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[ battle cries ]

Narrator: Following their victory at gettysburg the previous year,

union forces have finally gained the upper hand.

They now drive deep into rebel territory.

The confederacy is shrinking,

being cut off and surrounded piece by piece.

Narrator: Near the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, a pivotal battle

that will forever alter the course of the civil war

is about to commence.

Nashville's one of the most important battles of the war.

It also sets the stage for what's to come.

Narrator: Desperate to end the union's invasion in the south,

the rebels have launched a daring attempt

to seize Nashville,

a key union supply depot.

♪♪

Jones: If the confederates can control Nashville,

they can prevent federal operations into the deep south.

Narrator: To hold the city,

the union will turn to an unlikely source for help...

Former slaves

desperate to fight those who kept them in bondage.

Jones: These men understand that they are fighting

for the liberation of an entire nation.

They don't want freedom handed to them.

They want to fight for it.

Narrator: Before the sun sets on this cold Friday in December,

history will be made...

and the nation changed forever.

In the winter of 1864,

the men of the 18th Alabama infantry

now move through the woods south of Nashville, Tennessee.

Alongside almost 30,000 other troops,

they've been sent on a mission

rebel commanders hope will help them regain the upper hand

in the civil war.

The confederacy's shrinking,

being cut off and surrounded piece by piece.

In December of 1864,

the confederacy is on the ropes.

But they're still trying

to pull the rabbit out of the hat.

Narrator: Atlanta has fallen.

Union forces now burn their way east

toward the coast of Georgia.

To stay in the field,

the yankee invasion depends on a vital lifeline...

Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville is how the union army

is operating south of Tennessee.

So if you're going to go and take land,

take territory in the deep south,

you need a supply depot.

And Nashville is that supply depot.

I don't think you could overestimate

exactly how powerful Nashville has been

as an influence on the union war effort.

All the supplies for every invasion they've launched

so far in the war has passed through this city.

Narrator: In November 1864, the army of Tennessee,

the rebels' second largest force,

is sent to sever that lifeline.

Jones: If the confederates can control Nashville,

they can previous federal operations

into the deep south,

into Alabama, into Georgia.

But also they have now a major supply hub.

They can get their supplies to their army

that's operating north of Nashville.

Narrator: The previous day, rebels clashed

with union forces sent to drive them off.

After the rebel line was smashed in several places,

they were forced to pull back south of the city

with heavy losses.

But the fight isn't over.

These southern troops are used to facing long odds and winning.

They know the second round is looming

and want to be ready when it comes.

Until they can seize supplies in Nashville,

they'll take what they need from fallen Yankees.

Well, don't that just beat all.

Narrator: By late 1864,

thousands of African Americans now serve with the union army.

Jones: From the beginning of the war,

there were African Americans

who were attempting to offer their services

to the union cause.

They were told by the war department

that, "we don't need your services."

Narrator: But as the war drags on,

the union sees the value in arming African Americans,

especially those enslaved in the south.

They're laying the railroad tracks for the confederacy.

They're building the roads.

They are part of the manufacturing industry.

So this is a critical part of southern labor.

And if the union can lure them into union lines

and bring them into the federal army,

this will injure confederate operations.

Narrator: In early 1863, Lincoln issues

the emancipation proclamation,

freeing southern slaves and giving them

the right to fight with the union army.

Just months later, the first regiments

of the United States colored troops,

or usct, are created.

These men serve with the 13th.

Formed in Tennessee,

most fled plantations to join.

One is private Moses slaughter.

Moses, try this one again.

This one is "a."

Mm-hmm, and?

What come next? I taught you this one.

Born into slavery in Tennessee,

his difficult life was made more bearable by his adoring

and devoted mother.

There you go.

Although slaves were not allowed to read or write,

she was secretly teaching him.

[ Laughs ] Nice try.

But that one go the other way.

Look at this. Let me show you.

Jones: Slaughter has a very close relationship with his mother.

His mother was a nursemaid

and actually learned to read and write

working with the children of the big house,

of the great house.

[ Chuckles ] It's okay, baby.

You'll get it. You just don't give up, okay?

Narrator: But his time with her is short-lived.

While still a boy,

he is given away as a wedding gift.

This is a wrenching experience

that he can do nothing about.

He is completely helpless.

His mother can do nothing about it.

