1912
01:44:59,370 --> 01:45:00,520
- Because I won't let him.
1913
01:45:00,540 --> 01:45:01,860
- Come on.
- What, are you?
1914
01:45:01,870 --> 01:45:03,130
- Douglass?
1915
01:45:03,280 --> 01:45:06,040
- When we're doing waiting,
what will be left of us?
1916
01:45:06,130 --> 01:45:08,460
- If I turn my back on
the black soldiers now
1917
01:45:08,620 --> 01:45:10,880
I will be damned in
time and eternity.
1918
01:45:11,030 --> 01:45:13,360
(soldiers shouting)
1919
01:45:13,460 --> 01:45:14,550
I'd like to start
with a campaign-
1920
01:45:14,640 --> 01:45:15,550
- Mr. President.
1921
01:45:15,700 --> 01:45:17,200
I have my own plan.
1922
01:45:17,220 --> 01:45:19,870
- The plain truth is that I'm
likely to lose this election.
1923
01:45:19,890 --> 01:45:22,560
Everything I've
done will be undone.
1924
01:45:22,710 --> 01:45:24,710
- We don't have to go
to the theater, do we?
1925
01:45:24,800 --> 01:45:26,150
- [Lincoln] I'd
much rather stay.
150214
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