He is going to be separated from his family

because his family is subject

to the whims of a slaveholder.

[ Sobbing ]

[ Screams ]

Narrator: Nine years after he is taken from his mother,

Moses escapes and joins the federal army.

Jones: Moses slaughter, when he enlists

in the United States colored troops,

he understands that if the union is victorious,

if he and his fellow soldiers

are able to put down the rebellion,

slavery will come to an end.

And no child will experience

what he had to experience.

If you've seen on a plantation

the degradation to the people of color,

if you've seen your women raped,

if you've seen your women and children sold,

the indignities that were suffered upon them,

it prompted one to stand up.

It gave them the opportunity to say,

"I will fight for my freedom

no matter what the cause, unto death."

There was no other option.

Narrator: 700 miles away in Washington D.C.,

President Lincoln anxiously follows

developments in Tennessee.

Allison: Lincoln needs to destroy the army of Tennessee,

because it's the last unpredictable factor.

It's still mobile. It's still dangerous.

It can appear in different places.

And in many ways, that's a nightmare to the union army.

So they need to destroy the last threat

that's still in the field

and still not under their control at that point.

Narrator: He's learned of the federal victory

on the first day of fighting

and now is pushing his commanders to finish the job.

Anything less than the total destruction

of the rebel force will be considered a failure.

While Lincoln hopes his well-supplied troops

will prevail over the rebel attackers,

he's missing a key piece of intelligence.

At the end of the first day,

rebel forces have retreated to a high Ridge

that runs to the south of Nashville.

The right end of their line

now occupies the formidable heights

of peach orchard hill.

It's manned by veteran troops,

like the 4th Louisiana infantry.

Allison: The 4th Louisiana infantry is one of the more experienced

in the army of Tennessee.

They have been at every fight of the war, from Shiloh

all the way through the Atlanta campaign.

And they have an excellent reputation

for steadiness under fire.

And these were grisly, tough, hard veterans.

And they had seen it all.

Narrator: One of the confederates

in charge of fortifying the position

is first lieutenant John Kendall.

Like many, Kendall realizes

that the fate of the southern cause

may well rest on what happens on this hilltop.

He knows that if the union breaks this line,

the rebel's last chance

to stop the federal invasion of the south will be gone.

Over the past 9 hours,

rebels have turned the position into a fortress.

Allison: They have the civil war equivalent

of world war I barbed wire in front of their trenches

to slow an attacker down.

They felled trees and sharpened them into stakes.

So they've actually got this set up

to give them the best bang for their buck.

It's a tough nut for even veteran troops to try to crack.

Narrator: By the end of the day,

Moses slaughter and the men of the 13th

will be called upon to assault this rebel death trap.

Narrator: Thousands of union soldiers

now move through the woods of central Tennessee.

They've been sent to defend Nashville

from a rebel attack.

A key union supply depot, if the city falls,

the entire union invasion into the south

will be in peril.

♪♪

Among the defenders is sergeant James Wilson,

an escaped slave who serves

with the 13th United States colored troops.

Proud to wear the union blue,

he demands that his men receive fair treatment.

Jones: Wilson was the kind of man that was a leader.

And a leader takes care of the welfare of his men.

If you want to motivate men to risk their lives,

then you take care of them.

Narrator: Weeks earlier, Wilson learned

that a member of the 13th had been tied up

by some white soldiers as punishment.

One of the problems of putting African American soldiers

who have come right from slavery into military discipline

is military discipline is uncomfortably close

to the punishments of slavery.

And on this occasion, a soldier was getting company punishment.

Why he tied up?

I asked you a question.

I didn't think they let deaf folk here in the army.

Seems that they lettin' just about anybody

in the army these days, boy.

Don't think because they put on a blue uniform

that the white soldiers respected them, as well.

They were always perceived as second-rate soldiers.

I think we have a misunderstanding.

You think we're runaways.

We didn't run away from our master.

You know what we did?

We killed him.

All right, fellas. There's nothing that's...

Now, here's what's gonna happen, cracker.

He's gonna cut that man loose.

And he right here,

he's gonna put a ball in your damn brain

if you move an inch.

Jones: James Wilson cut that man down

because he found it unjust.

And the idea that you're going to be treated

the way you were in slavery

is repulsive to these soldiers.

And when they see things that duplicate

what they endured during their enslavement,

oh, they... they protest.

They take action.

Now, you can keep him here as long as you want.

He broke the rules.

But you ain't gonna tie him up like no animal. You hear?

Sergeant.

You really kill your master?

Course not, fool.

Come on, now.

Narrator: Wilson is desperate to prove

the 13th is the equal of any regiment.

But so far, they haven't been given the chance.

Jones: As frontline troops,

there's still an argument within the union

whether African American soldiers

will make good soldiers.

One of the main difficulties

African American soldiers faced during that war

was just getting to the battlefield.

The policy of the army in general

seems to be one of "free a white man to fight."

And they're oftentimes used

as labor battalions or Garrison troops

or in the rear to free up white units

to go to the front.

Narrator: Aside from a few small skirmishes with the enemy,

the 13th had never seen a real battle.

But that's about to change.

[ Chuckles ]

Well, spit it out.

We moving out in 5 minutes.

Spread the word.

So where we going this time?

Some emergency road need built?

Supply need guarding?

Heard it from the captain.

We're going to the line.

♪♪

All right, boys. On your feet.

Let's go.

Allison: The African American soldiers at Nashville

didn't want the white man to give them their freedom.

They wanted to take an active role in fighting

to prove themselves,

as one of them said, worthy citizens,

worthy of full inclusion under the constitution

as citizens after the war was over.

So it was vitally important

that they take an active role

in emancipating themselves.

Narrator: For the first time in the regiment's history,

they're finally getting their chance

to fight in a major battle.

But as they make their way toward the line,

they run into rebel skirmishers left to guard the approaches

to the new confederate position.

Man: Here they come.

Wait. Wait.

Not yet.

Damn it.

The confederacy is furious,

because these are their slaves.

And they're attacking them.

That creates a great deal of anger.

Allison: These are men who grew up with the institution of slavery.

And the idea of armed African American men

fighting for their freedom

has been drilled into their heads as a threat.

I think it's fair to say that there's raw hatred there.

[ Whispering ] You watch.

First volley, they bolt.

[ Gunfire ]

Get down!

[ Men shouting indistinctly ]

[ Gunfire continues ]

Told you they'd run.

See anything?

They're up there on that Ridge.

All right, 13th! On your feet!

Let's go!

They ain't running.

That's a lot.

We got to pull out.

Narrator: Faced with the entire 13th regiment,

the rebel skirmishers have no choice

but to race back to the main confederate line

atop peach orchard hill.

After hours of work,

they've turned it into a fortress.

Allison: The confederates at peach orchard hill

are at the top of their game as far as it goes.

They coming, boys. Get ready.

They've got good positions. They've got good weaponry.

They're experienced soldiers.

I don't think there was a doubt in their mind

that they could hold that position until judgement day,

if it came down to that.

Narrator: The rebel position anchors

the right flank of the confederate line

that's been established south of Nashville.

Realizing its strength,

union commanders create

a plan to destroy it.

The men of the 13th learn

they've been given the day's most daunting task.

Alongside other regiments,

they will launch a frontal assault

on the heights of peach orchard hill.

Narrator: Rebel forces have been sent on a daring mission

to seize Nashville

and end the union's crippling invasion of the south.

♪♪

What they're trying to do desperately

is to stop that invasion.

Jones: If you're going to go and take territory

in the deep south, you need a supply depot.

And Nashville is that supply depot.

Narrator: After clashing with union troops the previous day,

the rebels have fallen back

to the heights of peach orchard hill.

It was a perfect position

they had a perfect field of fire.

Narrator: Members of the 13th usct

have orders to join in a union assault

to storm the position.

Allison: The African American units don't know what to expect.

They've never fought a full-on field engagement.

They don't have a lot of experience

as maneuvering as a body,

as fighting as a part of a combined arms army.

So as far as a field unit goes,

the 13th is a fairly green outfit.

So there was some expectation that at the first shot,

they were gonna drop their muskets, turn, and run.

Narrator: Realizing the strength of the rebel position,

the union takes steps to raise their odds.

Incoming!

[ Explosions ]

There were four federal batteries

pounding peach orchard hill.

The guns are trying to silence the confederate guns.

They're trying to knock down their defenses,

soften them up, kill and wound as many as they can.

Narrator: For two terrifying hours,

the rebels are hammered by yankee guns.

Steady, men. Steady.

Narrator: The barrage tests the nerves

of even the toughest rebels.

The psychological effect was devastating.

Believing the line has been smashed,

union troops make their way

to the base of peach orchard hill.

[ Man grunting ]

Allison: A union observer watching the hill

said something to the effect of,

"it was truly beautiful to watch.

Not a shell missed."

He was quite wrong.

Narrator: Many of the shells hit behind the trenches,

leaving the confederate defenders largely untouched.

[ Battle cries in distance ]

Leading the assault are some of the union's toughest troops.

The white troops are veterans.

They've done this before.

They've got just as much experience as the confederates.

Steady yourselves!

Everybody pick a target!

[ Battle cries continue ]

Ready, aim, fire!

[ Gunfire ]

[ Explosions in distance ]

Narrator: As the 13th nears the base of the hill,

they realize the rebel line has survived the barrage.

Waiting for the order to attack,

the 13th gets their first look at a real battle.

The sights and sounds of the battle

can frighten anyone.

They're listening to this Cannon fire and musket fire.

They hear groans of the wounded men.

[ Men groaning ]

470 men go down

in about 10 minutes of firing.

They understand very clearly

that they're up against a formidable foe.

I don't think realistically you could say

there was much chance of success

against an unbroken confederate line on that hill.

They had several hundred yards of open ground to cover.

And they had to be nervous about that.

Narrator: Despite the impossible odds,

men like Moses slaughter and James Wilson

are determined to do their duty.

Jones: As they're preparing to assault this fortified position,

these men understand

that they are fighting

for the liberation of an entire nation.

The iron-bar chains of slavery

are not gotten rid of by the benevolence of someone.

It's by their bravery on the battlefield.

♪♪

Arms at the ready!

Still think chasing off skirmishers is a big deal?

Forward, men!

[ Battle cries ]

Narrator: Aware that they are probably marching to their deaths,

Wilson, slaughter, and the men of the 13th

move out to meet their fate.

Narrator: The American civil war is almost 4 years old.

♪♪

Near the outskirts of Nashville, the critical battle

to decide the fate of the union's invasion of the south

rages on.

After an earlier attack by veteran union troops failed,

a regiment of untested former slaves

has been ordered to drive rebel forces

from a hilltop stronghold.

Black bastards.

Desperate to prove their worth,

they now move toward enraged rebel soldiers

determined to cut them down.

♪♪

They're coming right this way, boys!

Let 'em get a little closer!

How come they ain't shooting?

I don't know.

There was a tacit understanding among the confederates.

"Don't fire a gun

until we have them fully within our sights."

So they let them come on until every bullet would hit.

Easy, boys!

Don't waste a bullet!

That gives you an idea of the determination and savagery

that they felt facing former slaves on a battlefield.

Man: Halt!

Ready!

Aim!

Fire!

[ Gunshots ]

Man #2: Put that gun down before y'all shoot yourself!

Get up here and make yourself useful!

I need a shine!

My boots is dirty! [ Laughter ]

They're yelling, basically trying to say,

"you work for us. You're our underling.

Why don't you come and perform this service for me?

This is what your position in society is."

And my drawers need washing!

"You're not a soldier.

You're a servant. You're a slave."

You can do that, right, boy?

Come up here and wash my damn drawers!

So it's to put them in their place,

take them out of their game.

♪♪

Doesn't work.

Ready!

Fire!

[ Gunfire ]

[ Battle cries ]

Narrator: Despite the strength of the rebel position,

slaughter, Wilson, and the men of the 13th

surge toward the summit.

And they were being hit by small arms fire,

as well as shrapnel.

You know, shot to shreds,

just shot to pieces.

[ Battle cries continue ]

Narrator: As their flag-bearer is gunned down

and the attack starts to stall, Wilson takes action.

James Wilson picks up that flag

and continues to fight.

He knew that seeing the flag being waved,

that the soldiers would regroup.

They would charge to that flag.

And they would fight for that flag.

[ Gunfire continues ]

Jones: Wilson knows that when he goes

and retrieves those colors,

he is a priority target.

And the odds of him being killed

have increased exponentially.

♪♪

Wilson is clearly setting an example.

This is the kind of courage necessary

for us to come out of this victorious.

Without this selfless sacrifice,

we cannot win as a unit.

To be victorious, we must make sacrifices.

Narrator: Inspired by his incredible act of courage,

the 13th fight on.

[ Battle cries ]

Allison: For inexperienced troops,

it's just a remarkable story of perseverance under fire.

They had made it to the parapets.

Now, that was a big event.

Allison: They pressed up within feet of the confederate line.

They must have been right in the confederates faces.

Narrator: But despite their incredible effort,

they can't crack the line.

And what's left of the 13th must retreat.

Almost 40% of the regiment

has been killed or wounded during the attack.

Turned out to be the bloodiest single event

of the whole two-day battle of Nashville.

Narrator: The initial charge has failed.

But it has massive consequences on the battle's outcome.

Believing the 13th came close to taking the position,

rebel general hood sends more reinforcements

from his left flank to the top of peach orchard hill.

Hood, a mile away at his headquarters at Leland,

looking at this through his field glasses,

sent more reinforcements over,

as he'd been doing all day,

further weakening the weakest part of his line.

Narrator: As reinforcements head toward peach orchard hill,

the union decides to strike

at the left flank of the rebel line.

As that assault begins,

alongside other usct and regular regiments,

members of the 13th prepare

to attack peach orchard hill one more time.

Allison: What seems to have formed at the base of the hill

was kind of a hodgepodge of whoever was there,

men from the 100th, the 13th, the 44th usct,

all gathering together in a kind of an ad hoc unit.

And witnesses that were on the ground

said they went right alongside the white troops

and joined them in the attack back up the hill

and took the prominent role in that attack.

After you've been repulsed,

you've lost comrades.

You know the bodies laying on the battlefield.

And you're told you're gonna have to go back

into the mouth of the tiger.

There's fear.

But Moses slaughter and his fellow soldiers know

that they're fighting for more than taking the hill.

They're fighting to liberate a nation.

Narrator: Despite the odds,

once more, they storm up the hill

toward almost certain death.

[ Battle cries ]

Narrator: Rebel troops sent to seize Nashville,

the key to union operations in the deep south,

cling to the formidable heights of peach orchard hill.

♪♪

Desperate to crack the rebel line

and win the battle of Nashville,

the union has launched one final assault.

[ Battle cries ]

They head back up the hill

believing that they can win the day.

Fire! Fire!

Reload!

Keep up your fire, men!

Hold them back!

Narrator: The rebels pound them with everything they've got.

Man: Fire!

Narrator: As the federal troops near the summit,

something incredible happens.

To the west, a federal attack at shy's hill

cracks the left flank of the rebel line,

causing a catastrophic confederate collapse.

Hold the line!

Get back to your positions, men!

Do not retreat!

♪♪

This has got to be one of the greatest joys

that you could experience.

You went immediately from danger

and, "I'm probably going to die,"

to, "hell, we've won.

We... we have the hill."

[ Battle cries, gunfire continue ]

Allison: The price they paid in blood

bought them the respect of their fellow soldiers.

It put to rest a lot of myths

about how black soldiers wouldn't fight.

And I think it's a story that speaks to everybody

just on a human level about dignity,

about what it is to be respected.

They demonstrated that they were

indeed American soldiers.

And those who fought with them understood that, as well.

♪♪

Narrator: The bravery of the 13th

helped secure one of the great victories of the war.

Cartright: Many historians believe

it was one of the most decisive battles of the civil war.

5,600 prisoners, about 4,000 casualties,

62 cannons captured,

and, in effect, virtually destroying

the confederate army of Tennessee.

And by taking it out of the equation,

the union army doesn't have to worry

about the west any longer.

They can concentrate on the final

and ultimate objective,

which is to destroy Lee,

to take Richmond, and end the war.

And that sets the stage for it.

Narrator: Word of the victory soon spreads.

The actions of Moses slaughter

and the men of the usct

give hope to many that at long last,

millions of African Americans

will soon be free.

Jones: These men are liberators.

Now their children

and those they free can look back

and say, "these... These are our heroes."

♪♪

Narrator: James Wilson dies of his wounds

on the summit of peach orchard hill.

He is one of the 220 members of the 13th usct

who gave up their lives that day.

Moses slaughter continues to fight for the union army.

When the war finally ends,

he settles in evansville, Indiana,

a free man.

He dies in 1938 in a house he owned

surrounded by his loving family.